Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Philippians 3:12
LORD Jesus, we come before You know to ask for Your Wisdom and Strength in our lives during these times. Help us to focus on You, our mighty and wonderful Counselor.
So yesterday went okay? Well, I continued to have many ups and downs. It would have been my dad’s 84th birthday. Tomorrow will be the day my parents would have celebrated their 60th anniversary. However, neither my dad’s birthday nor the wedding anniversary are important these days. I’m wrestling with another big and more important issue this year.
Even though, especially because of, this hardship is going on, the LORD put it on my heart to continue writing. I have to write and share these things with you, beloved sister. And should you not be going through a hard time at the moment, perhaps you will know someone who is. Could it be that the LORD has put you at her side to bring her comfort and encouragement to press on?
After a hard day yesterday and a nearly restless night, this morning with the LORD has been amazing! I paused after writing the paragraphs above and went for the morning walk with the doggies to the beach. And the LORD keeps blessing me and sending such powerful encouragements along my way. This is what this blog post is going to be about today: God’s mighty works in times like these.
Remember my post yesterday? Point 3 said:
“Yes, you need to share good and bad news. Keep a small circle of trustworthy women who are close to you. You need someone to encourage you to “Press on!” Choose a friend you can call when things get tough and when you need a good cry. Carefully select a few sisters in Christ you feel comfortable enough with so that you can make yourself vulnerable and share your thoughts with them.”
So that’s what I did. The women of this little circle that surrounds me are so, so different. If I need deep doctrinal advice I know who to ring. Then there is the quiet one. She’ll keep in the background, but I can drop in for a visit and a strong cup of coffee when needed. There are two who offered I could call them any time — even during the night. They’ll have their phones next to their beds. How amazing is that? Whenever I feel low, I mean really low, I know immediately who to call to have a good cry. God has brought these women into my life and I’m so, SO blessed by their friendship and now by their loving care.
Remember point 6 of my post yesterday?
“People, as soon as they’ll find out, will flood you with text messages, emails, or calls. At least some will. Tell most of them that you are “okay” having a small circle of people who are helping you through this and who are praying with and for you at the moment. They should understand. If not, don’t worry about it!”
One of the hardest things for me to deal with yesterday was a crowd of people “banging” at my door. There is the kind of person who will text to see if you are okay to take their call. Then there are the ones that just call to press out answers. At some points I wanted to scream: “No, I’m not okay. Of course, I’m not okay. What do you expect of me?”
This morning another flood of messages came in. But, girl, these were totally different. I received a comforting text message. Later on, a picture and some words to let me know that God IS looking after me came in. Then there was this message that shared a couple of Bible verses. And then I got to read a short but wonderful testimony of how the LORD worked in a very similar situation in someone else’s life.
Press on, Sister! Press on! Cling to the everlasting Arms of Christ Jesus. Pray for the LORD to send these kind of women into your life. Be blessed to be a blessing today.
