Well....here it is October. I worked so hard to get an August in and then completely missed September! lol! I've been thinking and thinking and praying and praying but I just didn't know what topic to blog about. Everytime I got an idea it would fall through one way or another. There is so much going on right now. You know the saying, "when it rains it pours"? Kinda feels like that. Now all that is going on around me doesn't concern me. Sometimes it just concerns my friends. But when someone you care about is going through a rought time it still weighs on you too. My sister is going through a really nasty situation...a friend of mine is going through an adoption that's been up and down...another friend of mine is pregnant and in the process of losing her mom to cancer(which makes my struggles feel silly and petty!)...another friend of mine who is pregnant is having some health issues...the plant where my dad works is closing next spring...a good friend of mine might be moving out of town soon...so much sickness going around right now...the lady I clean for is currently not doing well health wise and is in a nusring home and all I can think about is how to witness to her...Satan is fighting hard at church...then of course there's the ever present $ and government worries. And I'm sure I can think up some more, right? I'm not complaining though. With all of the topics I thought of to blog about I decided instead to take all of my "overwhelmedness" (just made up a new word! lol!) and then show all that the Lord is reminding me through it.
He is reminding me first of all of His amazing love. I don't know what I would do without it. I couldn't do without it! Even when I'm struggling and allowing everything around me to overwhelm me, He is right there gently reminding me that He does have everything under control and will take care of it if I'll just let Him. Then I am constantly reminded to forgive. Circumstances that I didn't share are kinda rought right now....and it's easy to take up a grudge when I just get sick of it all. But then there's the Lord again, reminding me that I'm not doing any good by holding on to any bitterness against this person...or that person...that it'll only hinder MY walk with Him. (BTW, that was one of my topic ideas. Bitterness/Forgivness. I'm convinced that this is a bigger issue than most Christians realize and if we'll just take a serious look and forgive the ones we need to forgive, for whatever reason, then we would be so much closer to the Lord and our walk would be so much sweeter! Anyway...back to topic.) He's also reminding me the importance of prayer. Which, I have been so overwhelmed that I've allowed it all to stunt my prayer life. Reminded me how much I can do for a friend just in prayer. Along with that He's reminded me that prayer really sometimes is all I can do and not to stress and struggle trying to figure out what "Sarah" can do instead of letting God do His job.
So yeah...He's been talking to me about alot these last couple of days and last night I finally took it all to Him and just fell asleep in His arms. If only I would do that every night....The peace was so sweet.
I don't know how much of this was coherent and how much just sounded like me rambling on and on...but hopefully there is something here that the Lord can use to help you out today. To remind you to trust Him with all of life's messiness. Have a blessed day with Jesus!
With Prayers,
Sarah
What kind of girl doesn't do it from time to time? What it will be like to have a husband and children some day and a home of your own to cook in, clean, and love your family in. I know I do it alot! lol! Probably too much from time to time. That's when I need to turn my mind's eye back on the Lord and whatever He has planned for me, in the near and far future.
It was this thought that recently re-came to mind only in a differant light than I'd ever thought of.
I was in the middle of a tough decision ( I won't be sharing it though because then some will dwell on that issue rather than the issue at hand) and trying desperatly to find a way for my way to work when down deep I knew what His way was. I prayed and prayed. Read my Bible. Talked to my mom. And the list goes on. It was the morning of my "deadline" when I was praying, yet again, and the Lord was finally able to get through with one single thought. "You don't have any dreams anymore. They are all Mine" Wow! It was a little thought with a big meaning that I had heard recently at a Ladies meeting. Only then it was directed towards how after we marry, our dreams are gone and replaced with his dreams and how we can fulfill them. They become our dreams. Now it was given to me in a whole new light. I'm a Christian. Saved by His Blood. A child of the King. When I became His, all of my dreams were gone. I took on His dreams to fulfill and become my own. Or atleast I ought to have. Well, needless to say I was no longer able to put off the right decision and it was made. It was hard, but the peace in knowing I had made a decision that was His was wonderful. And after I gave in, He worked things out.
Isaiah 55:8-9 says "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." His thoughts and dreams are far above what ours ever will be so if you think about it, it's not really a sacrifice to give up ours for His. But we sure do want to hold on to ours, don't we? As a Born-Again Child of God though, we are supposed to give up ours for His. We are to reach for those thoughts higher than ours and try to make them ours. "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens." (Lam. 3:40-41) Give Him our heart's thoughts and desires and let Him do with them what He wants.
"The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. " (Ps 37:1)
"I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. " (Ps 40:8)
"I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end." (Ps 119:112)
When His thoughts/dreams/law/way is in our heart and becomes ours, that is when we will find that the decisions come easier. We won't stumble over them half as often. We will delight in them even! But only when we choose to. That's what that word incline means.
So think about it. It's very easy to be that little girl with the "Prince Charming on a white horse" dream....but are you willing to give up your dreams? No matter what they are? So that His dreams will become your? And then the dreams you have will be amazing! "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jer. 29:11) "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (I Cor. 2:9) "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him." (Is. 64:4) Dream about Him tonight or the next time you are faced with a "difficult" decision and see what happens...
With Prayers,
Sarah
Well here it is almost November and I'm just now getting to October. What a month it has been!!!! In many differant ways! Alot of what has happened this month has led me back to the Bible to search out passages for encouragement and strength and finding hope in Christ when things look...stinky. I know it's not a very "deep" topic but it's one that's close to my heart right now and that's what this whole blog is about, right?
Life hits hard sometimes. Or should I say Satan hits hard sometimes? And it's when he is hitting us hard that we run to God. For reassurance, for comfort, for strength to do what I'm supposed to do, and even for a little slap to go with it. Well life/Satan recently hit pretty hard again (he seems to be doing that alot lately) and I was driven to my knees and to the Word. Of course, in times of difficulty one of the first places I went was Lamentations 3. What a chapter!!! Yes life stinks, yes it looks like nothing is going right, but! We aren't overcome/consumed by it because the Lord is merciful and compassionate and faithful! He is good and therefore we can hope in Him.
Then there was Psalms 73. Anyone read that one? I don't know how many times I've related to it...and not in a good way. I too was having myself a pity party. "Lord, why does this have to happen again?!?!? Just when I think I'm 'getting on top' they've got to throw another one my way! And why is it everything seems to always go their way?! Everyone seems to be on their side! When I'm only trying to do what You've told me to!" Yeah....that's me. But! I was foolish. The way of the sinner will be judged. Their end won't be good though it might look like it. God will deal with them. And in the mean time, He's with me, holding me by my hand, guiding me, counseling me, and being my strength (that is, as soon as I get my act straight).
The following are the rest of the verses I wrote down that day. Each speaking to me of trials and how God is with me through them if I will hope in Him.
"Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side." Psalm 71:20-21
"Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Hosea 6:1-3
"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Psalms 61:2
"O LORD, be gracious unto us(me); we(I) have waited for thee: be thou their(my) arm every morning, our(my) salvation also in the time of trouble." Isaiah 33:2 (parentheses added)
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Psalms 42:5-6,11
"He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform." Romans 4:20-21
Then there is the one that is my current favorite verse. I use it for everything right now. When I read it I couldn't believe such a phrase was in the Bible. It was like it was meant for me right at that time. "Who against hope believed in hope..." Romans 4:18a That's what I'm trying to do. Hope against hope because nothing is impossible with God. Including hanging on when you've just had it and you think you can't hang on any more.
So I guess that's it. Yeah life stinks from time to time. Sometimes more often than not. But He is there with me guiding me and offering the strength of His awesome hand if I'll just hope in Him. Even when it seems I'm hoping against hope.
With Prayers,
Sarah
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