“I will not be like my parents. I won’t do or say the things they do.” How many times in our young lives did we say this only to find out when we have our own children, we say or do the same things as our parents? I have found myself saying or being in this situation while I’ve raised my children. Sometimes I have thought “I have become my mother or my father.” I had good parents, I know some who have not. They raised me to follow God. If that was the one thing they imparted to me, it would be enough, because the example they taught me to follow is Jesus, not them.
Recently, I studied the words ‘labor in vain’ in the Bible. The verses I looked up are as follows:
“I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing.” Galatians 4:11 (NLT)
“Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.” Philippians 2:16 (NLT)
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” I Corinthians 15:10 (NKJV)
This morning I thought; I wonder, did my parents say: “I have worked and tried to raise you to be the best you can be and has all my hard work paid off?” Then I think of the many ways we disappoint God, but still he chooses to have a relationship with us. My children (two are grown) have turned out well, but I don’t take the credit and sometimes I’ve said that they turned out as they have, in spite of me. I have tried to give them the example of God to follow as well, because I am definitely not perfect. If they are following Jesus and reading the Word, they have the best example they can have through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the best counselor they have.
“Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God’s training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God’s holy best. At the time, discipline isn’t much fun. It always feels like it’s going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it’s the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God.” Hebrews 12:7-9 (MSG)
I have prayed a verse for my children through the years. This doesn’t let me off the hook, but if I failed in any way, hopefully I expressed the importance of following God in their lives. The verse I have prayed for them is:
“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” Proverbs 22:6
Prayer today: Father help those around me to look to you. May my life be an example of Christ. May people see the Christ in me. Thank you for being my father and my counselor.
We face all types of roadblocks in our life but the most important thing is how we deal with them. We must know how to manage roadblocks by perceiving whether to press through them, go around them, or avoid them. When we are in God’s will for our lives we will know which path to take. He guides us as we seek him in intercessory prayer, which is a prayer of petition on behalf of someone else by speaking the Word of God, not an itemized list of personal needs or wants. God knows what we need; we don’t have to tell him. Sometimes, we allow our minds to get in the way when we go to God in prayer. He understands our needs better than we do – our omniscient Father. We must pray what He puts on our hearts to pray for and it is not about us.
Last weekend, while I was out-of-town touring the countryside, I came upon five roadblocks in one day. The first one was the result of a storm, which prompted action by the utility companies to make repairs. There was a policeman blocking the road to reroute traffic. The second one was a downed tree, but we were able to drive around it. A while later, we came upon another fallen tree and we had to turn around. It was too large to move and there was no way around it. Next, after hiking a bit along the Pee Dee River, we returned to the car to find a flat tire, which had to be substituted with a spare. It was beyond adding air. The last one was a police barricade stopping all cars to check identification. I was given favor when I couldn’t find my driver’s license because it was in my camera bag instead of my purse. The policeman or deputy told me to pass through because I didn’t look “shady.”
One of the roadblocks I encountered.
Facing all of these roadblocks in one day caused me to pause and ask God what he was trying to tell me. If I had only encountered a couple of them, I probably would have chalked it up to being in the wrong place at the wrong time but five caused me to contemplate further what they meant. I reflected how three of them were impassable and if we are not in the will of God, our communication with him is cut off. We may try to hear from him, but he stops communicating until he has our attention. The communication flow opens once we are obedient and trust him. Then it is like a floodgate that has been fully opened. We hear from him and we have peace.
In that peace, we can touch others when we are fully reliant on God. Sometimes, we allow obstacles in our lives to cut us off from God’s instructions for our lives. We do this by not fully trusting him, when the Word says he will provide for us. Or we may allow activities to get in the way, which hinder us from our daily time alone with God. There are numerous ways we may permit things to obstruct our walk with God. Hopefully, we correct them quickly and get back on the path he has prepared for us. The farther away we stray, or the longer we don’t communicate with God, the harder it is to find his path.
Our lives are more simple and straightforward when we keep on the right path. There may be some roadblocks we can avoid altogether. We have to learn to recognize them and not be pulled into temptations. I want to avoid these obstacles, because it is more expedient when God levels our path. In avoiding these obstructions, we may have to search out an alternate route. Other times he allows us to go around them. When we pass through, this is a form of avoidance. Then there are times when we go through unscathed.
To pass through trials unscathed is victorious! Even though others may try to steer our course or be ‘in our face,’ God sanctions a way through without us being physically hurt. We may be emotionally hurt but it is our response that opens the door. If we allow emotions to take control and dwell in the pain, the doors may remain shut. Although we may get hurt initially, when we turn the emotions over to God, he opens the door or window for us to pass through. When we are hearing from God, the opinion of other people should not influence us. There have been well-intentioned people in my life who have tried to convince me to take different paths at times. I know from experience this is the time I need to immediately go to God and seek what action I should take. If they are correct, God will show me how to correct myself and what they are saying. But if I am already in his will, their words will not affect me and I will continue the journey He has set before me. At times, this is difficult because some of these people are people who I believe hear from God and I respect. There is the crucial point. They hear from God for their lives and sometimes others, but who is responsible for our actions? I hear from God and without hesitation, I seek His will for my life.
Here is a rhetorical question: Who is a better guide, the Holy Spirit or someone else? What I have learned is God will speak to me what he wants me to hear. If I’m on the wrong path, he will convict me but if I’m where he wants me, he will give me peace to continue on. His peace is the key to knowing we are following God’s plan. It is his peace I seek out and not other’s. He knows what is best for me and when I follow him with his Word, I attain that peace.
Whatever roadblocks you are facing in your life now, I pray that you will seek God to show you the way. You may have health issues, financial woes, a family crisis, or countless other things bothering you. Maybe you are going through more than one. Now is the time to get before God and let him calm the storms in your life. I intercede on your behalf for you to know whether to search for another way, trust him to pull you through, or how to avoid roadblocks altogether. I pray for his guidance through the Holy Spirit as you seek his will for your life that you will experience his love and indescribable peace. Praise him for the answer and read his Word. In love, K-D
I decided to look up the word facet and the following three definitions describe my understanding of the word ‘facet.’ I want to share how these meanings speak to me.
Facet: –noun
one of the small, polished plane surfaces of a cut gem.
a surface cut on a fragment of rock by the action of water or windblown sand.
Zoology. one of the corneal lenses of a compound arthropod eye.
We are all like gems, maybe somewhat unpolished and uncut but underneath our outer cover is a brilliant gem which is spectacular when manipulated in the right hands. Those hands for my life are God’s. I have been a bit polished through God’s Word and sometimes cut, by trials I’ve been through. I try to turn all of my trials into victory by knowing in the end they are used for God’s glory. I know there is more to me that needs refining. Fine gems have the ability to disperse light. I hope to disperse the light of the world – Jesus Christ. One of the finest gemstones, a high-quality diamond is able to disperse light into a rainbow of colors. What a phenomenon in which a light can pass through a prism and result in this fabulous symbol to a great promise of God. I want to shine like a jewel that will draw others to the light that radiates through me. Hopefully people see the Christ in me and the promises of God manifested in my life.
The second definition of facets expresses they occur by the action of water. I think of the Living Water. Refining comes by drinking the water – the Living Water, being purified by Christ. I love water in the form of a waterfall, flowing, seemingly living water. I also love the ocean and I live less than an hour from the coast. The ocean is a ceaseless flow of water, constantly moving with waves splashing on the shore. The waves change the coastline and rocks along the shore. What an awesome force, able to move or reshape the geography of the earth! Our bodies are comprised of mostly water, from fifty-five up to seventy-five percent. I love to drink water as well. Jesus gives us a water which quenches our thirst and the well he draws from never runs dry.
“But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:14
The last definition is a lens of an arthropod. Spiders and butterflies are arthropods which is interesting to me because these are my least and most favorite species, respectively. An arthropod’s lens or eyes are complex and are constantly adjusting, which enhances their ability to have remarkable vision. Have you ever tried to capture either of these creatures? Most spiders are quick to get away from their prey and will crawl rapidly away. Butterflies are equally elusive in temperate climates. We must use a net to capture a butterfly or catch them in a vulnerable state. This definition really stood out to me. When we are in a vulnerable state, we are tempted to look to the things of this world for comfort instead of God. If we are using our own vision to see things and people around us, we might be slow to respond and be captured by the things of this world. If we are looking through the eyes of God, which encompass everything and looks on the heart, we will stay on the path he desires for us and richly bless us.
Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. 2 Corinthians 5:16-19 (The Message)
“Because of this decision” – the decision to follow Christ with a sincere heart gives us a glorious outcome. A decision is a resolution reached. We resolve ourselves to follow God and resolve is having a firmness of purpose. A decision leads to a resolution of our lives, and that resolution is eternal life when we believe on Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When we follow with our whole heart, we acquire purpose. I believe that purpose is to look at others through the eyes of God. When we have the eyesight of God and see with his vision, we will learn to evaluate circumstances and people differently than with our own limited mind. We will have more compassion on others and not be judgmental. We gain his vision by studying his Word, the Bible.
Prayer: Father, help me be a brilliant gem, shining for you. Thank you for the Living Water that I can drink from daily and be refreshed. Help me to have your vision and not my singular human vision but one where I see others through your eyes with compassion and your love. Thank you for the Holy Spirit in my life that is my advocate and speaks and guides me with the truth of your Word! Amen
Katie Storme 