Posted in This week in the Silver lining

 The will of God... 

(I know it is long…take a break through this entry if you need to…But please know I am not trying to preach…after finishing it…I was wiping tears because of the overjoyed feeling of how God has ministered first to me by these realizations).

 When given choices in life, if we choose one way or another; who's will is it? 

When hardship comes and we feel like the choices we made were wrong choices, but yet they were allowed in our lives, even then.  Who's will is it? 

When we are rejoicing or in sorrow...in trial or tribulation...in sickness or in health; who's will is it?  It's the will of God!  He fore-knows what will happen.  He knew my purpose before the foundations of the earth. 

 Many people feel that since 'bad things happen to good people', there must not be a God.  They reason; “how can there be a God if there are so many bad things in this world that are happening”.  They feel like a "good" God can't let things like that happen to his children if He 'truly' loves them.  They think it is a straight contradiction.  Also, some struggle with the ‘free will’ and consequence concepts.

 I can't convince anyone of anything, let alone someone who's heart is not willing to listen.  However, what I can do is share my own experience, since nobody can argue when they didn’t live our life for us or are standing on our shoes.  Many ‘bad’ things have ‘happened’ in our so-called "good" life.  I say it that way because–(in my learning)- there is nobody who is 'basically good'.  See, we may be 'good' people.  But even at our best we are only as good as what goes INTO our hearts.  If we store bitterness in our hearts, (from having been hurt) then bitterness will surface.  If we store anger, anger will surface.  If we store inspiration, then inspiration will surface.  If we read and store God’s words, then those words will surface.  I don’t claim to read the Bible as often as one should, or store enough of it in my heart for my own sake. 

 However, I will give my ‘disclaimer’ that if at any point there are excerpts from the Bible present in any of these blogs, it is because it has ministered to my heart and like a golden nugget, has been cherished enough to be stored up within me for such a time as this, and for God’s glory.

 The Bible (a book that has been acclaimed even by non-christians and historians to be a great source of truth and inspiration); says that "ALL have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God"  -Romans 3:23-.  ALL means ALL guys!  It also says; that we will never understand all of God’s ways. 

 For example, we didn’t get one of the many houses we had hoped to get about 6 months ago.  Why? -We asked God in prayer.  Now, the reason is understood!  Sometimes, we don’t realize why God does things until He shows us later that it was better that way.  “Better”???  Better for whom?  Better over all!  See, that house is now occupied by another family.  They are also a family who feels blessed to have found it!  A family that is being blessed by meeting their next door neighbors (friends of ours).  If we had moved there…that may not have happened. 

What about us?  Well, we’ve learned many things along the path.  One is that God never closes a door without opening another.  And that:  “…God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called by His purpose” –Romans 8:28. 

 For our good!  How many times has God made it hard for me to do something…all in all to protect me from something happening to me before my time?  I may never know in this lifetime!  Even if we don’t think His will for us is ‘good’, it is always ‘good for us’.  (Like Veggies )!

 About the ‘detail/disclaimer’ –(“…of those that love him…”).  I try everyday to love God within my heart and to take every thought captive so that no unnecessary bitterness comes into it.  I try to be overjoyed with love, (the love that God commands me to have in His word).  By trying hard at this, I can show God (trying not to boast about anything to anyone) that I love Him. 

 Oh, oh another ‘detail/disclaimer’ –(“…and are called by His purpose…”).  How do I know I am “called by His purpose”?  Well, His purpose is there already, if you don’t believe me, read the Bible.  (It is replete with instances of people who didn’t even live in each other’s same era, but all knew God’s purpose was set before the beginning of the earth).  The real question is:  am I choosing to walk within this calling?  Am I choosing to take on that responsibility of taking on His purpose for my life. 

 Furthermore, any agnostic would even declare that nobody in this life is "perfect".  That in turn would specify, that in order to not be perfect, we must have done some things 'wrong' or been somehow 'bad' at one point or another.  This is also to say that we are not always right, or 'good'.  If we lie, aren't we liers and if we sin (true definition from google: 

“the primary Greek word rendered "sin" is "hamartia". This word essentially means "missing the mark; falling short; or a departure". The essential idea being conveyed by the use of this word is that of "a departure from holiness"; thus "hamartia" means to sin; to depart from God's standard of holiness; to become unrighteous; to fail to live up to what God requires of us”. -Rom 3:23; 14:23; James 4:17; 1 John 3:4),

aren't we all sinners by definition?  Indeed missing the mark is not being a perfect shot!  So to say that we are "good" people would mean that we would have to always be “good”. 

 Now while you read about me and my experiences below, please keep these next questions in the back of you mind for reflection.  Do "bad" things happen to "good" people?  Or do things happen to people?  Also, at what point do we take responsibility for our decisions, and consequences, instead of naming reasons why things just 'happen' to us?

 Right now, it seems as though my husband and my business will not easily survive the market's slow training trends.  Maybe you know that we can't have natural children, or that we've not been able to own another home in the past 2 years after we made a prayed over move from another city or any other hard detail of our life.  Something about that move is that still to this day we hear people's questioning us on it.  But yet God’s peace has confirmed this in our hearts that it had to have happened, for us to be where we are now.  He protected us!  He gave us the wisdom at the time to not be attached to a plurality in life and do what seems harder.  And if what we are going through now is for some purpose that we will only know later, then I will humbly say Lord have your will not mine!

 Now you may ask yourself, if it is "God's will", then did God lead us into these situations to leave us hanging?  To leave us stranded?  No way!  God promises also in His Word that He will never leave us or forsake us!  If I believe in some things the Bible says…  Then why should I not believe in other things?…  Why should I not believe this?  That my friends is a contradiction that we as humans put up. 

 I can say from what I'm learning in these struggles, not only are we stronger and is our faith in God stronger, but we have grown closer to each other and have learned about God's sovereignty even more.  God has provided every step of the way.  He has provided our meals, a roof over our heads, and lots of friends and family that support us no matter how imperfect we are.

 I'll tell you what.  I’d rather have the my future unknown to me but in the hands of my Creator who stands outside of time and knows what is to happen, than in my finate hands, that don’t know what is to come.  In the mean time, I will do His will, His purpose which is described in His Word; which It tells me is to believe in Him and His word, and follow what It says is His Purpose and what lines up with His will.  I will try my best at doing everything, as onto Him!

As for you my brother or my sister; Rejoice no matter what comes at you, and persistently pray for wisdom in every decision, no matter how small.  God will meet you there.

In Christ’s love,

Lyssie