Always be joyful.
Never stop praying.
Be thankful in all circumstances.
For this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
These powerful statements are 3 short verses from 1 Thessalonians 5.... I wrote them down separately because as I read them this morning, I was struck by the simple, yet powerful commands of these phrases.
Always be joyful.... never stop praying... be thankful in ALL circumstances... for THIS is God's will for you{me}.... I know I belong to Jesus and I know I am being held in His hand and that God is sovereign and reigning in my life... so I can choose to live out these commands and obey them, knowing all the while that this. is. God's. will. for. me.
Even though there is much good in my life, in our lives and for the most part we are joyful and thriving, happiness & laughter abound in our home... the pain is present and the sorrow is real. I get frustrated by it, because I don't like being sad and living in pain is exhausting... 3 years of it so far and so much more ahead.
::{Raising five children alone, from babyhood and young childhood for all of them.... raising four boys to be strong, confident, godly, leaders -- men, raising a daughter to know she is loved, she is beautiful, and of worth because she is a daughter of the King, confident in who she has been created to be...
When the night is darkest, the bills loom threatening to overwhelm me, the choices I must make {alone} on a daily basis want to choke me, when I feel like my house of cards is about to shatter to the ground, when I fight the very present desperation and desire to just run away, leave and never come back... when my 3yr old, who never truly knew his daddy since he was only 8 months when he died, begins sobbing for his daddy out of the blue as we are out running errands... when I have to see my kids watch other kids with their dads and see the quietness, the sorrow behind their pasted smiles.... when my heart shatters, again and again and again.... and as I drag myself back up, I realize that this won't be the last time; this pain will come again...}::
These strident verses.... so powerful in their simplicity, jumped off the page to me! As a ray of hope, a glimpse of God's eternal glory. His pressing love and ever sufficient grace in my life and my children's lives... I am reassured and held in the everlasting arms. I read on...
"Do not stifle the Holy Spirit... hold on to what is good... may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful." (1 Thess 5: 19, 21,23-24)
God. Will. Make. This. Happen.
for He IS Faithful...
Wow! I love this! Honestly, I struggle -- I struggle every day... but, He Is Faithful!
"And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power... so be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold..." (1 Peter 1: 5,6-7)
Purpose given... hope restored for this day. I am His servant, His child. I pray He is glorified by my life every day. So, we keep walking... one step at a time. Be encouraged my friends, I know so many are going through storms of grief and pain - be held, we know He is faithful!
Never stop praying.
Be thankful in all circumstances.
For this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
These powerful statements are 3 short verses from 1 Thessalonians 5.... I wrote them down separately because as I read them this morning, I was struck by the simple, yet powerful commands of these phrases.
Always be joyful.... never stop praying... be thankful in ALL circumstances... for THIS is God's will for you{me}.... I know I belong to Jesus and I know I am being held in His hand and that God is sovereign and reigning in my life... so I can choose to live out these commands and obey them, knowing all the while that this. is. God's. will. for. me.
Even though there is much good in my life, in our lives and for the most part we are joyful and thriving, happiness & laughter abound in our home... the pain is present and the sorrow is real. I get frustrated by it, because I don't like being sad and living in pain is exhausting... 3 years of it so far and so much more ahead.
::{Raising five children alone, from babyhood and young childhood for all of them.... raising four boys to be strong, confident, godly, leaders -- men, raising a daughter to know she is loved, she is beautiful, and of worth because she is a daughter of the King, confident in who she has been created to be...
When the night is darkest, the bills loom threatening to overwhelm me, the choices I must make {alone} on a daily basis want to choke me, when I feel like my house of cards is about to shatter to the ground, when I fight the very present desperation and desire to just run away, leave and never come back... when my 3yr old, who never truly knew his daddy since he was only 8 months when he died, begins sobbing for his daddy out of the blue as we are out running errands... when I have to see my kids watch other kids with their dads and see the quietness, the sorrow behind their pasted smiles.... when my heart shatters, again and again and again.... and as I drag myself back up, I realize that this won't be the last time; this pain will come again...}::
These strident verses.... so powerful in their simplicity, jumped off the page to me! As a ray of hope, a glimpse of God's eternal glory. His pressing love and ever sufficient grace in my life and my children's lives... I am reassured and held in the everlasting arms. I read on...
"Do not stifle the Holy Spirit... hold on to what is good... may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful." (1 Thess 5: 19, 21,23-24)
God. Will. Make. This. Happen.
for He IS Faithful...
Wow! I love this! Honestly, I struggle -- I struggle every day... but, He Is Faithful!
"And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power... so be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold..." (1 Peter 1: 5,6-7)
Purpose given... hope restored for this day. I am His servant, His child. I pray He is glorified by my life every day. So, we keep walking... one step at a time. Be encouraged my friends, I know so many are going through storms of grief and pain - be held, we know He is faithful!
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