My heart just aches tonight for the many friends that are hurting. We are on a journey of faith together.
Faith has been an issue for me. True faith... Not telling God what to do and expecting Him to deliver, but actually leaving the decisions up to Him and trusting His hand to protect and provide, where ever He leads. See once I figured out what faith wasn't (hocus pocus), I was scared to death about what it was (surrender).
When I surrender, He can lead me places I don't want to go. When I surrender, my comfort zone is gone. Oh, I have been through periods of surrender before, but the stakes were never this high. Of course, God loves me too much to allow me to avoid His will indefinitely. And so He has brought me to a place where I have nothing but Him to rely on. Only from His hand will I receive what I need.
Even though none of what is happening to me and to my friends seems to make sense, (Why would God allow this or that? What possible good can come from my baby living in an orphanage?) I just have to remember His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.
I was thinking about this today holding my little dog, Sadie. I love my little Sadie, as silly as it sounds, she brings so much happiness to my and Tim’s life. Today was a gorgeous day here in Maryland, in the 70’s all day. New carpet was being installed in our house and their were so many ways that my little doggie could get into trouble or get hurt. So I made her stay outside. She could run around in the yard or relax on the porch, but she could not come inside. Well, this made her miserable! She just wanted to be in... She barked and cried and whined. She looked so pathetic. I felt really bad for her, but I just couldn’t risk letting her inside.
So I went out for awhile, let her jump into my arms and I hugged and kissed her. I could offer her my comfort, but I just could not give her what she wanted. Even though she could not understand, I knew better than she did and I could not let her go in. Her little doggie brain is never going to be able to grasp why I make the decisions I make for her, but even still, I love her and must make good decisions for her.
Pardon the crude analogy, but... How much more wise are the decisions my Lord makes for me? And how much more does He love me, than I love a dog? Even when I cannot see any possible reason why things are happening as they are, I have to trust Him. I have to trust that He sees and understand things that are beyond my comprehension, and He takes all of it into consideration as He makes the best decisions for ALL of His creation simultaneously. And still when we question Him, He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
This is faith, when all you can see is darkness, and you cannot comprehend where you are going or why you are there, still trusting His hand.
JAMES 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance has it’s perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing.
2 comments:
I see you have not posted in a couple of days....LAZY. Anyway, about the whole apple thing. I think it goes along with the title of your last blog...Faith. Some of us have more faith then other's like yourself. It takes a real faith person to buy a Dell for instance. Myself, I have HP faith, It's alittle easier faith to have. You, you have no faith....your faith is in an apple...and we all know what happened in the garden of Eden with apples dont we ?!?
JAMES 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren(to buy horrible computers like Dells), when you encounter various trials,(Dells again) knowing that the testing of your faith (you will never have this you apple owner) produces endurance. And let endurance has it’s perfect result (My His perfect will be with none apple owners), that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing (except the perfect apple....but then again remember the garden).
So what if our computers get virus's.....I rest in the fact that some day YOUR APPLE WILL GET WORMS !!!
I love you
Henry
Your words:
"And so He has brought me to a place where I have nothing but Him to rely on."
are so true. And so vividly recount the very same lesson God was teaching me when we were in the process of waiting for our son from Guatemala. That lack of control was so difficult for me. I wanted Him to do it MY way! And yet... I had to fully trust that His way was BEST-- maybe longer, maybe more difficult. Stretching, yes. Challenging, yes. Maddening, sometimes. But best. His ways always are.
What I can tell you from the other side is that it is GOOD. Those lessons God taught me during that season are so very much worth the agonizing waiting. And the delays, and the hurt and the aching of wanting him HOME, in YOUR arms, with you. He is in the process of refining, and that's always a good thing! :)
Blessings to you and yours,
~Stacy
Post a Comment