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just thinking

just thinking

I’ve been thinking about a phrase someone I know said a few weeks ago: “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle at a time, so that you won’t lose faith and turn away from Him.”

There was something about that phrase that really bothered me, but I didn’t have the quickness of mind at the time to be able to put my finger on it and respond.
A  few weeks later, though (kind of shows how scatter brained I am at the moment) and I think I have.

As I see it, the problem with what she said is that God does give us more than we can handle. It’s something that gives us opportunity to grow – grow in both our faith and in our character.
This growth is very important to Him, and even though we may think it’s hard, He sees the potential outcome and knows that it will be worth the struggle.

When I am in the midst of struggles, hard or trying situations, frustration, hurt, grief or anger, it can be difficult to remember that God is still there. He is waiting and watching, ready to comfort or give wisdom – whatever we might need at the time – just as I wait and watch my own children figure out things.

I have faith, but it needs to grow in the trials. That growth only comes through God, though, not through anything that I can do. (Ephesians 2:8-9) It comes from turning to Him and crying, “Lord, I believe. Help me in my unbelief”. (Mark 9:24)

I need a faith that believes God is who He is, not who I say or think He is. I need to believe that God is good in all things – even though the current situation may not seem to prove that. I need to believe that He is unchanging, compasstionate, holy, true, loving and forgiving, full of mercy, just.

He knows that even though I know so much about Him in my head, I still have areas of unbelief in my heart that are choking out faith. He and I both want me to walk in faith alone. And so He prunes out the unbelief. (John 15)
It hurts, but as I turn to Him in the midst of the pain and confusion, the unbelief is cast aside.

almost 3 years

almost 3 years

3 years ago today John and I were finally able to be together after not seeing each other for over 4 months. We were finally in the same time zone, same state, same city, same car. It was wonderful.

(photo from the rehearsal dinner – we both needed sleep!)

3 years ago today we were not only finally together, we were finally alone and on our way to our last pre-marital counseling session with our pastor (and the only one that happened in person). The next stop of the day was to get our marriage license. We were sorely tempted to pay the extra $25 and get married then and there – so that we could not only be together but be man and wife just a few days early. But we waited.

It was so good to finally feel each other’s touch again, see each other’s face … four and a half months apart just before a wedding is really, really rough. But our God was so faithful.

Our love story is just riddled with bits and pieces of the faithfulness of God, so much so that we asked a friend to sing “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” (using Fernando Ortega’s new score) as part of the music for our wedding.

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou for ever will be

Great is thy faithfulness
Great is thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed thy hand hath provided
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love

Great is thy faithfulness
Great is thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed thy hand hath provided
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me
Great is thy faithfulness

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

Great is thy faithfulness
Great is thy faithfulness
All I have needed thy hand hath provided
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me

And you know what? He hasn’t changed, He is still faithful.
We’ve had a very good three years. Interesting, exciting, sometimes trying and sometimes overflowing with joy – but it has been good.
Right now we are in a place that I truly never expected – or dreamed – to be in, but He is faithful. Would I change our current circumstances? In a heartbeat! But then we wouldn’t be in the prime place for us to see the greatness of God’s faithfulness.

Darling, I love you. I’m so very glad that I am yours and you are mine. You make every day brighter, hearing your voice lifts my heart, and seeing your face … is wonderful!
I don’t know that I’d recommend any other couple taking the path that God has led us on together, but Darling, it’s been so good going down it with you.

don’t doubt

don’t doubt

I’ve been thinking a bit lately about why I choose to call this blog “the path less traveled.” From the first time that I read Robert Frost’s poem, it seemed to me to be a picture of the Christian life – a life that may be less traveled – and not just the of Christian life in general, but of my life.
Long ago I decided to take the “one less traveled by”. I decided that I wanted to let Someone Else take control of my course, to let go of my plan and follow His. I chose the path that led away from Self, toward Christ. 
Every now and then the other path looks so tempting, so easy. But then I remember that this is the one I have chosen, because it is good. It is sweet. Difficult at times, yes, but everything that is worthwhile is hard at times. By God’s grace I have been saved, and I am so very grateful.

a life that is so full of Christ that it leaks His grace.

We are still waiting,waiting to see what God has in store for us.

“I wondered what God was doing with my dreams. . .
He was rescuing me from them.

“… God’s order looked like disorder to me. I struggled with the shock that came by His rule. For me the theology of God’s unshakeable sovereignty had always been easy for me to verbalize, and suddenly, I wasn’t so sure what it meant to live it.

“God’s relentless love is after my total transformation. God’s love often brings hardship, confusion, and surprises. These things aren’t sent our way just to mess with us just because God is more powerful than we are – but they are from His hand of glorious grace, because He is exercising His power for the purpose of our hearts being transformed.

“Don’t doubt God’s goodness and love next time He allows something that unpleasantly surprises you. Instead lift your hands up to Him and celebrate. . . because you are being rescued.

“You are being transformed.
You are being loved.”

http://resolved2worship.xanga.com/741613511/valentines-2011-our-love-story-part-six/

a little announcement

a little announcement

We’re moving (again)!

John has been transferred to Indianapolis and we are scheduled to be there this Thursday or Friday. It will be our fourth move in three years, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it.

There are times when I am excited, excited to see how God is working, excited to see what will happen in the next few years, where He will take us and the things that will happen along the way.

But there are times when I am scared, too. I want to be able to trust Him with everything, knowing that He is absolutely sovereign and is directing our days, but it scares me. I want to know where we will end up, where our next baby will be born and what city we will ultimately call home and when we’ll get there. I want to know when I can put down roots and have them be permanent.

But I don’t.
God does.

I want so badly to be able to trust Him with that, and trust Him gladly.

But for today I have a few tears.