How can this be good?

I had planned to tackle another “weight”, but God has given me something else to share. 

If you read my blog, you are probably also friends with me or one of my family members on facebook.  You have all followed (to some extent) the progress of our sweet little Reagan---whether you wanted to or not! J  That’s pretty much all we’ve talked about for the last two months!  If you happen to be reading this, and you are not familiar with Reagan’s story, you can read all about it here.

After two very l-o-n-g months in the hospital, Reagan got to go home on April 6, just in time for Easter and a visit from her SC aunts and cousins!!  We were thrilled to be able to go, even for such a short visit.  There was a baby shower planned for April 7, so we had lots of fun seeing our friends and some extended family, too.  Just a couple of days before our visit, I was asked to prepare a short devotional for Emily’s baby shower.  Of course, I said, yes (that was the easy part).  Then, what?  I prayed, asking God to help me share something meaningful to which everyone could relate.  Now I want to share that devotional with you…

I began thinking about the last couple of months….daily updates about Reagan, encouragement for Dan and Emily from so many sweet people, specifically praying for everything from weight gain to eye maturity---oh, and don’t forget, poopy diapers!  Through it all, I had noticed a recurring them:  God is good.  God is good ALL the time.  Lots of people said it….and that’s okay, because it is true!

God was gracious enough to give us lots of days of such amazing progress that it was easy to say, God is good.  However, there were (and are) times when it is not so easy. 

The days leading up to Reagan’s birth were difficult ones.  Personally, I struggled—for many reasons:  Emily is my little sister, and I still want to protect her.  I couldn’t.  Emily was going through a difficult time, and I wanted to be with her.  I couldn’t.  Having experienced two pregnancies that ended in preeclampsia and premature babies, I knew what was in store, and I wanted to change it.  I couldn’t.  I struggled, because I was not focusing on what God was doing.   I spent most that weekend and day of Reagan’s birth telling myself that God knew what He was doing, and that I could trust Him.  My brain knew it, but my heart was having a hard time catching up.  I knew that no matter what was in store for Emily, Dan, and Reagan, that God would give them and us the grace to handle it. 

These times of struggle are normal because we are human, but we don’t have to be bound by our humanness.  If we know Christ as our personal Savior, He enables us to do, be, feel, respond in unusual ways demonstrating His goodness to others.

God, in His divine wisdom, brings about circumstances that can catapult us closer to Him.  We need to be submitted to what He plans for us to gain the most from it.  Why does God do this?  Why do we experience difficulty?

Isaiah 55:8-9 say,  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We can’t know the mind of God, but we can know the character of God.

Reagan’s story up to this point exemplifies the goodness of God through difficult circumstances.  It would take way too long to detail them all, but already we can see that His thoughts are higher than ours.   The key is focusing on God and not our selves or our circumstances. 

I took Reagan’s name and came up with some things about God that I can focus on when I’m tempted to question His goodness.

Redeemer – When I doubt God’s love for me, I am reminded that He loved me so much that He sent His son to redeem me from sin.  How can I doubt His goodness?

Emmanuel – His very name means, “God with us.”  When I am struggling, He is there.

 

Amazing Grace – Do we think about what His grace really means for us?  By grace we are saved (Eph 2:8-9), and He promises that His grace is sufficient for every circumstance (2 Cor 12:9).

Giver of good gifts – Matthew 7:11 says, If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

How can I question what He gives me?

Always the same - For I am the LORD, I change not; (Malachi 3:6a)

Never leaves us – Hebrews 13:5b says, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. 

These are just a few of God’s promises to us…there are so much more!  Try making a list that’s easy for you to remember.  Already this week, I have thought through this list to help me.

No matter what your difficulty or struggle, these promises are true, and God is the same. 

Please don’t think that because I’ve listed these here, that I have conquered and that I will not ever struggle with believing God is good.  Having those feelings of doubt, despair, helplessness….that will probably never change, because we are human.  It’s how we handle those emotions and struggles that define us.  Focusing on who God is rather than our circumstances is the key to having right responses.

Reagan on Feb 6, 2012…

And now….

We are so thankful for God's good blessings demonstrated to us through our sweet, little Reagan!

Yes, God is good. Always.

Setting My Weights and Sins Aside: Wrong Thinking

Last time I discussed realizing that I actually have weights and sins to lay aside.  Read that post here.

How do I handle these weaknesses?  These weights and sins that beset me?

Recognizing that they exist is the obvious first step.  Once I started seeing how many I had, my next struggle was feeling overwhelmed and defeated by them.  I really was miserable for a very long time.  It was hard for my over-achieving, perfectionist, prideful self to realize that I had limitations.  I equated all that doing to success.  Somewhere along the way, all that doing became my downfall.  I would sacrifice time, sleep, home responsibilities, etc. for the sake of looking like “Super Woman” on the outside.  It was making me crazy!  I really believed that the world might just fall apart if I did not do all of the things that I thought I needed to do, or the things that I was just sure was expected of me by others.  As it turns out, I have drastically changed what I do, and the world is still turning!  As a matter of fact, all those “people” that I was going to “let down” by not doing “whatever” haven’t said one word to me about anything---I don’t think anyone’s noticed – except for my family who is grateful the crazy woman that used to live here has moved on.  She does try to come back sometimes, but I do my best to quickly send her packing!!

I am in the process of reading Filling the Empty Places by Beneth Peters Jones.  (I actually bought this book several years ago, but I’m just now reading it.)  There is so much in there that pertains to me, but this jumped out at me the other day, “Self focus guarantees discomfort.”  So true!  Once, I quit focusing on me, I felt so much better! 

Through this period of constant misery, I would describe myself as overwhelmed, exhausted, and having too much to do.  Matt would always try to encourage me by telling me to just do one thing at a time.  (By the way, I am THE QUEEN of starting something then being distracted….and starting something else….and getting distracted…and doing something else….and never getting anywhere!) I work hard at trying to stay focused on the task at hand. 

I have applied this “one thing at a time” concept to my spiritual life, too.  As the Lord started to show me very clearly that I had a number of weights and sins to set aside, I was overwhelmed by them.  I wanted to fix everything wrong and do everything right, right then.  The over-achieving perfectionist strikes again!  I’m going to share these over several posts…that way, I’m not overwhelmed and neither are you.  J

What Am I Thinking?

I realized that many of my struggles were linked to wrong thinking.  I latched on to Philippians 4:8, Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Since one of my biggest struggles was imagining what others thought of me or expected of me, I began asking myself, Do I know this to be true?  Most of the time, the answer was NO.  It is amazing how much anxiety and fear can be avoided by first asking that question.  This practice has transformed my thinking.  I do it every day, multiple times a day.  I also began noticing how often scripture address the mind and thinking.  Hmmmm…..I feel I’m pretty safe in assuming that God knew this would be a common human struggle, and He was kind enough to give us instruction in this area.

What else does the Bible say?  Here are a few of my favorites:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.  Isaiah 26:3

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  Romans 12:2

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.  Phil 2:5

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

Change is overwhelming, but not impossible.  When I focus on myself, it results in panic, anxiety, discouragement, fear.  I must actively keep my mind stayed on Him.  When I do….there is peace – even in difficult circumstances.  Remember, I can do all things through Christ.  That’s not just a cliché!

Until next time….