Never Gone...
Have you ever had one of those moments in your life where you stand amazed? Think about it...a jaw dropping moment where you are like, “Holy cow! Did that just happen?” Now maybe it was a good holy cow moment or maybe a bad one or maybe you have had some of both...I know that I have!
Today was one of those moments...actually it was more than today. It has been kind of a constant for the last few weeks...but today was the icing on the cake! (and I love the icing...especially butter-cream!)
A few weeks back we had some things happen in our life that sort of blind-sided us. It was hurtful, cruel, below the belt and one of those moments where you are like...what just happened? When people make assumptions, things can go wrong pretty quickly . You think you have done all the right things, but when lies are told, people either assume the lie is true, or they talk to you about it. Let’s just say there was a lot of assumption that happened. We can’t do anything to change that, nor the hurtful lies that were told about us and hurtful things said too us...but what we could do was move forward. Quite honestly, after having just conquered what seemed like an unclimable mountain, the thought of conquering another one was not appealing. Seriously. After the past 3 years I was ready to go rock in a corner and cry...for days.
It would have been really easy to sit home and sulk about the things that were said...to give up on church, church people, pastors, friends...everything...I certainly understood at that point why so many people have given up on church...it’s full of people, and people are imperfect!
This brings me to my story. We were beginning a church hunt for our family. A place where we could really feel at home and fit in...a place that we could serve...that was “us". I spent some time talking with a friend who is also a Pastor’s wife and one of my greatest mentors in life and she gave me some great advice. (Thank you Debbie!) It’s kind of common sense advice, but sometimes when you are in the middle of the storm, you don’t have much common sense left! What she said was this. Pray. Pray for God to lead you to the right church. Pray that the Holy Spirit would speak to you through someone there or directly through the sermon. You will know if you are where you are supposed to be, because no one there knows you, your story, your history...nothing. It made sense!
Over the next few days, my husband prayerfully considered where we should go. He picked a place and you could say it was a match made in heaven! Now I could give you details about how every sermon, every contact, every THING has been confirmation that we are where we are supposed to be, but I want to tell you about today. Oh my goodness TODAY!
The sermon was about Joseph. His dad's favorite of all of his brothers. He was doing everything right. You heard me...right. He wasn’t making bad choices, living a risky lifestyle, not serving God..He was enjoying life, living life. His brother’s sold him into slavery...but the Bible says that God was with him! He was thrown into the dungeon after trying to do the RIGHT thing by running away from Potipher’s wife...but God was with him. All through his life you see that God was with him. All of these bad things kept happening to him, even when he was doing the right thing. It probably didn’t feel like God was with him...he probably felt pretty abandoned and alone! But look at the plan that God had for his life!! He would eventually rise to be the most powerful man in Egypt next to the Pharoah and because God was with him, he was able to save the Israelites from certain death! What an amazing sermon that spoke so directly to us I just had to share it. (the story comes from Genesis 37 and 39 and following if you want to read it.)
Even when we feel wronged and hurt and abandoned, God is still with us! It may not feel like it, but God is molding us and preparing us for what he has ahead for us. WOW! Maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising to someone who has been in church her whole life, in ministry for 18 years...but sometimes, God speaks something to us in a different way so that we will truly understand it!
I am so thanful that, even though we have no idea what lies ahead for us, God knows and He is with us!
I am linking to an incredible song that our worship team sang today at the end of the sermon. So powerful and so TRUE! Remember when you are going through the trials of life (and it could be years like Joseph’s) that God is molding you and preparing you for even greater things!
Thanks for stopping by!
Crazy Mom. Crazy Wife. Crazy Life.
Wendy Jo
Today was one of those moments...actually it was more than today. It has been kind of a constant for the last few weeks...but today was the icing on the cake! (and I love the icing...especially butter-cream!)
A few weeks back we had some things happen in our life that sort of blind-sided us. It was hurtful, cruel, below the belt and one of those moments where you are like...what just happened? When people make assumptions, things can go wrong pretty quickly . You think you have done all the right things, but when lies are told, people either assume the lie is true, or they talk to you about it. Let’s just say there was a lot of assumption that happened. We can’t do anything to change that, nor the hurtful lies that were told about us and hurtful things said too us...but what we could do was move forward. Quite honestly, after having just conquered what seemed like an unclimable mountain, the thought of conquering another one was not appealing. Seriously. After the past 3 years I was ready to go rock in a corner and cry...for days.
It would have been really easy to sit home and sulk about the things that were said...to give up on church, church people, pastors, friends...everything...I certainly understood at that point why so many people have given up on church...it’s full of people, and people are imperfect!
This brings me to my story. We were beginning a church hunt for our family. A place where we could really feel at home and fit in...a place that we could serve...that was “us". I spent some time talking with a friend who is also a Pastor’s wife and one of my greatest mentors in life and she gave me some great advice. (Thank you Debbie!) It’s kind of common sense advice, but sometimes when you are in the middle of the storm, you don’t have much common sense left! What she said was this. Pray. Pray for God to lead you to the right church. Pray that the Holy Spirit would speak to you through someone there or directly through the sermon. You will know if you are where you are supposed to be, because no one there knows you, your story, your history...nothing. It made sense!
Over the next few days, my husband prayerfully considered where we should go. He picked a place and you could say it was a match made in heaven! Now I could give you details about how every sermon, every contact, every THING has been confirmation that we are where we are supposed to be, but I want to tell you about today. Oh my goodness TODAY!
The sermon was about Joseph. His dad's favorite of all of his brothers. He was doing everything right. You heard me...right. He wasn’t making bad choices, living a risky lifestyle, not serving God..He was enjoying life, living life. His brother’s sold him into slavery...but the Bible says that God was with him! He was thrown into the dungeon after trying to do the RIGHT thing by running away from Potipher’s wife...but God was with him. All through his life you see that God was with him. All of these bad things kept happening to him, even when he was doing the right thing. It probably didn’t feel like God was with him...he probably felt pretty abandoned and alone! But look at the plan that God had for his life!! He would eventually rise to be the most powerful man in Egypt next to the Pharoah and because God was with him, he was able to save the Israelites from certain death! What an amazing sermon that spoke so directly to us I just had to share it. (the story comes from Genesis 37 and 39 and following if you want to read it.)
Even when we feel wronged and hurt and abandoned, God is still with us! It may not feel like it, but God is molding us and preparing us for what he has ahead for us. WOW! Maybe it shouldn’t be so surprising to someone who has been in church her whole life, in ministry for 18 years...but sometimes, God speaks something to us in a different way so that we will truly understand it!
I am so thanful that, even though we have no idea what lies ahead for us, God knows and He is with us!
I am linking to an incredible song that our worship team sang today at the end of the sermon. So powerful and so TRUE! Remember when you are going through the trials of life (and it could be years like Joseph’s) that God is molding you and preparing you for even greater things!
Thanks for stopping by!
Crazy Mom. Crazy Wife. Crazy Life.
Wendy Jo
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