Good SuziQzie Morning to you all!
I went with my son to his JBQ tournament on Saturday. He had been practicing all month and knew those questions cold! The day before the meet, we went over the questions one last time. He was doing well and then he started to forget them and began to panic. You could see that frustration and fear had swept over him. What if he forgets everything the next day? What if he looks like a fool in front of everyone? The faith in himself that he knew those questions had disappeared and fear had overtaken him.
Fear! It is the opposite of Faith! But, can fear be used to increase our faith? Yes! Years ago, my husband had this fabulous job that he really loved. We had just purchased a brand new car and got our first home. But, "life" happened to us and at his work there were mass layoffs. He survived round one, round two and got hit on round three! He came home just days before Thanksgiving to tell me the news. I will never forget standing in my kitchen in disbelief. I should have known, of course, since there were layoffs...but also, God had given me a dream that this would happen. After the sudden shock, I decided that God was going to take care of us, and I immediately started praying that my husband would find a job before the money ran out! Days, weeks, months went by, and all we could find were part-time jobs that paid hardly anything. My faith grew weaker and weaker and fear took over. I would cry alone, wondering if God really heard me and then I would get mad at myself for even having those thoughts! Of course God was there, but why wasn't He helping us? That year we made less than $10,000! How we survived was only by the grace of God, and yet, all I could see were the hardships, not the blessings! One day I found myself lying on the bathroom floor just sobbing! It had been 3 years since he had a good job, and I was at my breaking point! Fear had completely consumed me and I felt like God had left me. At that moment, the 700 club was on and they were praying and announced that someone out there was going to get a job. Soon after, we got a call, and it was job offer! I will never forget that moment! Through all the trials and fear, God reminded me that not one day did I go hungry! Not one day did I have no water, heat, or no place to sleep. He had taken care of us, even though it wasn't the way I wanted. At that moment, God turned my fear into Faith.
Are you letting fear consume you, or are you turning that fear into faith? When the fisherman were on that boat and Jesus was sleeping, they were consumed with fear. The waves were crashing and they thought they had had their last fish meal! But, even though it "appeared" Jesus was sleeping, He was always in charge. You may be sitting in that boat, trying to steer yourself through the storms of life, thinking you are all alone. But.....Jesus has always been right there with you, in charge of it all, even if it's not the direction you would have chosen! I would tell you to strap that life vest on and step out on the water, but that's another lesson for another time! :)
Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
No comments:
Post a Comment