Good morning all! I am writing with eyes half open after day 2 of our "early morning arrival" thanks to the big boy bed's lack of caging abilities. In my great slumber this a.m. I kept hearing you guys remind me "consistency is key" as I carried him back to his bed screaming thinking "this is never going to work" and if you count 6:30 working, it did! I sure hope tomorrow morning we at least wait until the sun peeps through the curtains before we come barreling through the house. I know he takes after my schedule, early to bed and early to rise, but good gracious, I need early to be a bit later.
I also promise I didn't get online just to whine about Cross' wake time. I have something with a bit more depth running through my mind and it too relates to consistency being key so I thought this a.m. may be as good of a time as any to share. If my point is fuzzy we will blame it on a lack of sleep and if my point is profoundly brilliant we will blame that on the copyright capabilities of quoting other amazing authors.
As most of you guys know, Jeremy and I have been in a bit of a testing season of life, a season of waiting for the Lord to provide Jeremy with a job. All the while that detail has placed many other dreams pending in the air. I so wish I could tell you that I have tackled this season with all matter of faith and consistency, but nothing really could be further from the truth. I have ridden the ride of the pendulum swing more times than this-less than a thrill junky-would ever want to admit. I have memorized verses like Lamentation 3:26 "For it is good to wait quietly on the salvation of the Lord." And then often times in the same breath even I have whined and complained to countless friends about how "I just can't do this anymore". I have had moments where I just KNEW that our breakthrough was coming any day now and then I have been proven completely wrong a million times over. I have encouraged friends over the phone that our God is most faithful, most certain to provide, and then gotten off the phone and thought to myself "I sure hope so at least". It has more days than not looked like an out of control, screaming (and yes as you all know sometimes cussing) disaster. On good days, like yesterday, I keep my mind off of myself, focused on the gospel, and I rock on like a mighty warrior for Jesus. And then other days, like the day before yesterday, I feel like at any moment I am certain to have a nervous breakdown. I "throw-up" on poor unknowing friends who simply call to say hello. I take life out on Cross. I think you get the point.
BUT, the one thing that has not wavered this entire time has been God's great and glorious grace to provide for me just what I needed at the moment, for me not to go over the edge. My most recent and most cherished "God thing" has been a book that I hold so dear in my grip that honestly, outside of the Word, this book has breathed life into me like nothing I have ever read before. Or maybe it is just another example of how when God gives you EXACTLY what you need for a certain season of your life, that it truly is life. My most favorite part about this book is the fact that I got it as a special delivery from the Lord. Bare with me as I tell you the God story details because that just makes the blessing all the more glorious. I am a creature of habit. I usually only read books by authors I have loved in the past. I rarely (well never really outside of God's leading) buy a "random" book by a "random" author. Well, on my Dad's side of the family we drew names for Christmas. As only God could ordain, a dear sister-in-law of mine (who yes, loves Jesus) was asked to help out with my gift and sure enough, the Lord told her first hand what to buy. She gave me the dearest letter with all of the details, but I knew as I opened the first page that I had been hand delivered a love letter from the Lord in book form. I had never read anything by this author and I knew instantly that God was providing something I would have never purchased myself. Well, needless to say, 5 or 10 pages at a time, the Lord has used this book to give me just enough hope and encouragement to truck on. One day at a time. A theme that has been woven throughout the entire book is just as you expected, consistency is key. Do the right thing, one day at a time, especially during a great trial, and God WILL show up and deliver, in His time.
Well lately, after kind of "stepping back" and hearing the cries of other friends going through other trails, I am seeing more and more that for ALL of us, consistency really is key. Keep getting up, keep doing the right thing, keep doing the mundane things, keep doing the laundry, keep making dinners, keep spending within your budget, keep making a budget, keep tithing, keep eating healthy, keep attempting to avoid drama, keep having a daily quiet time, keep going to the grocery store, keep reading the book that is encouraging you, keeping going to church, keep joining small groups, keep sending out your resume, keep avoiding sin................and then ONE DAY your breakthrough will just appear, seemingly out of the clear blue sky. I have friends with testimonies and I have a million of my own of this principle coming to pass.
So this early weekend a.m., I leave you with this charge, consistency is key! One day I TOTALLY plan to give you guys a post with my breakthrough details. I am certain it will be a better story than I could ever dream up, but as for today, I am simply going to refer you to an amazing book that has given me great grace to truck on. Just in case even one of you is in great need of some encouragement of your own. I must also make this comment on the front end just so I am not tempted to write any ugly letters back if a rude commenter should arise. **Don't you dare bash my book or this author. The Holy Spirit prompted my sister-in-law to buy this for me and trust me, I have tested and GREATLY approved every morsel as life to a very sad sole.** I doubt that was necessary, but just in case I wanted to be clear on the front end. We are all (even myself) so quick to judge another pastor, Heaven forbid, especially one who smiles. We Christians often like to take this life as a horrible high road, so attractive to unbelievers I am sure. So don't hate on Joel, if you don't need encouraging, just don't buy the book, but if you do, soak it up! It is a glorious, refreshing, proclamation of hope, especially for one weary soldier being me!
So with all of that said, I love you all. For me personally, I am not seeing "no news as good news" but that is all I can offer today. Please keep praying for us as J sends his resume on this week. Please pray for me to have great "mommy" peace as dreams of a home and another baby are still without a certain "due date". Please thank God for me having the most awesome man who has been more faithful in this wait than any human could have been. He knows his Jesus and he knows who his Provider is and he knows that he has been placed with a mission this season and he rarely takes his eyes from those eternity changing goals. I could NOT be more proud!
Happy Reading!
1 comment:
Watched a Francis Chan sermon this week on suffering. He said why are we surprised when we suffer every book in the new testament includes suffering because of knowing Christ and following him. Welcome to the journey.
Not what I wanted to hear, but at least we know we are on the right path. ha!
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