Christian

Back to the Classics

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It’s funny, in my life I have gone through many changes. Job changes, life changes, relationship changes, family changes, and most recently, a big and exciting upcoming location change. It seems like anytime I am going through a big change, regardless of the circumstances. I seek the comfort of some of my favorite stories in the Bible and often find myself listening to podcasts that “coincidentally” touch on the same things I am working through.

Several years ago, when I went through the things that drove me to write Finding God in the Wilderness, I found great comfort in the stories of Joseph and Moses. As I enter into this new phase, I find myself back in the same stories again. This time through, I am seeing them from a whole different perspective. The last time I really spent time in these stories, I focused on the plights of the main characters. However, this time, I am starting to see how God used both people and circumstances to guide His will. 

For Joseph, God allowed his brothers to turn against him in the most vicious way, some even desiring to kill him. Fortunately, rather than kill him, they sold him into slavery. As discouraging and depressing as that had to have been, that action of brotherly betrayal, was the very action that got Joseph to where God needed and wanted him to be to save an entire nation. God will even use the evil acts of others to work his perfect plan. Joseph said as much to his brothers when they realized that he could have them killed on the spot for what they did. “But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:19-20 NIV. That attitude could not have happened overnight. He had years and years to think and contemplate on what his own flesh and blood had done to him. I am certain that he probably went through so many scenarios in his mind for how he would get back at his brothers when he was locked in a dungeon. However, clarity can often come when you look through a rear view mirror. The instant he was taken from the dungeon to the palace (see Genesis 41), everything had to make sense. God used all of the frustrations, disappointments and discouragements to build something into us, if we will let Him. 

In the story of Moses and the Israelites, we see over and over how God used tough circumstances to guide His people back to Him. He also uses those hard circumstances to continue to show His people that He will provide. I have seen the same thing time and time again in my own life. When I go through hard things, it always drives me to pray and seek the will of God that much more. It’s funny how that works. Regardless how we feel though during whatever we may be going through, scripture makes it clear that God is at work in our lives. One of the most famous verses, Jeremiah 29:11, says it well, but if you keep going it says it even better. “ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:11-14 ESV.

May we all seek and find God with all our hearts. May we all take our changes as doors opening rather than doors closing. Let us try to see through the rear view mirror even before we are taken from our dungeon to our palace.

What the Enemy Meant for Evil

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There is a song by Elevation Worship that has been a go-to for me for the last few months. It is called See a Victory (you can listen here). It is based on 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The first verse says “The weapon may be formed, but it won’t prosper. When the darkness falls, it won’t prevail. ‘Cause the God I serve knows only how to triumph. My God will never fail.” The bridge goes on to say “You take what the enemy meant for evil, and turn it for good”.

I absolutely love that!

I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t felt the attack of the enemy from time to time. Sometimes the attack is in overt ways, other times those attacks come out of the blue. They can be from perfect strangers, or people you trust the most. It always hurts the most when it comes from someone you know and trust. However, we live in a fallen world, sometimes the enemy even uses people we love to hurt us. Sadly no one is immune from the attacks of the enemy, and he always seems to strike where we are weak or vulnerable.

However, we can take heart, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28. I can attest to the truth of that through some of what I have experienced. Closed doors always lead to new, open doors. But when you are in the heart of the battle, that is a tough truth to hold onto. I know that I often find myself pulled into discouragement, fear, or even depression when I am still going through the “thing” even if I know that God will work it out for good. Like the song says, You take what the enemy meant for evil, and turn it for good. I believe that, but Lord, I need help with my unbelief. Take what the enemy meant for evil, and turn it for good for all those who need a victory!

The Fallen Nature of Man

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I love so many of the stories throughout scripture. There are some amazing heroes of the faith and their stories are just as incredible. However, one of the other things I love about scripture is the raw honesty and the fact that the good is presented along with the bad. It would have been easy for the early church to “clean up” the original stories to make them show God’s people in a much better light. However, that isn’t what happened. The dirty laundry is in there right along with everything else. I truly believe that the Word of God is divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit and that all of that junk was left in there for a reason.

In my opinion, one of the biggest problems that the church (meaning all Christians as a whole, myself included) has is that we try to hide the not so appealing parts of our humanity. We so often put on a facade of perfection that attempts to hide our flaws. The sad part about it is, those flaws will eventually come out. Instead, we need to be able to admit our shortcomings. Sometimes those shortcomings can become our biggest witness. On the flip side though, when we hide our flaws and pretend everything is perfect, that can often hurt our witness more than anything else.

If you want to see a flawed side of humanity, read a few chapters through Judges. Starting in Judges 2 we see that after Joshua died, entire generations of God’s people grew up without knowing anything about the God who rescued them from the Egyptians. It also says that the people turned to false gods and did all sorts of evil. I see a lot of parallels with how our world is today. I think that is part of why those stories are in scripture. We aren’t supposed to make the same mistake the Israelites made. Maybe, if we are startled by a man chopping up his concubine (Judge 19) or by one of the judges ordained by God being deceived by an evil woman and who was also known to seek out the company of prostitutes (Judges 16), we might possibly seek a closer relationship with the one true God.

I pray for our world right now. There is so much evil and suffering. Too many people are ok with having nothing to do with God just like the Israelites were. My generation is a highly unchurched generation. We are reaping the harvest of that now in the acceptance of abortion, the celebration of sin, and the astounding number of single parent homes. If there was ever a time that we needed a divine interaction with God, it is today.

My challenge to us: let’s be the change that this world needs. Let’s not just accept the evils of this world but instead diligently learn to follow the will of God. Let us not put on a facade with others, but instead be willing to get in the trenches with others. Let us turn this nation back to God.

Following Donkeys

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I have mentioned before in several of my blogs about my love for a lot of the Old Testament stories. David and Goliath, Jonah and the big fish, Moses and the Israelites, and Joseph, just to name a few. What I love even more is re-reading them as an adult and seeing some of the layers that I never saw as a child. That is the incredible thing about scripture, it is layers deep and miles wide. It isn’t just some dusty old book of history. It is truly alive and well and meant for us to get something new from every single day.

Recently, I was reading the story of Saul being anointed as king and I was struck by his humble beginnings. Starting in 1 Samuel 9, we read of a handsome and apparently tall young Saul who was simply sent on an errand with a servant to find his father’s lost donkeys. That journey ended up lasting 3 days and took him right to where God wanted him to be.

That’s how God often works. He doesn’t always take our life’s paths straight from A to B, no, sometimes we end up at Q before we finally circle back and hit B. He also often uses our daily mundane, even frustrating, tasks to accomplish His plans for us. I am sure Saul was a little annoyed and verse 5 even tells us that he even tried to convince his servant to turn back. However, the servant said that they ought to press a little further and inquire of the man of God in the town they had reached. That man of God just so happened to be the prophet Samuel, and he already knew Saul was coming. “Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: ‘About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.’ When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, ‘This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.’” 1 Samuel 9:15-17 NIV.

God used the mundane daily grind to lead Saul exactly where he needed to be. Maybe He is doing the same for us? Could those daily inconveniences and frustrations be guiding us down the very path that God has for us? Maybe those annoying donkeys are actually guiding us straight toward our anointing. The question is, will you keep going like the servant wanted to, or will you turn back and quit the way that Saul wanted to? What I love about this story is that God place that unnamed servant with Saul to encourage him when he was about to give up. We all need that from time to time. That encouragement was the very thing that led them to the anointing. Let us be like that servant to each other. Encourage each other through the long, hard journey, maybe that breakthrough is right around the corner!

Burn The Plow

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I have a character trait that I really struggle with that has always prevented me from following God like I probably should. That trait is over-analyzing. I remember even as a teenager over-analyzing everything from what college I should attend to what job I should get upon graduation. If I was to get real honest, that over-analyzing was (and is) really just a lack of trust in God.

There are a few stories in the Bible that show a much better type of faith. The first is in the book of 1 Kings 19. The prophet Elijah had just gone through a roller coaster of emotions after defeating all the prophets of the false God Baal, falling into a pit of depression, being attended to by angels, then having a miraculous experience with God in a cave. During that experience, one of the things God told him to do was to find a young man named Elisha and train him to be his replacement. Elijah found Elisha plowing his father’s field. What happened next is an incredible act of faith. “So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.” 1 Kings 19:21 NLT Right then and there Elisha slaughtered his oxen and burned his plow. He didn’t have to “think and pray” about it. He didn’t have to do what I feel like I have do do every time I have a big decision: stress and over-analyze. No, instead he just went for it. He went for it in such a way that he couldn’t go back. I want to be more like that.

Burn the Plow - YouTube

Peter and Andrew, two of Jesus’ disciples did much of the same thing. “One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.” Matthew 4:18-20 NLT. It is so easy to read past them just up and leaving their livelihood but that is exactly what they did.

When I read stories like those, it makes my faith feel so small. I want to trust more. I want to let go and run toward the calling of God. To often though, I hesitate. I let fear of the unknown reign rather than faith in the all-knowing God.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT.

Submit and lean not on your own understanding. That is the key. God has a plan in everything. Nothing surprises God. Just like a beautiful tapestry, God weaves everything together, both a the good and the bad, to achieve His perfect plan.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT. We simply need to burn the plow!

Put The Baby In The Basket!

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If you have read very many of my blogs, or listened to any of my prayer requests, you probably know that one of my struggles has always been to let go and trust. Now, don’t get me wrong. I can trust with the everyday stuff. I don’t struggle knowing that God will take care of us from day to day. However, it seems like no matter how many battles and victories I have seen, I still hesitate when it comes to the big stuff.

Maybe you struggle with the same thing. I don’t handle change well, just ask my husband about that. I analyze and over analyze things that I know will cause big changes. It is my Achilles heel. Deep down, I know that God always works the big stuff out. Honestly, He works it out better than I could ever imagine. I just struggle to let go.

So many stories throughout the Bible point out to me my lack of trust. One of those stories that I have really been thinking a lot about is the one about Moses’ mother in Exodus 2. “About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married.  The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River.” Exodus 2:1-3 NLT

I wish so much that there was more in scripture about her. It doesn’t even mention her name in these verses, although it is revealed to be Jochebed later in scripture (See Exodus 6:20). I just can’t help but ask what she saw that made her know that he was a special baby? Whatever it was, it made her defy the Pharaoh, who had ordered all male babies be killed by throwing them into the Nile river (See Exodus 1:22), by hiding her baby for 3 months until she could not longer keep him hidden. It was at that point she did something that I am not sure I could have done as a mother of a 3 month old. She prepared a basket and placed him in the very river that he was supposed to be killed in. Her faith is incredible in doing that! I want so badly to know about the inner turmoil she was dealing with when she placed him in the basket. The fact that she waterproofed the basket shows that she had faith the God would protect her baby boy. If you know the end of the story you will know that Moses ended up being raised in the household of the very man who wanted him killed, by the Pharaoh’s own daughter, and eventually went on to save the Israelites.

I imagine that Jochebed never even imagined what God had in store for her little boy. All she had in mind was his survival, even if it was in someone else’s home. However, that single scary act of faith saved an entire nation. I truly believe that God wants to do the same things in our life. He wants to take those frustrating, scary, and seemingly impossible situations and use them for His purposes. He knows what we are going through. For whatever reason, he also allows those situations to happen. Nothing is wasted in the Kingdom of God. Romans 8:18 (NIV) tells us, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Was that ever true for Jochebed! So many blessings came through her. Not only did Moses survive, but as it turns out, he came right back to Jochebed for a time and she got to nurse him until he was old enough to take back to the palace. If you haven’t read the story through the lense of Jochebed, I encourage you to look at it from her perspective and see all the miracles that only God could have created. Her only job was to step out and put the baby in the basket!

So, I challenge you (and me), regardless of what challenge you are dealing with: PUT THE BABY IN THE BASKET!

A Better Resolution

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It’s the beginning of January! As we ring in a new year, it likely means that you have made some new year’s resolutions. As a matter of fact, we are already more than a week into 2022, you may have already given up on those resolutions by now. I stopped making resolutions years ago. I decided that if there is something I want to change, I don’t need to wait until a new year rolls around to do them. That being said, I might just change my mind this year.

The past 2 years have been crazy for most of us, myself included. I have rejoiced in the new births in my family, as well as grieved at the loss of family members way too soon. I have made new friends, and seen the loss of friends. I, just like you, have had times where I felt on top of the world, and times where I felt alone in a pit of despair. If I had to get real honest, 2022 has already started off a little difficult. Many of the issues of 2021 have found their way into this new year as well. I want this year to be different.

If you know me very well at all, you would know that I am a podcast gal. I listen to several different podcasts, primarily ones with a Christian leaning. I often listen to them while doing housework (it makes the mundane more tolerable). Yesterday, I was listening to a sermon and was struck with something that has now been working on me for the past 24 hours. This wasn’t a new message by any means. I have heard similar things from dozens of ministers in the past. However, there is something about the space I am living in right at this moment that made it hit me a little different. The pastor was talking about a well known verse, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV). “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.“

Like I said, not an unfamiliar verse. However, he pulled out a church camp move and talked about replacing the word love with your name. If you have never done that, please do. Fill in the blanks with your name: __________________ is patient, __________________ is kind. __________________ does not envy, __________________ does not boast, __________________ is not proud. __________________ does not dishonor others, __________________ is not self-seeking, __________________ is not easily angered, __________________keeps no record of wrongs. __________________ does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. __________________ always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

If that doesn’t mess with you just a little (or massively), you are either perfect or lying to yourself.

Wow! Oh, how I fail miserably when I put myself in those verses. So, I want to make a better resolution this year. I want to allow God to change me from the ground up to better fit the mold of those verses. I want to be a more loving person this year. It isn’t easy. I struggle with so many of those, specifically keeping record of wrongs. When I, or someone I love, are betrayed, that’s hard to let go of. It is also hard to be patient and kind during stressful times.

As we cautiously enter this new year, let us set aside our self-serving ways, and really make our goal to learn to love others better. Jesus himself said it best when He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34 NIV.

The Loneliness of Mary

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I love Christmas! However this Christmas felt a little weird. It has been so windy here that we weren’t even able to do much outside yesterday without being miserable. Instead, we had a pretty lazy day watching movies and just hanging out around the house. As I watched all the movies it occurred to me how romanticized Christmas has become. Either it is this magical thing that revolves around Santa and gifts, or it is almost presented as a fairy tale when it comes to the story of Jesus.

I don’t think either of those ends of the spectrum really do the holiday justice. I even worry about my own kids. I don’t want them to miss out on the fun parts of Christmas, but I also want to make sure that they know what the day really means. I have to work hard myself to not lose the real meaning in the mess of the hustle and bustle.

Reflection on Our Blessed Mother, Mary – Diocese of Orlando, Florida

It occured to me this year as I was reading back through the story of Jesus’ birth how lonely Mary must have felt. In the modern world we live in, we are so much more accepting of teenage, unwed mothers. However, in Mary’s day that would have been enough to get her stoned in the street. We tend to glaze over it calling her blessed among women, which she is, but she probably didn’t feel that way at the time.

*disclaimer: this is simply my thoughts and opinions on the issue, not necessarily stated in scripture*

Picture if a teen girl tried to convince you that her pregnancy was the Son of God, not the result of her indiscretions. I imagine that there was a lot of rumors, dirty looks, and down right cruelty from the people in town. I would also imagine that may be part of the reason that she went and stayed with her relative Elizabeth for 3 months (see Luke 1:56).

It is no secret that women can be cruel to each other. To be perfectly honest, I have struggled my whole life to have close, intimate female friendships that went any deeper than surface level. That is largely because women are sometimes vindictive and hold onto grudges. This isn’t to paint women in a bad light, it is simply something that I sadly have experienced too many times. As I think of Mary, I believe she endured a tremendous amount of cruel words and accusations. Mary really had no one but Elizabeth who could possibly understand a miracle pregnancy. It was probably a pretty lonely place to be. Now, I am sure that Joseph did his best to understand and listen to Mary, but I bet there were times where she just wept because she felt alone. I think that all of the frustrations she likely dealt with during her pregnancy are largely part of the reason she “treasured in her heart” so many of the things after Jesus was born (see Luke 2:19 and 2:49-51).

Although none of us are pregnant with the Messiah (he doesn’t come back that way), I believe that we all carry our own burdens and frustrations. In this world of social media and cell phones, we are more connected than ever but in many ways so much more alone. We all carry things that we feel no one really understands, and they likely don’t. It makes me so sad how disconnected we can become from each other. However, just like He did for Mary, God does have a greater plan. We are never promised a life with no frustrations. We can, however, take heart knowing that rather than repeating the cycle of pain, we can use our own pain as a catalyst to be more empathetic and compassionate to others. I imagine that Mary had a soft place in her heart for the rest of her life for women who were unwed and pregnant. I also imagine that she probably tried to give people the benefit of the doubt before passing judgement. The compassion of Jesus shows that his mother was a compassionate person.

My prayer as we enter the new year, is that any pain, disappointment, or frustration that we may be dealing with, may be the very thing that in the year 2022, will lead us to the next level of what God has for us.

Who’s Side Are You On?

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When you are a sports fan, typically it is obvious to the world around you which team you are cheering for. It may be because of the team jersey or t-shirt you wear on game day, or possibly the fact that you talk about the big game and have the plays and team members’ names memorized. Whatever it is, you are probably not afraid to advertise it to the world around you.

Sadly, that isn’t always the case with our faith. For some reason, we often hide that part of our lives. Worse yet, we sometimes live a double life and act one way at church and an entirely different way at work or school. Unfortunately in my time in the business world, as well as my time in the classroom I have dealt with many “Christian” business people and students who really don’t act like it. I am also human, I know that I don’t always fit the description of a perfect Christian.

Why is it that we can be unwavering sports fans, but fail miserably sometimes to be unwavering in our Christian walk? Why do we feel embarrassed to pray in public, but not to scream and rejoice at our favorite team scoring a goal? What is it about humanity that anything related to our faith walk seems to sometimes be challenging? There seems to be a socially acceptable level of “Christianity” that is ok in certain settings, but don’t let that part of your life cross the line into the more secular parts of our lives.

What I love about the stories of Jesus in the Bible, is that regardless of the crowd he was with, he never changed. When he was around the prostitutes or other sinners, he didn’t try to fit in or be more permissible of the sins. Instead, he was loving and direct and rather than become more like the sinners he was around, they became more like him. I long to be more like that.

Sadly, I end up more like the Pharisees than Jesus most of the time. I either come across as judgemental or permissive. I tend to find myself becoming more like the sinners, rather than leading them to be more like Jesus. Even saying it like that is telling. When I refer to others as sinners it shows a part of myself that I despise. It shows the judgemental parts of me that create an “us vs them” mentality. It reveals just how much I am like the Pharisee in the parable Jesus told in Luke 18:9-14 NLT:

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else:  “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’  I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

My prayer is that I would learn to be more humble sooner rather than later and live a genuine faith regardless of the audience. I have been hurt too many times by people like the Pharisee who “exalt themselves” that I don’t want to do the same thing to others. I don’t want to think of myself as more highly than I ought and I definitely don’t want to be hypocritical in my faith. Instead, I want to, like Jesus, be willing to dine with traitors and wash the feet of the people who I know will likely turn their back on me, without a second thought.

“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” Romans 12:3

Marked Moments

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“Nothing is a surprise to God; nothing is a setback to His plans; nothing can thwart His purposes; and nothing is beyond his control.”

This quote was spoken by Joni Eareckson Tada, one of the most unlikely people to speak such a thing because she has been a quadriplegic since the age of 17. This quote speaks volumes to me. I believe with all my heart that God is in control, I just wish I could get that through to my head sometimes. I know that I don’t always act like it, but I do know it’s true.

I believe that there are moments that can change the trajectory of our lives in an instant. Some of my own examples include asking a friend of mine to a college formal (I ended up marrying that friend), getting laid off from a job I thought I would have forever, making the decision to become a teacher, and having a sweet surprise 3rd child, just to name a few. Those moments may be exciting, or devastating, but they mark us in a way that we are never quite the same.

I absolutely love the story of Joseph (It starts in Genesis 37). He goes through so many things leading from the dreams to the palace. His troubles all started because of a combination of his bragging ways and his evil brothers selling him into slavery. This lead him to eventually end up in prison. However, all the sorrows he went through, became the catalyst to become the 2nd in command in the palace. He needed these experiences to refine him. To humble his ego, learn to submit to authority, and always do the right thing, even when it ended in wrong results.

I can’t help but think the same is true in our own lives. Every experience, every setback, every frustration, and every triumph are all designed to take us from where we are to where God wants us to be. However, it is up to us to push through the hard times with integrity. When we don’t, we may end up needing to learn those lessons again.

I teach a lot of juniors and seniors. In Texas, they have to take and pass a lot of tests to graduation high school. When they don’t learn the lessons needed to pass the first time, they have the opportunity to try again. In order for those kids to be successful they must be in tutorial classes and re-learn much of the information. God does the same with us. If we fail the pride lesson, he gives us more opportunities to learn humility before we are ready for the next lesson. He never gives us a test we aren’t prepared for. However, He may give us a test we really don’t want. That’s the part I don’t like.

I want to refer back to the quote I started with. “Nothing is a surprise to God; nothing is a setback to His plans; nothing can thwart His purposes; and nothing is beyond his control.” Joni has now been wheelchair bound for over 50 years, yet has reached hundreds of thousands of people with her ministry and was also instrumental in helping the Americans with Disabilities Act get passed. I am sure she had no idea at the age of 17 the impact that she would have. I am also sure that 50 years from now, you have no idea what purpose the challenges you are going through are going to serve. Now, you may not be headed to 2nd in command of a kingdom or leading a worldwide ministry. But maybe you, like me, have a few kids, grandkids, or people who look up to you that see how you live your life and face your challenges. What they see from you will minister for generations to come, in good or bad ways.

We all have moments that mark our lives. Let’s use those marked moments to propel us into the next level of what God has in store for us.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28