When things are flowing great...joy is radiating from me where-ever I go! I am giving people a Holy high-five....I've got that extra pep in my step on most days. I am "letting Go, letting God". Kinda like being on a rollercoaster with your arms waving up high!
But what about when times get a little rough? You wake up Monday morning and your checking account is already in the negative? You get that dreaded phone call that some medical tests were "inconclusive" and you need to return for a follow-up. Rumors are surfacing of an impending lay-off within your company. Despite all the guidance and boundaries......your children make poor choices in their lives.
I find that when issues arise (which they do!).......my hands that were freely dancing in the sky are now clutched with a white knuckled grip in a panic state. My brain starts racing on how to "fix" the issue with my own doings/actions/thought processes. I snatch the issues and hold them tight as if I can smother the solution out of them.
Of course I am doing more damage by reacting this way. Not only am I robbing myself of peace and joy with constant worry and anxiousness, I am basically telling God that I don't trust that He is able to handle it. I mean, let's be honest.....He can overcome the grave, but I think *my* issue just might put Him over the top and be a little out of His league!
How insane does that sound? But it's what I am saying when I act that way.
So friends, I need some encouragement to unload the burden and get back to the weightless freedom that trusting God with everything brings! Remind me that freedom is what God is all about.
Revive my way of thinking.....remind me of all what is taught in His Word:
We were bound in sin......Jesus sets us free.
He has paid The Ransom.....now we are free.
We will know the Truth and the Truth will set us free.
We are no longer slaves to sin for He has rescued us.
We are no longer prisoners, we have received the Ultimate emancipation.
There is total freedom in Christ
I know......the references are endless. Sometimes I just need that little nudge. I know God wants me to remember that He is never going to fail me. I woke up this morning, and flipped my Bible open. Ironically, my eyes went straight to this Scripture:
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
~Jeremiah 17:7-8
What do you do when times get a little tough? How do you keep your eyes fixed on God? Can you offer some advice/prayer for me... and maybe that one person who also needs some encouragement that came to visit my place today?
Thank you in advance!
Peace~
*~Michelle~*
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20 comments:
Firstly, love the Needtobreathe song playing. I love that whole album especially These Hard Times.
Anyway, I could relate to the whole white knuckle panic mode you mentioned. I'm amazed at how quickly I go to that place when things go just a bit off course. I have gotten back into memorizing scripture and that is honestly helping. Having verses at the tip of my tongue and the top of my brain to call on and say over and over truly does help me hand over my worries. I wish I did that more automatically but I still struggle with not leaping in to 'smother a solution' Oh I hear you on that one!
My post on arise 2 write is what I do...can't believe I was led to post about this, yesterday! "Embrace peace" my friend! I choose to un-clutch my hands and re-clutch them on my Heavenly Father...clutching the one and only answer in the midst of any life storm.
I love you! Know I am praying for you!
Hugs and blessings, andrea
Michelle: thanks first, for the honesty of this post. It is so easy to sugarcoat things in blog world. People sometimes don't want others to see them as they are-struggling just as others do. We are sometimes expected to have answers that we ourselves don't have.
Second, my favorite passage of Scripture to go bar none is Psalm 37:1-7. Fret not. Trust. Delight. Commit. Be still. They have held me together more than I can say.
Not sure if this is what you are asking for but hope it is. Love and hugs to you today.
Ahhhh, thanks everyone.
Bill....I think you are starting to see that "sugarcoating" is one thing I just can't do! Sometimes I feel I lay too much out there, but then again....I gotta keep it real, yk? What model of Christ would I be if I was a phony?
Just because we have God in our lives, does not give us a life without issues/challenges. It's how we choose to handle the them, right?
thanks for popping in my world.....for your hope/encouragement...and your prayers!
I send you a big ol' Iowa hug from the land of the Lees! I'd offer you some advice, Michelle, except that it sounds like God HIMSELF is directing you, even as you write your post. How cool is that?
So just know that I am here, sending a huge cyber-hug your way, and a big shout-out that says "You go girl!"
May you see a Y -- evidence of Yahweh -- in your path today. He is with you, in you, before you, beside you, and ALL OVER YOU.
I send you my love.
I have just the oppositve problem. I tend to be very spiritual and close to God when I am having trial, and then when things are good, I forget to turn to him.
Hang in there, Michelle.
Kristina,
I have read many times that when God allows the trials in our lives, the reason is to bring us closer to Him. He's got it all figured out, doesn't He?
Great verses.
Oh how we all struggle in some way...
When my heart is really burdened over an issue or prayer request, I write it on a little piece of paper, pray about it and then put it in my "prayer jar" by my bed. I made a promise to the Lord that once I put a request in that jar, that I would try my best to let it go and let Him take care of it.
prayers and blessings
We can be so absurd can't we? As for the question, I don't honestly keep my eyes focused on Him (as far as I know, no one does 100%). I am constantly readjusting, but He's always faithful to turn my head back around and bring me back where I need to be. I know exactly how you feel. Being overwhelmed is no picnic...
Praying that His presence and goodness surrounds you now and that precious hope that flows from Him will flood your soul. :)
Blessings!
I'm in the same situation as Kristina. I sure do remember Him when I need Him, but when I "don't" then it's easier to forget to do the basics.
Of course, we need Him ALL THE TIME, but there are days when it's a lot more obvious.
Hang in there, my friend! He loves you and so do we!
Michelle,
It's during those turbulent and unknown times that I fall on my knees in prayer and seek God and His peace. He promises to supply our daily needs so as long as that is happening today, why worry about tomorrow. That's the enemy wanting us to worry about tomorrow or next week. Trust in God!
Love and Hugs ~ Kat
I will share a portion from Streams in the Desert that brought comfort me to me today...I've been plummeted, missles just coming at us from everywhere Michelle..it's been ongoing and FIERCE...
"God uses many sharp-cutting instruments and polishes His jewels with files that are rough. And those saints he especially loves an desires to make shine the most brilliantly, will often feel His tools upon them"
"I willingly bear witness to the face that I owe more to my Lord's fire, hammer and file than anything else in His workshop. Sometimes I wonder if I have ever learned anything except at the end of of God's rod. When my classroom is darkest, I see best." Charles H. Spurgeon.
Michelle,
Can you feel my cyber-hug? It's stretching over to where you are, giving you a big squeeze!
Yes, I can totally relate to several of the scenarios you stated in your post...mainly because they've happened to us over the last 4-5 years. It's not easy at all. What helps me is lots of prayer and time in God's Word.
You remember the post I wrote about putting bible verses on index cards? That's what I do. It helps me to refocus.
If you need me, I'm here.
Love you...
Amazingly in the past, I never seeked solace in trying and difficult times as I ( super me) could handle any thing. I went around stressed all the time, couldn't sleep, and always bitter.
It wasn't until I surrendered my self to the Lord a few years back that I lost all the stress and worries.
ALl I do now is talk to the Lord and say " Lord give me the strength to pull through these trying times . I put my faith entirely in your hands. Lead me and guide me to make the right decisions and accept what I cannot change. In Jesus name. Amen."
With those simple words, I have endured several cancer scares, A near fatal race car accident, wifes health issues, and once; bankruptcy.
The iisues didn't go away, just that the Lord made them easy to deal with.
Interesting that I just came on line & posted and then hopped over here to find that we may be having similar experiences.
Sometimes all I know to do is just what I see you doing here - reminding yourself of the truth. That no matter how bad things may look, the truth is....God loves me and has good plans for my life, God is in control of the situation, He will use every situation and event to work good into my life, His grace is enough...as you said, the list goes on and one.
Hugs and prayers for you XOXOXO
Sister...as a father to seven and a husband to ONE wife, I know those white knuckle feelings all too well.It always comes down to trust and in whom do we trust. Thankfully the Father knows us and gives grace along the way as we learn to trust Him more!
Peace.
Jay
I feel the same right now, LOTS going on in life, but this time? I am at peace. IT is a nice, nice feeling, knowing that there is stress, but it will be okay.
Aren't we just so imperfectly human?
I, too, struggle with this. I wish I had some sort of epiphany to share....
I just try to drown out the voices and worry in my head with inspirational music....one of my favorite's is Mercy Me's, "Bring the Rain".
It's so much easier to see the things God was showing us when we get on the other side of a valley, it's not much fun when we're in it. Sometimes all you can do is tie a knot in your rope and hang on. But know there are others who are praying for you!
I wish I did that more automatically but I still struggle with not leaping in to 'smother a solution' Oh I hear you on that one!
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