I have found myself getting very discouraged recently because Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming. Don't take me wrong, I love Thanksgiving and Christmas, anyone that knows me, knows that; however, funds have been scarce and I am not going to be able to do for others like I usually like to do and it discourages me. I like to cook a Thanksgiving dinner and invite people from church over that do not have family to share the holiday with and I like to give as many people as possible something for Christmas, but it's not looking like I am going to be able to do much of either.
While my human nature wants to have a two month-long pity party, the Holy Spirit directed me to
I Kings 17: 10-16, the story of the widow woman. In this story, the prophet Elijah is directed by God to go to the city of Zarephath and find a widow woman. When Elijah reached the city, he found the widow woman collecting sticks and he asked her to fetch him some water and bring him a morsel of bread. The widow told Elijah that she did not have a cake, but just enough meal and oil to feed her and her son one more time before they died. Elijah still requested that she make him a cake first and then feed herself and her son, then he added, "For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth."
If a widow woman who had nothing but a little meal and oil left could trust God without question and make what she thought was the last cake for a stranger, then why am I so discouraged when it looks like I don't have enough? Why do I tend to sometimes question God when the widow woman did not question God at all? Why can't I trust God to supply my needs? Why do I let circumstances get the best of me when I have seen God miraculously provide many times before? I am human, and even though my heart knows God will provide, my head and my circumstances tell me otherwise.
I wrestled with this posting for several days and I started not to post this blog because I know this is not the right way to feel, I should be stronger than this. But I wanted to post this blog because, like you, I am a single parent and like you, I am human. I want you to know that I know exactly how you feel because I often feel the same way. Even though I try to be an encouragement to you, I have days when I am not very encouraged. Even though I try to show you how little things in our lives can make more sense when seen through God's eyes, many times it's hard for me to make sense of things in my life.
Aren't you glad God is not like us? He is a just and all powerful God, yet not without feelings for us and how we feel. He hurts when we hurt, He sorrows when we sorrow, He is happy when we are happy. The Bible tells us that He sees when the sparrow falls. If God watches over a little bird, how can we question whether He is watching over us or not?
Don't forget that God is our provider and He loves us more than anyone ever could. Let's determine to be thankful for what we have and not let circumstances dictate our outlook on life.
Happy holidays!
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