Thursday, January 22, 2015

Just around the bend...




Yesterday began with me watching our eight month old grandson for a couple of hours while our daughter ran errands.  He's tiny for his age, the only sign that he was a premie.  He crawls at an alarming rate of speed, pulls himself to standing, and walks while holding on to the edges of furniture, forgetting he can't walk independently yet, letting go, and falling all too often.  He grins perpetually, his face visibly lighting up when he sees someone he knows.  As I looked in his eyes while he drank his bottle, his brown eyes staring into mine like he could see into my soul, I was struck once again by the wonder of him.  A year and a half ago we had no idea that my daughter, who had never conceived in thirteen years of marriage, would be surprised and amazed to discover she was pregnant.  She and her husband were content with the family God had given them via adoption, our two amazing oldest grandchildren.  Who knew that a little ways further down the road, God had a big surprise, a huge blessing, awaiting them?  What an unexpected delight he is to them, to his siblings, to all of us.

That same afternoon I went with my youngest daughter over to her fiancé's house.  She and her fiancé will live there together after they get married this May.  We were doing a bit of cleaning and organizing when the thought struck me that a year ago my daughter had no idea what was just around the bend for her as she began 2014.  That spring she would begin to "hang out" with an acquaintance from church, they would begin dating, fall in love, and become engaged before year's end.  

When my husband and I went through what I call our "Job season", everything that could go wrong did go wrong.  We were tested and tried in just about every realm of our life.  I became shell shocked, afraid to answer the phone or check the mail, because another piece of bad news was sure to be waiting.  I became tormented by fear and evil foreboding.  I became conditioned to believe that what was around the bend in the road for us was bad news, not blessing.  I began to believe we had done something to mess up God's good plan for our lives and that when the Word said He had a future and a hope for us, we had somehow fallen through a loophole in that promise.  Right in the middle of that mess, I led a group of ladies from our church through Joyce Meyer's book study, The Battlefield of the Mind.  In her book she talks about a mindset of evil foreboding.  I recognized immediately that I was dealing with that exact thing in my mind.  Per her suggestion, I began speaking Proverbs 15:15 aloud over  myself, "I will not give into evil forebodings or anxious thoughts, but I will have a glad heart, resulting in a continual feast, regardless of circumstances."  It wasn't an instant cure by any means, but it was a beginning in renewing my mind to expect and see God's goodness and blessing in my life, even when circumstances were tough.

In the fall of  2009 my daughter recommended that I read Ann Voskamp's blog, A Holy Experience.  I don't think I'd ever even read a blog before!  Through Ann's online encouragement, before her book One Thousand Gifts had been published, I joined the "Gratitude Community".  I began to journal my blessings, and started my own blog, where I would list my gratitude each Monday and link-up with the other gratitude gatherers at Ann's place each week.  This habit of noticing and recording God's blessings in my life began to renew my mindset to expect blessing instead of evil foreboding.

When God began to deal with me to embrace the word endurance as my word for 2015, my mind wanted to revert back to fear and evil foreboding.  "Oh, this can't be good!", my thoughts told me, "There must be some rough road ahead that you're going to have to endure."  I wrestled with God about it, thinking if I rejected the word endurance and embraced a more upbeat word, that I could control or change whatever circumstances were ahead for me.  God gently and lovingly confirmed over and over and over to me though His Word that endurance was indeed a word I was to embrace, and that it wasn't a word to fear, but a word that had amazing promises connected with it. My foundational verse for 2015 is Hebrews 10:35-36 (Amplified Bible),  "Do not therefore filing away your fearless confidence, for it carries a great and glorious compensation of reward.  For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away and enjoy to the full what is promised."  So, instead of having an expectation of negative things that I'm going to have to endure, I have chosen to expect the promises given to one who has endured.  Yes, I said I have chosen.  A mindset of hopelessness, evil foreboding and negative expectation is never from God.  satan is the author of hopelessness and despair.  A godly mindset is one of fearless confidence in God's love and goodness, and in His ability to keep you in the palm of His hand when you do face adversity.  It's the mindset of Joseph who declared repeatedly that even his worst adversities had been used by God for good and for blessing.  Instead of expecting some sort of time bomb around the next bend in the road,  I'm expecting to see God's faithfulness, God's mercy, God's goodness, God's protection, and God's provision.  In fact, looking back, that's what has been around every bend in the road of my life all along.

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16 comments:

  1. I've been praying & waiting for God's guidance and direction in my life for the past few months. I believe He is creating stirrings deep within that it's time for things to change in my life (job wise). Lately, every blog & post that I have been reading has been an encouragement for this. I love your words here. Can't wait to see where He leads me on this journey.

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    1. Krista, Here's a verse from Isaiah 30:21that I pray for you, "And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left."

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    2. Thank you for the scripture & prayer Elizabeth :-)

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  2. Such a heartfelt and encouraging post, Elizabeth. We had a very similar situation with our son as with your daughter except they lost 4 live babies and just last April had a healthy baby boy. God has blessed our family abundantly with this child. It's so easy to let fear creep into our thoughts and forget that they are not from God. Thanks for reminding us "that all things do work for the good of those who love the Lord and called according to His purpose"....I look forward to seeing how your word for the year plays out. Hugs.

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    1. Nancy, I bet your grandson is well loved by all of you! What a blessing!

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  3. Good encouraging words Elizabeth. I too toke a battlefields of the mind class by Joyce & that was an eye opener for me as well. Thankful, grateful heart is a much better path to be on. Thank you for the reminder. Looking forward to God's path in our lives. Hugs n Love

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    1. Joyce's book, Francis Frangipane's The Three Battlegrounds, Stormie Omartian's Lord, I want to be Whole and Casey Treat's Renewing the Mind were all really helpful to me in dealing with some things like fear and anxiety.

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  4. You have struck a chord with me! Some days I do as you once did, I live in fear….sometimes from stress at work, or from bills, or a feeling of being unsuccessful. Your words are so perfect…perhaps I just need to endure, to work hard, relax a bit, and know that God has a plan.

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    1. The fact that this post encouraged you means so much to me! God does have a good plan. And as far as you being unsuccessful, you're a great mom, teacher, and gardener extraordinaire!

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  5. It is so easy to let fear take over when we allow it instead of 'staying our mind on He who keeps us in perfect peace' when we do...Thank-you for this encouraging reminder that God has a plan, far beyond anything we can know!

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    1. That verse to keep our minds stayed on Him was my father-in-law's life verse. I can never read it without thinking of him.

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  6. Thank you for sharing such beautiful reminders that God is faithful - when we least expect it! As I thought of your word 'endurance' I thought of you, a runner, who has built up endurance by continually exercising and pushing your body. Some things you do now were impossible when you first began. Much like life - there are things that seems impossible now but as you exercise your faith and trust you will be amazed to see what He has planned for you. Yesterday my dear, little ninety-two-year-old mother voiced her concern for me when the day comes that Jesus calls her home. I told her, as I have told her before - God walked with me and held me close through some deep losses. And He will do it again! No matter what comes, He is faithful and we can trust Him. Your words meant much to me today.
    ~Adrienne~

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    1. Love you, friend. I know that you are wondering what's around the bend for you, but I know that God will go before you!

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  7. Elizabeth,
    WOW!!! What an AWSOME post!!! Girl, God has blessed you with the gift of giving the right words at just the right time!!! As I read, I smiled with sweet assurance and cried real tears at tracks I have also walked in. I am going to borrow your word of endurance and stop letting Satan fill me with evil foreboding. It has been a long haul and I am going to start EXPECTING my Showers of Blessings!!! It's been a hard last 12 years but, not without some blessings along the way.
    In Charles Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" my birthday (02/24th) reading is even, "Showers of Blessings" !!!! It will come in do time.
    Thank you for reassuring me with your writings.
    Addie

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  8. One more thing.... Right after I read your post I had to comment.....I was filled and needed to express it....so I posted before I read what the other comments had to say. Now, I went back to read what others wrote and I even feel MORE showered with hope and expectation!!! AMEN!!!!....Thank you so very much for your post!!!~Addie

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    1. Your encouraging comment has blessed me so much, Addie. And I LOVE your name, by the way!

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