The other day, my sister-friend Rebecca and I were talking about the things God teaches us in different seasons in our life.
In this season of my life, I realized God is really brought me to three things: Freedom, Contentment, and Love for my Children.
Freedom
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1
Through a several books* I have read int he past six months, and God's working in my heart, I have been set free to walk with God in a way I have never realized before. The realization started when I stepped down from teaching a Bible Study that I had led for several years. As I worked through the self-imposed guilt I was feeling for stepping down, God started showing me His plan for me was to be free to follow Him and walk in the path and choices He leads me to, even when it may not be what others would choose for me.
It has been such an awesome experience to focus on what He is showing me to do and not worrying about all the other things out there, even good things, that I use to put on myself, or that someone else might want me to do. God has given me this family and the calling to be the momma, daughter, sister...and that calling comes first. So many shoulds, and musts...all gone away. It is relationship with God, my Father, Jesus, my savior and Spirit, my helper, that is the focus, not performance.
Contentment
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Phil 4:11
I posted about contentment a week or so ago, here, and Joy had an awesome post about contentment on her blog today as well: http://sahmissionary.blogspot.com/2009/04/contentment-and-recession.html In this season God has moved the contentment to the inside. ..Not just a head notion of how I SHOULD be content, or a self-straining to try to MAKE myself content, but a real peace of contentment. And I am not quite sure HOW it happened. Part of it was a deeper understanding of God loving me, and his desire for relationship vs how sanctified I may or may not be...or if I have this or that in my life at this time.... I let it all go. I love the portion God has divvied out for me and am content in it. I have God and He has given me all I need, and a more besides...the blessings of family. I love and trust Him.
2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
I just love this story, quoted by Joy on her blog:
"In the book, Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow, there is a sweet little story about a missionary woman living in Africa. She had almost no worldly posessions and lived in a hut where it was dry and dusty and hot. Yet, she was the picture of contentment. Her secret? She says this:
"Never allow yourself to complain about anything, not even theweather.Never picture yourself in any other circumstance or someplace else.Never compare your lot with anothers.Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.Never dwell on tomorrow, remember that it is God's, notours."
Do you know how different our lives would be if we really did this? "
A great set of "nevers". :)
Love For Family
I have been so full fo love for my family lately. Time when I just pause and soak up my kids, or my parents. When I just freeze the moment, and revel in it, knowing yes, it will be gone soon, yes there will be other times, different times, but being so present in this very moment. I thank God for this realization.
Part of it is realizing that God truly does love me, wants a relationship with me and fills me with His love.
1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us." He fills my need for love, with Himself, I can then turn around and love my family, because I am first loved.
I think the message of being set free, and the state of contentment in my soul has brought a greater joy and capacity to experience God's love and to love on my kids and family.
So that is my current season. Didn't see it coming, did not even know what God was doing as He was working, but voicing to Rebecca the other day, what God was doing in this season, I came to realize what He had done, and am so grateful!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are the books I have read recently:
He Loves Me- by Wayne Jacobson,
The Shack-by Paul Young,
So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore- by Wayne Jacobson,
Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers (Paperback)by Gordon Neufeld (Author), Gabor Mate M.D. (Author),
Tithing: Low-Realm, Obsolete & Defunct (Paperback)by Matthew E. Narramore (Author)
I know some of these titles might bother some, but I did not go out seeking them, and whether or not I agree with every line in them, they each were used to bring me to freedom, contentment and family love.
Blessings.
In this season of my life, I realized God is really brought me to three things: Freedom, Contentment, and Love for my Children.
Freedom
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1
Through a several books* I have read int he past six months, and God's working in my heart, I have been set free to walk with God in a way I have never realized before. The realization started when I stepped down from teaching a Bible Study that I had led for several years. As I worked through the self-imposed guilt I was feeling for stepping down, God started showing me His plan for me was to be free to follow Him and walk in the path and choices He leads me to, even when it may not be what others would choose for me.
It has been such an awesome experience to focus on what He is showing me to do and not worrying about all the other things out there, even good things, that I use to put on myself, or that someone else might want me to do. God has given me this family and the calling to be the momma, daughter, sister...and that calling comes first. So many shoulds, and musts...all gone away. It is relationship with God, my Father, Jesus, my savior and Spirit, my helper, that is the focus, not performance.
Contentment
"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Phil 4:11
I posted about contentment a week or so ago, here, and Joy had an awesome post about contentment on her blog today as well: http://sahmissionary.blogspot.com/2009/04/contentment-and-recession.html In this season God has moved the contentment to the inside. ..Not just a head notion of how I SHOULD be content, or a self-straining to try to MAKE myself content, but a real peace of contentment. And I am not quite sure HOW it happened. Part of it was a deeper understanding of God loving me, and his desire for relationship vs how sanctified I may or may not be...or if I have this or that in my life at this time.... I let it all go. I love the portion God has divvied out for me and am content in it. I have God and He has given me all I need, and a more besides...the blessings of family. I love and trust Him.
2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."
I just love this story, quoted by Joy on her blog:
"In the book, Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow, there is a sweet little story about a missionary woman living in Africa. She had almost no worldly posessions and lived in a hut where it was dry and dusty and hot. Yet, she was the picture of contentment. Her secret? She says this:
"Never allow yourself to complain about anything, not even theweather.Never picture yourself in any other circumstance or someplace else.Never compare your lot with anothers.Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.Never dwell on tomorrow, remember that it is God's, notours."
Do you know how different our lives would be if we really did this? "
A great set of "nevers". :)
Love For Family
I have been so full fo love for my family lately. Time when I just pause and soak up my kids, or my parents. When I just freeze the moment, and revel in it, knowing yes, it will be gone soon, yes there will be other times, different times, but being so present in this very moment. I thank God for this realization.
Part of it is realizing that God truly does love me, wants a relationship with me and fills me with His love.
1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us." He fills my need for love, with Himself, I can then turn around and love my family, because I am first loved.
I think the message of being set free, and the state of contentment in my soul has brought a greater joy and capacity to experience God's love and to love on my kids and family.
So that is my current season. Didn't see it coming, did not even know what God was doing as He was working, but voicing to Rebecca the other day, what God was doing in this season, I came to realize what He had done, and am so grateful!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are the books I have read recently:
He Loves Me- by Wayne Jacobson,
The Shack-by Paul Young,
So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore- by Wayne Jacobson,
Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers (Paperback)by Gordon Neufeld (Author), Gabor Mate M.D. (Author),
Tithing: Low-Realm, Obsolete & Defunct (Paperback)by Matthew E. Narramore (Author)
I know some of these titles might bother some, but I did not go out seeking them, and whether or not I agree with every line in them, they each were used to bring me to freedom, contentment and family love.
Blessings.
0 Things Others Said:
Post a Comment