James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,
whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
This is truly the first moment of calm I have had in a week. I have 2 babies asleep upstairs.
And with my quiet came 2 options:
have a noise free, chaos free moment to do some much needed straightening and cleaning
OR
do some recently neglected writing.
I chose cleaning.
But this silly woman started with the dishes - Which is where you need to go if you need to hear the voice of the Lord. Lol!
As I was putting the dishes away I caught myself beginning to grumble about how little cabinet space I have, but I immediately caught myself and thanked the Lord for my cabinet space and tiny counter space.
We recently moved to Kentucky. When we moved here I had 2wks to find a place to live and I didn't have the opportunity to see it (other than pictures) before move in and 1 year lease signing day. Yuck!
Ashamed to say for that entire year I struggled to find a holy attitude of gratitude with the house. I could write a list of a thousand reasons I was not a fan of the house, but the one I remember most today is that It had few (very few) cabinets and even less counter space.
(I can't say that about the house without saying this too - It stunk! It had a horrible smell to it.)
I knew we would only be there for a year but it felt like the longest year of my life.
I know that is silly or petty in comparison to some of the trials we face.
I was speaking with a friend yesterday whose husband has a new job but with the job he is never home. He has been home 8 days in the last 4 months. She also has 3 young children. He left again yesterday and won't be home again until possibly December.
I have a friend who is pregnant and the child she is carrying has a mass on it's lung. If the mass grows it could attach to the infants heart, and regardless of how much we can't bare to say it- it could be fatal.
Story after story of trials I know many are facing. So yes my lack of cabinet space is so shallow minded, and hearted, in comparison.
My point is to be thankful. If you are enduring a trial be thankful. In everything be thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Because you see sometimes trials are just areas to look back on and say: "the Lord has brought me through that, so I know HE will sustain me through this."
Other times you can see small nuggets of:
"if it hadn't been for that I wouldn't be where I am now. I wouldn't know Him the way I do now."
"I wouldn't have experienced God and now know "this" about His character."
"I wouldn't know how to trust Him for "this", if it hadn't been for that."
"I wouldn't know to be thankful if I had never been without."
I do not in any way want to down play the pain of your trial. I do, however, want to magnify His presence during this period. If you are in desperate need of seeing His presence right now I beg you. Stop what you're doing and Seek Him whole heartedly.
"If you seek ME you will find ME if you seek with all your heart."
He has not left you friend.
If you have experienced a trial take some time today and reflect on the blessings that came from it. No matter how miserable you may have been.
James 1:2-4 Don't Waste your Trials! If you're not taking the time to Praise the Lord for them- you were broken without a purpose and destined for a repeat.
Now it's your turn. I want to know- What blessings have you experienced from enduring a trial?
Even if it's just thanking God for your counter space. :)
His Clay~
And with my quiet came 2 options:
have a noise free, chaos free moment to do some much needed straightening and cleaning
OR
do some recently neglected writing.
I chose cleaning.
But this silly woman started with the dishes - Which is where you need to go if you need to hear the voice of the Lord. Lol!
As I was putting the dishes away I caught myself beginning to grumble about how little cabinet space I have, but I immediately caught myself and thanked the Lord for my cabinet space and tiny counter space.
We recently moved to Kentucky. When we moved here I had 2wks to find a place to live and I didn't have the opportunity to see it (other than pictures) before move in and 1 year lease signing day. Yuck!
Ashamed to say for that entire year I struggled to find a holy attitude of gratitude with the house. I could write a list of a thousand reasons I was not a fan of the house, but the one I remember most today is that It had few (very few) cabinets and even less counter space.
(I can't say that about the house without saying this too - It stunk! It had a horrible smell to it.)
I knew we would only be there for a year but it felt like the longest year of my life.
I know that is silly or petty in comparison to some of the trials we face.
I was speaking with a friend yesterday whose husband has a new job but with the job he is never home. He has been home 8 days in the last 4 months. She also has 3 young children. He left again yesterday and won't be home again until possibly December.
I have a friend who is pregnant and the child she is carrying has a mass on it's lung. If the mass grows it could attach to the infants heart, and regardless of how much we can't bare to say it- it could be fatal.
Story after story of trials I know many are facing. So yes my lack of cabinet space is so shallow minded, and hearted, in comparison.
My point is to be thankful. If you are enduring a trial be thankful. In everything be thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Because you see sometimes trials are just areas to look back on and say: "the Lord has brought me through that, so I know HE will sustain me through this."
Other times you can see small nuggets of:
"if it hadn't been for that I wouldn't be where I am now. I wouldn't know Him the way I do now."
"I wouldn't have experienced God and now know "this" about His character."
"I wouldn't know how to trust Him for "this", if it hadn't been for that."
"I wouldn't know to be thankful if I had never been without."
I do not in any way want to down play the pain of your trial. I do, however, want to magnify His presence during this period. If you are in desperate need of seeing His presence right now I beg you. Stop what you're doing and Seek Him whole heartedly.
"If you seek ME you will find ME if you seek with all your heart."
He has not left you friend.
If you have experienced a trial take some time today and reflect on the blessings that came from it. No matter how miserable you may have been.
James 1:2-4 Don't Waste your Trials! If you're not taking the time to Praise the Lord for them- you were broken without a purpose and destined for a repeat.
Now it's your turn. I want to know- What blessings have you experienced from enduring a trial?
Even if it's just thanking God for your counter space. :)
His Clay~
Oh sweet Melissa!
ReplyDeleteYou are such a blessing to me. I am usually the one doing the encouraging, and God has blessed me by placing you in my life as an encouragement to me.
I ran across this quote yesterday. I'm standing on His promises.
"God has placed you where He has placed no one else. No one else in the world has the same relationships you have. No one will stand in the same grocery store line at exactly the same moment you do. God hasn't put you in those places merely to model the truth. Listen for the voice of the Spirit to whisper in your ear. Watch for the stranger on the road, and be aware of your opportunities to go where He would send you." ~Chuck Swindoll
Have a WoNdErFuL day!! :)
Oh sweet Melissa! You are such a blessing to me. I am usually the one doing the encouraging, and God has blessed me by placing you in my life as an encouragement to me. I ran across this quote yesterday. I'm standing on His promises.
ReplyDelete"God has placed you where He has placed no one else. No one else in the world has the same relationships you have. No one will stand in the same grocery store line at exactly the same moment you do. God hasn't put you in those places merely to model the truth. Listen for the voice of the Spirit to whisper in your ear. Watch for the stranger on the road, and be aware of your opportunities to go where He would send you." ~Chuck Swindoll
Have a WoNdErFuL day!! :)
I love your title Melissa! We often grumble and complain and even hide away when trials come. We should rejoice in our trials and embrace them. God is working.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking of that first verse you used the other night. I am grateful for your reminder today!
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa - I love your title of your post. It is so true. The trial is there for a purpose and a reason AND a season. Great thoughts.
ReplyDeleteGod bless
Tracy
First let me apologize if you received a comment from me that said "test". I was having problems w/ leaving a comment. anywho....
ReplyDeleteHello from one of your newest followers. I really enjoyed your post. I had to giggle about the part "keeping a holy attitude" about the previous house. I have that same issue now. There are many things wrong with our current house. However, we have a roof over our head, indoor plumbing, electricity, and central a/c and heat; so that is far more than what some people have. So who am I to complain about counter space. Thanks for reminding me to keep everything in prespective!
Tracey- You bless me. What a great quote! and I am sincerely praying for you!
ReplyDeleteBrandy- lol, I felt so horrible and so self everytime I muttered a complaint in our teeny tiny, stinky house. So I feel ya! We've only been out of it since July 1st. Along with all the tiny annoyances is was Such a huge obstacle to overcome in ministry b/c it was so far away from everything and too tiny and stinky to invite anyone over. However, if the Lord hadn't placed us there I would not have had 5 people off the top of my head the Lord allowed to cross my path and minister to, even though I never "saw" fruit from it, nothing happens without God allowing it to. So I pray that the Lord blesses the seeds that were planted during our stay at the Teeny tiny Stinky house :) So I encourage you to find those people that you would otherwise never come in contact with.
Tracy, Nicole, Jenifer- It was a title my husband used for a lesson series with the teens last year and I hear those words every time I think about a trial. Thanks, I have a pretty cool husband :)
What a good way to think about it. I have to admit that I am suffering through having my house completely upended with big repair projects and I struggle to find places to store stuff with each new phase. However, I'm learning a lot about patience and I've also gotten better about just giving stuff away so it's not cluttering in here anymore.
ReplyDelete