How has that 21 day challenge been going?

I am writing this on the 7th day of the challenge. As I have been through the readings the Lord has highlighted different things for me:

1. What am I walking in that doesn’t have His light on it for me anymore?
2. What way do I face toward the darkness that is passing or do I face the light that is shining?
3. I was reminded anew that the old me is gone and the new creation is here!
4. Will I face the world that is passing away with its lusts or do the will of God and abide forever?
5. How are you discerning when hard things come?
6. Am I seeing with my spiritual eyes?
7. Where do I resist love?

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I have encountered this particular thought or topic a few different times this past week. It has come packaged in different ways. Everything from people feeling unsupported by others, feeling uncomfortable around others, to “I tried that being honest thing” and it backfired, to having chronic continued issues – like life is just one thing after another – and there is always a need for more help, to reminiscing a past situation where they needed help and people just said bible pleasantries. Now to be clear I am not downplaying these situations they are real people, with real situations, feeling, and needs. However, I do have a lingering thought in my mind. A ponder as I often do, that is like a little string that I see hanging off of a sweater.

I want to pull on that string.

Expectations

Our experiences often build us a picture that we carry around with us of what we can expect. It happens all the time. When I encounter a new thing, but I feel an old familiar feeling I tend to start saying and thinking that this new thing will be just like that one time when…

Ever been there? I have many, many times.

So, we may have some unbuilding or digging out to do – to get to what God is doing in the now and the enemy is a real pain and will show up taunting and harassing like in Nehemiah. The walls of Jerusalem had been broken down for half a century when Nehemiah came to rebuild them.

⁷ But Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the men from Ashdod were very angry. They heard that the people continued working on the walls of Jerusalem. They heard the people were repairing the holes in the wall. ⁸ So all these men got together and made plans against Jerusalem. They planned to stir up trouble against Jerusalem. They planned to come and fight against the city. 

Nehemiah 4:7-8

Sanballat – the name means sin gives life

Tobiah – I find it interesting that this man’s name means Yahweh is good and yet he teamed up with Sanballat to thwart the rebuilding of the wall.

And a whole host of others from different tribes came together to stop this wall being built.

Even when the enemy teams up – God is at work in the midst to bring about good. The enemy comes right in the midst of what God is doing and tries to give life to sin in our hearts, minds, and souls. But God is working! It may not look like it. It may not feel like it. But if we will not allow the enemy to come and use what we expect to happen to thwart us — if we will keep our eyes on Jesus and what God is up too, we will find out that God is building and rebuilding us, and it will be good.

Is God hidden in the midst of the struggle? Like a “cloak from the enemy” of the anti-hero in the movies. They have good intentions, but their methods may be unconventional. How often are we sticking God in a box. If He can work all things for good. Wouldn’t that mean He is at work in the midst of the terrible, worse, downright upsetting things?

This is that string ….

Could I be the one thwarting what God is up too in my situation because I am unwilling to be in the spaces I can find support because I feel unsupported, so I leave, stay away, or isolate?

Could I be the one blocking His gifts and kindness toward me because I choose not to be myself in church because I feel uncomfortable in my own skin and am unwilling to let my anxiety go?

Could I be refusing fellowship and joy because I don’t like the response I’ve gotten to my honesty?

Could I be allowing through bad governance a whole host of mess to come into my life because of my lack of boundaries or lack of discipline?

Could I be using scripture to prove that others aren’t doing what they should be doing?

AND … and could I be missing God’s providence and hand in any of these situation to move me where He wanted me, but I wouldn’t have if I didn’t have a situation like this to push me to it?

AND… and could we be putting other people in situations that they are not able to handle but expecting them to do for us, but it’s what only God can do for us?

Goodness will embrace those who hope in God.

Psalm 32:10b

We need to hope not in institutions, not people, not government, but God!

Now just to say it, the unspoken question I am thinking, “aren’t you letting people off the hook, who ought to be walking in what God has said about supporting others, loving others, supplying for others??”

Well, no. I have no idea if other people have learned those lessons or have faith to walk in them. So, to expect what I think “should be” is unrealistic. And even if I saw them do it for others but I didn’t get that from them, it reveals an envy and jealousy in me.

So, what does all this reveal in us? What I do know is that God said to me that He will be with me. And once I get my eyes off of the One who said He would be with me, I have put them on people and that will always fall apart. Because people are just like me, fallen and in need of a Savior. Even the ones who run stuff.

You can’t change what happens to you.
But you can change how you deal with it.

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Does it make you better, more loving, more caring, more understanding, or bitter?

That’s the string…

What did Nehemiah say?

⁹ But we prayed to our God.
And we put guards on the walls to watch day and night
so that we could be ready to meet them.

Nehemiah 4:9

Are you ready to meet the enemy who comes to thwart the building of God in you? Perhaps it is time to get prayed up to face him, to put guards on the wall – to watch day and night – so that we are ready! Lord, help me be ready!

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Similar theme – from the 21-day challenge

Where have you put your trust?

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A Joyful moment

My daughter and I took the littles to a nature center called Wickiup Hill. They had so many fun things for them to do. One of my favorite things was when E found the imaginary play costumes.

She loves to become characters and butterfly creatures.

Thanks for listening,

Starla