"When life seems impossible remember what God wants to do in you".
So I've been asking God for a couple days what He wanted to teach me through the massive "interruption" last week. He finally revealed it during our kids' program at church yesterday, Kid Kraze. I love Kid Kraze. It is awesome to worship with kids. One of my favorite parts is when they simply "get" the lesson. Or when they can recite the scripture that we're learning back to me. My most favorite part is when they open up their heart with me and share what's going on in their lives.
The core virtue this month is perseverance – refusing to give up when life gets hard. My little 3rd graders shared stories about how swim lessons are hard, but learning a new stroke is the worst, or how it's really hard to learn science in school, or even simply being at home with "nothing to do and no friends to hang out with all summer" is really hard as well. Innocence radiated through their voices and by the massive amount of stories they felt the need to share, you would think their lives are simply horrible. I highly doubt that is true, but it was precious listening to how they were "persevering" through hard times.
This really got me thinking.
"It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees."
– Hebrews 12:7-12
Now, I'm not saying that through this traumatic incident God was disciplining me, but I think through the process, He was. So often we get comfortable with life when everything seems to be going well. We often think that if we're "following the Lord" and spend limitless time in God's word/prayer daily, that we are somehow exempt from refinement. Not true. I praise Jesus for hard times. Praise the Lord that sometimes I have to persevere. I am thankful for discipline because I am aware of my own sinful nature and know that in no way am I even the least bit near perfect.
God wants to humble me. I am never sick, and I mean never sick. Yeah, I catch the occasional cold but I have never been in the hospital for any major incident aside from breaking my wrist last summer. It is a very scary process, especially when "big deal" words are being thrown around about my health. The intensity of this situation has definitely brought down my pride level a couple notches. I have decided to refocus my efforts and pour into the areas that I'm most passionate about. All in all, I want to glorify God, and if He has to throw this huge interruption into my life to in a sense, "wake me up", I am for sure awake and ready to listen.
I pray that you will continue to pray along with me through this process. Pray that the Lord continues to reveal truth that I need to be "awake" to in my life. By all means, I hope His way of doing this isn't near as drastic as before, but I'm willing to accept His means of refinement. I pray that the Lord is working in your lives as well. What is God trying to "wake you up" about?
PS. Support raising is going well. I met/exceeded my last deadline! PTL! Now on to the next deadline of $2847 by August 18th!
