Last week while away this happened-
Lisa's nearly three year old daughter Caroline, was having rough time at the dinner table. It had been a long day without naps for the kids and she had hit her limit. I think Lis may have hit hers as well.
Caroline was yelling, crying and fussing at the table- the conversation went like this...
Lisa- Caroline, stop yelling or you're going to be on a time out in the other room.
Caroline- Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! (is that code for yelling?)
Lisa- (this time with a more serious undertone so to identify looming consequences...) Caroline, STOP your yelling.... now.
Caroline- (as if to indicate awareness of looming consequences but steadfastness in her plotted course) AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Lisa picked up Caroline from the table to place her in the other room on time out (note to parents... I loved the follow-thru Lisa had... it would have been easier to ignore Caroline... she would have settled down having gotten her way.)
As Lisa picked her up Caroline realized that she was indeed going to "serve time" for her indiscretion... so she wailed, "I WILL STOP!!! I will stop yelling." in the hopes that Lisa would restore her to her place at the table and she could then choose to be obedient. (Anyone else see where I'm going here??)
(Here's my heart in the midst of the situation... when she wailed out, "I will stop." I thought... "THEN STOP ALREADY. Stop yelling now!!! You're only saying that now because you're in the midst of the consequence...you should have stopped when she told you earlier!"
And then God made it clear... using the daily happenings in my life, that HIS WAY IS ALWAYS THE BEST!
Tens, possibly hundreds of times, I've wondered... even asked God why He hasn't restored me to health so I could choose to walk out what I know to be right. And here, God showed me why. Were He to have granted my desire to be restored to health early on in the process... under the premise that I'd then choose to be who He wanted me to be... I would have learned nothing!! My heart would still be far from Him. I would be incapable of drawing on Him daily because I didn't know how then.
Simply put- I would be healthy yes, but far from Him.
FORTUNATELY- God functions out of HIS will and not mine. He didn't grant my petition to restore me to immediate health. He didn't remove my circumstances so I would walk without ailment or inconvenience. And He certainly didn't cater to me when I, (in the same manner as Caroline) said, "Make me healthy so I can choose you." He did as He promises to always do... He did what was best for me... He responded-
I know it seems like this story may not be a good one to tell as I still deal with the Neurological Lyme on a daily basis... however, I truly believe GOD HAS and is still MAKING ME HEALTHY. He didn't promise me physical health. And I don't believe that the few passages in the Bible directly indicate that Jesus took my current sickness to the cross (so that I should not have to suffer it) and that God's will is to ALWAYS heal physically. BUT I do believe that He can heal me physically if and when it is His will and that in ways outside the parameter of the physical... He continues to heal me.
Evidences of God's Healing Hand in my life...
MY CHANGED HEART: I said this past weekend that my relationship with the Lord seems best explained by "the best kept secret." I don't know that there are words to express just how amazing and wonderful my time in Him truly is. How present He is in my daily life. How Spirit Filled my time in the word is... HOW DIFFERENT I AM BECAUSE OF HIM!!! In and of itself... this is the greatest display of His healing. I don't think one of you out there wouldn't confess being greatly concerned for me at one point or another right??
MY MARRIAGE: How many of you can add an AMEN to that? I'm fairly certain you are all aware of just how bad things became between Paul and me. If I didn't want to bow out- assuredly he did. But that is not the case anymore. He has healed our wounded hearts and restored much of what the locusts have taken. There is a love present that is founded in HIM. There is respect, communication and unity in ways I couldn't verbalize. And there are common goals for our family and children not attained at any point before we agreed to seek the Lord together for ourselves and our marriage.
And finally- FINANCES: One big financial matter comes to mind... Paul's new job. (Did I tell you we were in the midst of securing a new position? ) Paul accepted a job with a great company that offered a larger salary, much better health benefits, a more important title (not that titles matter but in this company they entitle you to stocks etc) and well, a sizable signing bonus. It's been more than just this area of finances where we see the hand of the Lord but this one is an easy one to share :)
I just don't know what else can be said of a God who cares so much that He will do whatever it takes to draw us unto Himself and when we come to the end of ourselves... when we choose Him... he restores our health. In whatever capacity He sees fit.
Lisa's nearly three year old daughter Caroline, was having rough time at the dinner table. It had been a long day without naps for the kids and she had hit her limit. I think Lis may have hit hers as well.
Caroline was yelling, crying and fussing at the table- the conversation went like this...
Lisa- Caroline, stop yelling or you're going to be on a time out in the other room.
Caroline- Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! (is that code for yelling?)
Lisa- (this time with a more serious undertone so to identify looming consequences...) Caroline, STOP your yelling.... now.
Caroline- (as if to indicate awareness of looming consequences but steadfastness in her plotted course) AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Lisa picked up Caroline from the table to place her in the other room on time out (note to parents... I loved the follow-thru Lisa had... it would have been easier to ignore Caroline... she would have settled down having gotten her way.)
As Lisa picked her up Caroline realized that she was indeed going to "serve time" for her indiscretion... so she wailed, "I WILL STOP!!! I will stop yelling." in the hopes that Lisa would restore her to her place at the table and she could then choose to be obedient. (Anyone else see where I'm going here??)
(Here's my heart in the midst of the situation... when she wailed out, "I will stop." I thought... "THEN STOP ALREADY. Stop yelling now!!! You're only saying that now because you're in the midst of the consequence...you should have stopped when she told you earlier!"
And then God made it clear... using the daily happenings in my life, that HIS WAY IS ALWAYS THE BEST!
Tens, possibly hundreds of times, I've wondered... even asked God why He hasn't restored me to health so I could choose to walk out what I know to be right. And here, God showed me why. Were He to have granted my desire to be restored to health early on in the process... under the premise that I'd then choose to be who He wanted me to be... I would have learned nothing!! My heart would still be far from Him. I would be incapable of drawing on Him daily because I didn't know how then.
Simply put- I would be healthy yes, but far from Him.
FORTUNATELY- God functions out of HIS will and not mine. He didn't grant my petition to restore me to immediate health. He didn't remove my circumstances so I would walk without ailment or inconvenience. And He certainly didn't cater to me when I, (in the same manner as Caroline) said, "Make me healthy so I can choose you." He did as He promises to always do... He did what was best for me... He responded-
"CHOOSE ME SO I CAN MAKE YOU HEALTHY!!!"
I know it seems like this story may not be a good one to tell as I still deal with the Neurological Lyme on a daily basis... however, I truly believe GOD HAS and is still MAKING ME HEALTHY. He didn't promise me physical health. And I don't believe that the few passages in the Bible directly indicate that Jesus took my current sickness to the cross (so that I should not have to suffer it) and that God's will is to ALWAYS heal physically. BUT I do believe that He can heal me physically if and when it is His will and that in ways outside the parameter of the physical... He continues to heal me.
Evidences of God's Healing Hand in my life...
MY CHANGED HEART: I said this past weekend that my relationship with the Lord seems best explained by "the best kept secret." I don't know that there are words to express just how amazing and wonderful my time in Him truly is. How present He is in my daily life. How Spirit Filled my time in the word is... HOW DIFFERENT I AM BECAUSE OF HIM!!! In and of itself... this is the greatest display of His healing. I don't think one of you out there wouldn't confess being greatly concerned for me at one point or another right??
MY MARRIAGE: How many of you can add an AMEN to that? I'm fairly certain you are all aware of just how bad things became between Paul and me. If I didn't want to bow out- assuredly he did. But that is not the case anymore. He has healed our wounded hearts and restored much of what the locusts have taken. There is a love present that is founded in HIM. There is respect, communication and unity in ways I couldn't verbalize. And there are common goals for our family and children not attained at any point before we agreed to seek the Lord together for ourselves and our marriage.
And finally- FINANCES: One big financial matter comes to mind... Paul's new job. (Did I tell you we were in the midst of securing a new position? ) Paul accepted a job with a great company that offered a larger salary, much better health benefits, a more important title (not that titles matter but in this company they entitle you to stocks etc) and well, a sizable signing bonus. It's been more than just this area of finances where we see the hand of the Lord but this one is an easy one to share :)
I just don't know what else can be said of a God who cares so much that He will do whatever it takes to draw us unto Himself and when we come to the end of ourselves... when we choose Him... he restores our health. In whatever capacity He sees fit.
1 comment:
Great post, Chelle'.Thanks for that...I can relate to a lot of it and appreciate you being so open with everything.
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