Thursday, January 12, 2012 Thoughts by Kylie,

I read the following this morning, "Sickness, abuse and death are part of life in a fallen world that God will someday restore. Until then, God may allow me to go through these things. It's not to cause me any undue pain, but rather He allows them and then uses them to accomplish spiritual growth. Charles Stanley explains, "Some things are so important to God that they are worth interrupting the happiness and health of His children in order to accomplish them."
Isaiah 54:10, "'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you." (NIV)

 
I have been through a lot in the past 5 years, a time of pain, worry, down in the pits, questions as to why things are happening, constant slams into brick walls over & over. I fell off track about 2 years into the blows, and started questioning "why?" Something happened and I cannot quite pin point the actual details of the moment, or where I was at, but God was there. I hit my knees, I don't know if I became so overwhelmed with all that was going on, or if things just got so bad I had nowhere to go but up. Nevertheless, I started going on, not fast, but up. I started looking at life in a whole new perspective. Yes I still sinned, we all do, but as far as the obstacles and trials my family kept running into I realized that a: God is in control, b: I can do nothing with God, and c: everything God sends is a blessing in some way. So I started trying not to focus on my husband's heart attack at the age of 26, the heart disease, the 3 heart surgeries, the pace maker, the defibrillator, the finances, the hardships, I let it all go to GOD! I started looking at new obstacles as merely road blocks, not brick walls, merely detours of life, not people saying NO.
We all go through difficult times and my difficult times are no more important than the person sitting beside me. We are all created differently, hand shaped by God in his perfection. We are made with flaws, so we come to God for healing. I cannot handle everything in my life and God wants it that way, he wants me to need Him. To come to Him for guidance and direction. To come to Him for advice and healing. To constantly seek Him for His approval over my life & all my actions.
Life is not supposed to be easy, that happens when we get to Heaven. We are here to fight the tests of faith to stand firm in our walk with God and to display an image of His amazing love & devotion. Spreading Gods word, telling others the miracles that have happened in our lives due to only God, showing others the things that God has helped us overcome, and walking by example.
So don't worry about what all you run into, what all you face, how hard things might be at the moment. God already knows where you are at, and what you are going through. Remember he cleared that pathway for you to be able to walk through it. He is on the other side calling your name, just listen for his direction. Don't sway right to left, stay straight. If for some reason you fall off course, don't think that this is the end, no, God never leaves you nor forsakes you. Jump back up, dust yourself off and start heading back towards Gods love again.
Have you ever seen the show "wipeout" these people get hit with walls, swinging doors, punching bags, and their goal is to get to the finish line. Our finish line is God and our wipeouts are all the worldly and devil detours along the way. You may slip, you may fall, but the buzzer hasn't gone off yet, you still have time to start toward the finish line again.
You can do this, we can do this, and do you know why? God already said he would be there, he already showed us through His son's death on the cross, the painful experience he put his own child through so that we might be saved from our sins. Don't let Jesus think that he went through all of that for nothing, cling to His love, Rise above the struggles and in due time you will reap the experience of a lifetime. You will win the trophy, you will win the prize, and you will be recognized for escaping & overcoming all the wipeouts as you sit on the finish line, side by side with God!

 
You can do this, I can do this! Share Gods word with others. You might be the only voice that speaks Gods name to someone else. Make sure you share God every single opportunity that you receive.
Don't judge others, you have no idea where they have walked, or who has walked on them. Instead, pray for them. Where you are strong, someone else is weak and where you are weak, someone else is strong. Recognize the differences in yourself and others, and remember we are all created equal by our Creator.

 
God Bless our Thursday with Gods amazing love.
KD