Rise Up

Hello friends,

I haven’t written a blog this week and every time I begin I end up erasing it and putting my device down. I always want to be authentic sharing insights or truths. This past week has been a lot to take in. Luke and I got back from Colorado on Sunday; which, further made me realize  that the time period we had set aside for God to reveal the whole job front decision is coming to a close. We have roughly three weeks left and than it’s decision time! Oh how I wish God would unfold the golden rug and show us the path before us. It’s in the thick of it that I wonder if God is really at work. Than I am brought back to Matthew 6:25-34 “ Do not worry…” the passage tells of all the things we as humans worry about and how pointless worry is. I have faith —but, it’s in these troubled times I find myself reaching for answers to be comforted. Knowing God has it and we’ve done our part can still be unsetteling. So to faithfully leave it at the foot of the cross, knowing He loves us and wants good things for us is all we can do!

Waiting is never easy… it brings me back to the Dr. Seuss book, “Oh, the Places You Will Go.” When Dr. Seuss talks about the waiting room. It’s within these pages that the author talks about how we all are just waiting for something. It’s within waiting, that God challenges our faith and our trust in Him. For without the wait, life would be easy and the refinery to our souls would never be able to occur. Having to wait in the uncomfortableness is never going to be something I’m good at but I’m slowly (key word here) learning that with these times of uncertainty,  when my circumstances seem less than joyful, but somehow I am at peace —that is when I know God is working! That is when I can see the issues and trouble lurking in the shadows and still come out faithfully singing Gods praises that I know, my soul is getting closer to resembling my fathers than the world that I inhabit.

See life isn’t meant to be easy, just look at the passage in James 1:2-3

“consider it pure joy, my brother and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

I have to ask …why do we as Christians act so dismayed when trials come upon us? When our fellow sisters and brothers walk through hardships and we question the hardships as if we can somehow grasp God’s understanding of allowing the storm to weather! It’s not our place people. God allows it for GREATNESS to occur! Stop sitting around gosssiping about someone’s battle instead rise up and be a pillar of faith so that when that person is feeling vulnerable and weak you can be a light for them leading them back to the foot of the cross!

I am going to move on from my tangeant in a moment but honestly I want you to question yourself the next time the battlefield arises and the storm starts to blow, ask yourself, “Am I going to take this as pure joy or am I going to let it break me?” We all have a choice each and every day to rise up or fall. When the tough roads of life reveal themselves we can either drive towards them or try to avoid them. This season I too have seen some ugly roads. Health issues, marriage troubles, even financial stress. I could easily have thrown in my towel said it was to hard and walked away. As a Christian though I have a fuel source others don’t. Where my soul can be fed and my heart can have hope and it’s through the love of Jesus Christ I can carry the crosses before me and rise to the challenges facing them head on! Stop being weak people and start using the strength of the Holy Spirit to rise up to the occasion. Make the tough choices, accept life isn’t easy and trust—simply trust that the Lord of all creation is higher than your thought process. That what your facing isn’t to harm you but to make you into something greater than you could ever imagine!

I’m going to leave you with this final thought when life becomes unpredictable and circumstances arise am I going to allow the Goliath syndrome to overtake me or am I going to be David— unequppied by stature but with faith as my stone I can rise up to the battle. May you all be Davids in the throws of life!

hugs,

Julie Black