How often does your story begin with “I used to…”? I used to play sports, I used to work, I used to go to church, I used to spend time with my family, I used to go to Bible study, I used to be married, I used to be single, I used to (fill in the blank).
Does the shadow of who you used to be sometimes cloud your vision such that you can’t quite see who you are today – or who you find more here
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” – Psalm 107:1 NLT
It is November and Thanksgiving is right around the corner, along with the challenge to be thankful! But seriously, do we have to be thankful all month?
Do we have to play along with everyone else and update our social media accounts with daily thankfulness? What if we run out of things we’re thankful for before the end of the month? Can’t we just skip November’s “Thanks” and move full speed into December’s Get me more
It’s time for a confession; I haven’t always had the right attitude regarding my service in the church…
Nursery? I did my time when my boys were little.
VBS? I need a break in the summer.
Kitchen committee? Are you kidding me?
To be willing to serve God without reservation, and teach the Bible to adults, I needed to keep reading here
It’s time to unpack the summer shoes! Well, for those of us in the Midwest, we might unpack them, but we probably won’t wear them for another month. But that’s OK; it gives us time to ease into them. You see, Midwest winters are so long that our feet forget what it’s like to wear sandals.
We can’t just jump into our strappy shoes and hop over here
This was my house on Monday, Feb 10. The sun was shining, and the TV weathermen predicted we’d pass the freezing mark by Thursday! Hope springs eternal!
This is my house on Monday, Feb 17. We still haven’t gotten above freezing, and the TV weathermen tell us we can expect another eight inches of snow.
Ugh! Not again!
What else should I expect? It’s the middle of February in the Midwest. It’s going to be cold. It’s going to snow. This is life… for now. But this isn’t life forever; we know spring will come because God tells us it will.
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” Genesis 8:22
We wouldn’t for a minute doubt that it will eventually get warm. We can trust God’s Word. What God says always comes to pass. Which is a good thing; because I wonder how often God looks at me and says, “Ugh! Not again!”
How often do I frustrate God? Do I give Him more than enough reasons to think about giving up and moving away from me? Do I push Him to the limit of His perseverance?
When I hoped for a thaw and it only got colder was my frustration as great as God’s when he hoped I would finally learn an important lesson, only to see me fail again …and again?
When I looked for sunshine and saw clouds, was I as disappointed as God was when He looked for me to give Him glory, but instead saw me take credit for a work that He did?
Does God think, “It’s just Marcia! She’s going to fall short, she’s going to disappoint. This is her life… for now. But this isn’t her life forever; I know who I’m making her into, I know who she will be!”
Fortunately God promises me that He will never give up on me. And, He will never give up on you!
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 NIV
God’s promises enable us to hold out for spring, and they also enable us to hold on to hope that we are not yet who we will become. And, God assures us that He won’t come to an end of patience with believers. He won’t give up on us, because He is…
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” Exodus 34: 6-7 NIV
God knows that we are mere humans, fallen and sinful. God doesn’t wait for us to blossom into beautiful people before He lavishes His love on us. He loves us just as we are, cold, gray, dark and dreary, because He knows the warm, colorful, joyous and beautiful personalities He is developing within us.
Spring is on its way! And we can trust that God won’t give up on you or me, no matter how often we may cause Him to say, “Ugh, not again!”
Marcia Furrow 