Blessed in the Midst of the Mess

Life is full of trouble. Debts pile up. Illness creeps through our bodies. We lose a job. Our marriages fall apart. We feel overwhelmed. Sometimes, even our friends abandon us. When no one else is there----GOD IS! We can curl up on his lap, like a child on the lap of a parent, and pour out our hearts to him. He gives us refuge, shielding us from the world. He gives us strength so we can get up and face it all again. And he stays with us so we don't have to be afraid anymore. 

Day by Day---by Charles Stanley

I spent most of my life worrying. Worrying about everything under the sun. Mainly because I did not have the faith or walk with God that I have today. I called myself a Christian, but God did not have every part of my life...just the parts I was willing to give him. Through a very trying on-going situation in my life, God has shown me so much. Thankfully, I am not the same person I used to be.

When this hurtful situation began, I felt like God had abandoned me. I felt unworthy of His love, I felt alone and so defeated. One day when I thought I was at the lowest of my lowest, I stumbled onto a little card that on one side had this Bible verse...

God is our refuge and strength, and every-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear...Psalm 46:1 

At that moment I felt that God knew I was at my breaking point, and He showed me that He had not abandoned me. Through that little card that I picked up, God spoke to me. A few months ago, I attended a Leadership Conference at my church. The keynote speaker said this...

"God has a vision for us and he places us in the valley to develop and shape us to become the person that will come out of the valley with the character that HE wants us to have in order to fulfill the vision."              Dr. Frank Cox

As much as I have prayed for God to just take this situation away from my life, I realize now that He is trying to shape me into the person that He wants me to be and have the character that He wants me to have. Through all of this I have seen doors open that I never in a million years would have thought were possible; I have received so much love from people I didn't even know by name; I have watched God do things that in my eyes were impossible; I have had people placed in my life that to this day I know could have only come from the works of GOD. God does provide. He may not take away the hurt & trials as fast as we want, but He provides us with all we need to make it through them, if we trust HIM.

An "old" friend gave me a book when I first divorced called God's Winks. To this day as I recognize and see God working in my life certain things will happen and I call these my "winks" from God. I could write for hours telling you of my modern day miracles that He has performed in my life just in the past year or two. No, he hasn't parted a sea for me, or set one of my bushes on fire, but he has done things that have left me speechless and without Him I would have never found TRUE JOY! Yes, I still cry and get upset, and wonder when will the hurt end...and the hurt comes from more than one direction I promise you. But, after I have my "FLESH" pity party, I get on my knees and it is HIM that comforts me. It is Him that gives me peace, guidance, and wisdom and the strength to handle the next attack from the devil.  He is teaching me how to turn "MOUNTAINS INTO MOLEHILLS!"  Oh! I am no pro yet at this M2M transformation.  Just today...it took a while to move a mountain, but I am learning!

He is our strength, our protector, and our provider.  He is our peace, comfort, and miracle worker. He is our teacher & our best friend.  HE NEVER LEAVES US!  He will get us through the valley if we only believe. So we plug away until the wonderful day we see Jesus' ...until then...I'm maintaining JOY...and I'm not afraid ANYMORE!

I KNOW I AM BLESSED! I am blessed in the midst of the MESS!