When Saying Yes to God Causes you to #SayWhat?

When Saying Yes to God Causes you to #SayWhat?

It was loud & clear. I knew God was calling me to follow Him in a plan He had for me. Although I didn’t hear His voice audibly He confirmed through scripture, messages, conversation, & situations He wanted to use me.

So I said Yes to God and was ready to jump in full steam ahead. I was excited and telling everyone I could that He had called me to serve Him.

And then just as sure as I knew He was calling me to serve Him the door slammed shut.

And I said “Say What God? You’ve called me to follow you & serve you and now you are telling me to wait? Are you kidding me? How do I contain the excitement that I have? How do I not serve you?”

To be honest I was rather put out with God. I was frustrated and questioned myself - “Did I really hear God right? Was I wrong? Maybe He really didn’t want to use me.”

Through prayer and studying scripture I realized I did hear God right He did want to use me, only it wasn’t the way I expected to be used at that time.

There is a time for everything,

And a season for every activity under heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

He had a specific purpose for me, I just needed to slow down & let Him show me what it was.

I was reminded that God has a plan and He knows what I need in the perfect time to prepare for the next adventure He has for me.

It may not be in the timing that I expect but His Ways are perfect and higher than mine.

So I let go of my frustrations and questions and committed to serve Him quietly right where He wanted me.

The beauty of where He wanted me to quietly serve is that it was coming along side my husband, supporting and praying for him, being his ear & confidant.

Serving God quietly alongside my husband gave us the opportunity to strengthen our marriage & gain an intimacy we would not have otherwise.

So my sisters, when God calls you to serve Him and you try to run full steam ahead and end up having a #SayWhat moment, remember “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven”.

God has a plan and He knows the best way to prepare you for that plan. He knows the perfect place for you to serve, you just need to slow down and allow Him, in His Perfect Timing, to put you in that place.

Dear Lord, Thank you that you have a perfect plan for my life. Thank you that your timing is perfect. Help me to slow down and follow your timing so that I may follow your will for my life. In Your Name I Pray, Amen.

I am linked today with the P31 OBS #YesToGod Blog Hop.

In His Calm,

Mary

Loving those who hurt us

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Have you been hurt by someone close to you? Have you felt the sting of betrayal from a close friend? Have you heard the lies whispered behind your back or felt the blows of venom & hate as you were attacked by those who only thought they knew the whole story?

I dare say there isn’t a person who hasn’t at some point & time experienced pain from betrayal, gossip, & lies. In the midst of that pain it is natural to want to lash out & retaliate for the wounds that have been made.

Normal human self-preservation drives us to want to hurt those who hurt us or speak up to defend ourselves when doing so would hurt others.

But Jesus in His Amazing Grace & Love gave us an example of how we are to treat those who hurl accusations, betray, mock, slander & hurt us.

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

I imagine Jesus up on the cross as

·      soldiers laughed & mocked him & fought over His clothes

·      the criminal who hung next to Him insulted Him

·      the crowd stood by watching & not doing anything to help

and then instead of becoming angry & yelling back at them or wanting to hurt them, He cried out begging God to forgive them. He loved His Father so much that He chose to do God’s Will over His own comfort.

Could you do that? Could I do that?

When those around you hurt you, do you pray for them instead of returning the anger with more anger?

In Matthew 4:43-48 Jesus tells us we are to love our enemies.

“But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:44,45a

Jesus tells us we are to love and pray for those who hurt us.

You may be thinking, “but you have no idea how much I have been hurt, there is no way I could pray for the person who has hurt me.”

Believe me, I know it’s hard; I’ve been there. And when I’ve been there this is what I’ve done:

·      I’ve asked God to soften my heart for them. I’ve asked Him to reveal one way I can pray for them.

·      I’ve prayed Psalm 19:14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

·      I’ve stayed focused on Christ and His Love for me on the cross.

When I’ve kept my eyes & heart focused on the Cross, my heart & my mouth have stayed in line with God’s Will.

My prayer is that you too will stay focused on the Cross & Jesus’ example of how to love those who hurt you.

Continuing the Joy Dare #1120 - #1132:

• beautiful day at the zoo
• overcoming my fear of heights with my daughter
• hike in the woods with friends
• popcorn, icees & cotton candy
• oreos on the way home from the zoo = happy kids
• Life is Good! God is Good!
• working in the yard as a family
• kids playing in the sprinkler
• playing baseball as a family
• frozen yogurt to cool off on a warm afternoon
• grilled bratwurst after baseball practice
• all 4 of us snuggled up in bed watching The Lion King
• sleeping in

In His Calm,
Mary

Following through the fog...

It was early on a cold fall morning as I drove through the gate. I left the clear view of trees & blue skies and entered the smoky, dense blanket of fog. I saw it as I drove closer but once I was in it I was overwhelmed by how heavy & confining the fog was.

I found myself thinking maybe I should turn around; this isn’t safe. I was nervous & unsure but I knew the road I was on & knew the turns I needed to make. After a few minutes I crested a hill and caught a glimpse of the blue sky above the fog. I could see that not too far ahead of me the fog would clear.

Do you ever wish you could see your life laid out before you?

I do! There are so many times I look up and ask God “why can’t you just show me what lies ahead”.

But that’s not the way God works.

He interrupts our lives to ask us to trust & follow Him.

“ A life interrupted by a Holy God is a privilege.”

Priscilla Shirer

I am currently doing a study called Jonah Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer. In this study she shares how Jonah was faced with the decision to follow God or go his own way.

Following God is not always easy.

When He places a call on our lives we are faced with a decision – do I follow God or do I run the other direction.

“Most biblical people who made a lasting mark had a point in their lives where they stood at a crossroad. They had to decide to yield to divine intervention at the cost of their own plans or continue on their own path instead.”

When we make the decision to follow God we may not always see the path clearly marked out before us. We may be overwhelmed, scared & uncomfortable.

But the life of living in the center of God’s Will is not about us.

Living in the center of God’s will is not about my comfort & my desire but about God’s desire for what is best for His Kingdom!

It is up to me to decide if I will say yes to His call. When I say yes I am blessed by experiencing His power, comfort & safety. More importantly God’s Glory and Honor are made known.

The “Holy heroes of Scripture” couldn’t see the outcome of their lives. Like the blanket of fog I drove through that made it difficult for me to see, there is a blanket of fog over my life causing me not to see the outcome of the journey God has called me to. But when I focus on God’s Light & His Truth He will clearly mark out the next step & then the next until the fog lifts & shows the clear view around me.

You are standing at a gate – you have a choice to go through the gate that leads to following God into the unknown or turning around and going your own way? Which will you choose?

In His Calm,

Mary