This past Sunday, Cheryl and I said goodbye to some very special people at Christlife Church. It was an emotional day for us for sure. It was also very special. Without question, we have made some great friends over the last 5 yrs. It's been an honor to serve alongside some amazingly godly and talented people.We've learned a lot through this experience already and I'm sure there will be many more lessons to come as the journey continues. Here are just a few things that God is showing us. Hopefully, they will bring strength and clarity to you during your difficult transitions.
1. When God throws you a curve, hit it! Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." If you truly believe that God is in control and your life is submitted to Him, then it only makes sense to believe that your circumstances will somehow be used by Him to accomplish His plan for your life. And the good news is that God's plans for us are always good!
2. Forgive. We all want to find someone to blame when it seems as if the rug gets pulled out from under us. In these times, we must resist the temptation to become bitter, even when it seems as if the blame is justified. Hebrews 12:15 reminds us to "Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time. (Message)" Bitterness does not punish the person you blame, it only hurts you and poisons others.
3. Listen for God's voice. C.S. Lewis once said that "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world." So often it seems that God has forgotten about us during our times of pain. The truth is exactly the opposite. God is right there with us and he often seems so much more real to us. It's in our difficult times that he can do amazing things in and through us.
4. Put your whole trust in God. It's in times like these that our faith is tested. A mentor of mine used to say that our faith is put on the "witness stand" during hard times. In other words, trials show us what our faith is really made of. We must let God fuel our faith during difficult times. It's in doing this that we will be made stronger and He will be glorified!
Praise God that he holds his children in the palm of His hand!
3 comments:
Thank you Ken for reminding us that inspite of the injustices, our focus and faith have got to remain steadfast on the Lord. Your still a blessing!
Joni
Amen!
I truly belive that God allows us to walk through good and bad times to prepare us for the next step. Even when we feel like we are stumbling,God is there to hold us up and direct our steps,if we allow Him.Thank you for everything !
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