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I have always been confused by the phrases that Christians commonly use, and one of the most confusing to me is the phrase “just trust the Lord.” It is very good theology, but to my practical mind, it seems like an exceedingly abstract concept. How, specifically, does one trust the Lord? One day, I asked God to explain to me the meaning of trusting Him. The answer came in the form of a question. “If you trusted Me, what would you do?” Do? Well, that’s easy to answer! Many of us live with numerous fears: fear of the past, fear of the future, fear that plans will fail, fear that things we love will be taken away or fears that hopes we have will never be realized.
We are so filled with fear that we forget that Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). We should not be defined by our fears and strivings, but by the peace that anchors us through whatever we face, both good and bad. May our souls be quiet as we learn to rest in the assurance of God's faithfulness. In a previous post, I discussed the single young woman with too little to do. In this post, I discuss the opposite: the single young woman who does everything. This is the woman who copes with multiple jobs, various responsibilities, ministry or community work, her own business, church duties, leadership roles, and more. She is the one who to whom everyone runs when something needs to be done and whom everyone considers Superwoman. Romans 8:24-25 When it comes to single women living at home with their parents, I generally see two types: the young women who do very little, and the young women who do everything. Unfortunately, both of these groups injure themselves with their imbalanced lifestyle. In this post, I will discuss the women of the first group: the ladies who do very little. I speak frankly and openly, but please do not confuse my honesty with snootiness. I have genuine love and compassion for women in both groups, and I don't wish to degrade anyone, but rather to point out the (very real) dangers and to offer solutions. Ladies who do little often start a job or a college program, only to drop out or quit a short time later. They struggle to follow through on projects, they seem chronically bored, they lack a lot of important home-making skills, and they are dependent on others for basic needs (food preparation, transportation, etc.). "We have a God who is relentlessly for us."
When my pastor made this statement, it struck a chord with me. In the struggle to be holy, it is easy to believe that all God can see of us is our faults and failures, and is disappointed with us. But that is not so. Click here to read Part 1. Click here to read Part 2. Click here to read Part 3. Click here to read Part 4. Choosing to follow God equals loneliness. People might think that we are taking too much responsibility upon ourselves, or think we're deliberately making things hard for ourselves, or think that we're being too radical. (What about a life in Christ isn't radical?) "Job's Answer" depicts an internal struggle which I personally experienced during a difficult spiritual "low." I was beginning to realize that a lot of things I had taken for granted were no longer available to me, that some hopes which I had cherished would never become reality, and that some old insecurities had never really been conquered.
The line "Thou who hast afflicted me" came very clearly to me, as if given, and the rest followed afterward in a single afternoon. |
Meet YaashaNone of my life has gone the way it was "supposed to go," but I don't love my life any less because of the hardships and new directions. I see so much unexpected good in it, and I want others to see the good in theirs. Archives
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