Thursday, September 4, 2014

Hard Times


1 Peter 4:12 says, “Dear friends, don't be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. These are not strange happenings” Even though the bible warns us that we will encounter trials I am still surprised when trials arise in my life (Are you?). When we encounter trials I believe we have three choices;
1. Try to handle whatever is going wrong alone

2. Let the circumstance overwhelm us
3. Call on the Lord and ask him for his help (trust he will help)
God has promised in his word that he would never put more on us then we could bear (1Corinthians 10:13).  But he did not say we would not put more on ourselves then we can bear. We have to-do list from here to China and are constantly wondering why we are overwhelmed. We sometimes can be spreading ourselves too thin and pouring ourselves out but not always in the name of Jesus or for Jesus but for ourselves. Sometimes we try to be superwoman and superman and by the end of the week we are exhausted because we put too much on our plates. We have to be aware when we are putting our to-do list before God.

Something I have noticed about myself never the last month is I will wear myself out for my soon to be husband. Last month he got into a car accident and it was by God’s grace that he made it out alive with no broken bones. But when he first got into the accident and I got that initial phone call from the hospital I went berserk. I was running around getting this for him, and doing this for him. He did not ask for me to do much of anything, but I wanted to show him that I could take care of him while he was banged up. I love him so much and my desire was to make sure he was taken care of down to the last detail (I get this from my mom). He got into the accident on Monday and by Saturday afternoon I had felt like I was the one in the car accident. I was so empty and tired.
 
I had completely neglected my need to sit before God and get refilled. It is like not eating for a week your body starts to shut down. My spirit needs to be fed daily and I had not fed my spirit for over a week. I was giving God these short prayers then quickly getting up to find another way to comfort Kyle. All the while, God is watching me and is saying, “Come to me and let me give you rest, Kyle is fine I protected him let me refill you, can’t you feel your spirit crying out for me.”  I neglected these calls for what I believed was my “wifely duty”. Sunday came and I went to church in no mood to worship. I was exhausted and overwhelmed. I put unfair expectations on myself to be the perfect caregiver after his accident.

This is a call to everyone out there that is doing too much or is feeling overwhelmed! For anyone and everyone feeling exhausted or absent from Gods presence.  STOP! SIT BEFORE GOD AND ALLOW HIM TO INSTRUCT YOU!

Matthew 11:28–30 • “Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.”