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| Photo from www.multifaith.utoronto.ca |
Consider it a sheer gift,
friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that
under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true
colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so
you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
James 1:2-4 (MSG)
These verses fit exactly
where I am at right now.
I have an inner struggle
that goes like this:
I want to want God to be in
the driver’s seat of my life, but I also want everything to be about me. My driving motivation is frequently comfort,
ease, and pleasure.
Less than a week ago I was encouraged
by my employer to resign from a job. It
was not fair, conclusions were drawn that were not accurate, I was blamed for
situations that were not my fault. It
felt like my former employer wanted the proverbial scapegoat and I was it. The national unemployment rate is 7.7%, my
state rate is 9.4%, and my part of the state is 10.9%. Having been on the employer hiring side of
the equation for the last couple of years, I’m well aware of how many people
are applying for the same jobs that I have applied for this past week. Sound like ‘tests and challenges come at you
from all sides”?
I appreciate Peterson’s turn
of the phrase “your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true
colors” This is a time for me to see what I really believe. Do I trust God or not? This is a time in my life when I get to face
my doubts. I speak words of faith all
day but then, in the wee hours of the morning, I notice my fitful bouts of
sleep. During my short sleep stints I
have dreams regarding work.
So the counsel here for me
is to refrain from trying to “get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and
well-developed, not deficient in any way”. I do want to be mature and
not deficient in any way. So I pray that
God will work in me, change me, develop me into who He wants me to be, during
these trying days.
2 comments:
At work, inmates who hide contraband are so nervous when custody does n unannounced shakedowns knowing those things would be taken away and that...the more they are in trouble.
I believe the Lord is doing the same thing with His children, time to time, shaking their foundations of faith to have them see what values they hold on to. If not, to make them have their faith be increased knowing how they need to depend on Him.
But what joy when believers set their eyes on those things that have eternal values! I know sister Tracy...through this recent shakedown, you are not alone. He is faithful to strengthen and comfort you because He loved you first! May you always remain strong in His mighty power!
Thank you for your encouragement Rcubes - it means more to me than I know how to say. I want to hold onto only those things that are eternal. I'm grateful that God is in control of our lives and I can count on Him.
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