"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." Psalm 46:1, 2.
Most people that I know love to lisen to rain and thunderstorms. I am not one of those people. I have never enjoyed the rumblings of the thunder nor do I favor the sharp electrical point of a lightening bolt. When I think of a thunderstorm two short stories come to mind.
The first is from when I was about 9 years old. My face is buried into the shoulder of my Nanny (Grandmother) as tears roll down my cheeks. "I don't like storms," I whine.
Patting my head she soothes me with sweet words, "Jesus will take care of you. He made the rain. He knows what he's doing." I knew that Jesus would never leave me and I knew that He loved me so why was I so afraid?
The second story that comes to mind is the story of Jesus sleeping among his friends in a fishing vessel as it bobs up and down on the sea of Galilee. Of course we know that after awhile the gentle sway of the boat became violent as a storm approached. Panicked and in fear for their lives the Disciples were all afraid...This is the part of the story that boggles my mind. They have the Son of God in the boat with them and they still experience fear.
My husband once told me that, "God never expected us to experience fear. It's a result of sin in this world." Although I have Jesus in the boat (in my life) I still may experience moments of fear. That is until I put my eyes and faith in God and remember that He is there with me. For me, the beautiful thing about this story is not that He has the power to calm the storm, but that He is experiencing the storm right along with them. What an amazing God! He's in the boat. He feels the gusts of wind, He hears and sees the thunder and lightening. If we can just close our eyes and listen for His voice, "Peace, be still." We can have our own calm in the storm.
Here are some lyrics from a song that I believe God gifted to me, "You promise to supply all of my needs. You know my dreams and my fears, but fear is not something you created. It's part of sin in this world. So I will stand true. I will be your faithful. I will be a Job for you. I will stand true." -Stand True, from Joey Tolbert's CD Parables
2/9/11
2/4/11
"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift." 2 Corinthians 9:15
Thankful: The first person that comes to my mind is my daughter. I cannot comprehend how a person does not love their child unconditionally. The true test though is to love your spouse in such a way. An adult is held to higher standards but for some strange reason even when our children become adults it seems that our love stretches so much further than it does for a spouse. God calls wives to love their husbands and husbands to live their wives as Christ loves the church. God's love is unconditional and unwavering. Therefore, we are also called to love in this way. Seems like a simple answer. The action, however, is not so simple. I fail at this goal on a daily basis. Why is it often so easy to use biting words or actions toward a person that you've pledged to honor? I often think that's it's because we become so comfortable that we just expect them to stay and love us anyway. I'm often this way with God too...sadly. I have to pick myself up (by God's grace) and try to look at this man (in my case) as a son of God and a friend to me.
In the first couple of years of my marriage, which by the way ARE the most difficult in my opinion, I would constantly feel certain that my spouse was out to get me. That I couldn't trust him and that he didn't really love me. I was so bent to make this thought into reality that I made him and myself utterly miserable. I was SO confused and mislead.
At my husbands urging I went to a half a dozen counseling sessions. They seemed to help a lot. I unraveled things about my past that I didn't even realize bothered me. Feeling the pressure lifting I could almost breathe again. I have parents that pray for me and my little family and I know that their prayers have been a tremendous help.
Now, almost 10 years into marriage, and I know for some this means we are still babies, I can say that we've made it through. But, that's not quite good enough. I want more than just to make it through a day. I want to live through it and be vitalized by my life. My daughter has helped me learn how to be more enthusiastic about EVERYTHING. God is working on the hard shell that often tries to encompass my heart...that's another blog. I am thankful for my marriage and for a man that does not give up on me (us). I am thankful for a God that gives us the perfect example of unfaltering love.
Here's my thankful list for today:
I am thankful for my husband, my beautiful daughter, my parents, friends, for food to eat, a roof over my head, the ability to walk, talk, breathe, etc, and I am thankful for God and His Grace.
In the first couple of years of my marriage, which by the way ARE the most difficult in my opinion, I would constantly feel certain that my spouse was out to get me. That I couldn't trust him and that he didn't really love me. I was so bent to make this thought into reality that I made him and myself utterly miserable. I was SO confused and mislead.
At my husbands urging I went to a half a dozen counseling sessions. They seemed to help a lot. I unraveled things about my past that I didn't even realize bothered me. Feeling the pressure lifting I could almost breathe again. I have parents that pray for me and my little family and I know that their prayers have been a tremendous help.
Now, almost 10 years into marriage, and I know for some this means we are still babies, I can say that we've made it through. But, that's not quite good enough. I want more than just to make it through a day. I want to live through it and be vitalized by my life. My daughter has helped me learn how to be more enthusiastic about EVERYTHING. God is working on the hard shell that often tries to encompass my heart...that's another blog. I am thankful for my marriage and for a man that does not give up on me (us). I am thankful for a God that gives us the perfect example of unfaltering love.
Here's my thankful list for today:
I am thankful for my husband, my beautiful daughter, my parents, friends, for food to eat, a roof over my head, the ability to walk, talk, breathe, etc, and I am thankful for God and His Grace.
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