I'm a Christian. I got saved about 5 years ago and everything was bliss when I first received my salvation. Things couldn't have been better.
Eventually, I found myself pondering my sins of the past. I mean really getting drug down on them. Stress has always been present in my life. Growing up in a broken home, hanging with the "wrong" crowd, doing whatever I felt was good at the time, etc. Well, things have really been bothering me again lately. If it wasn't work, family, finances, etc., something would drive me away from the word. I guess some would call it being "back slidden", "not enough faith", "the devil made me do it", etc. Here's where my wake up call came....
A friend of mine who I bowl with let me borrow a CD of one of the sermons that his preacher made regarding devine order. Basically what it boiled down to is this (and yes, it was right there in front of me in my Bible - just too "blind" to see)...why should I worry? God has proclaimed as a child of His that I should not worry and to focus on Him. He will take care of me- one of the lowest in His Kingdom.
Instead of focusing on Him, I would worry about things like a large bill that my wife was told about from her mid-wife clinic. I mean, it was a large bill and completely unexpected. She's 28 weeks pregnant and this is the first that we're hearing about it. Well, with finances being tight in preparation for the baby and some stupid financial decisions it hit us like a ton of bricks. I would worry about being understaffed at work, then my only co-worker in my unit quitting his job, leaving me to fend for myself to run a large network of over 150 servers (yeah, I'm a computer geek). I would worry about the way my two children have been acting. I would worry about not being about to keep myhousehold in order. All of these things kept me from focusing on Him, the One that told us that no matter what, we will be taken care of and provided for.
I came home the other day and told my wife that we're no going to worry about things that we cannot change. We're going to accept the fact that there are things out there that are unappealing to us and that we'll get through this as we have in the past. I told her that our main focus now is to (once again) be on the Lord. It made her a bit nervous at first, but she does understand that it's in black, red and white in our Bibles that we are the children of God and that we will be provided for by Him.
Earthly things come and go. God's love is forever. And, as stated in the Good Word, we will never be put in a situation that we cannot handle (with His devine assistance, of course).
Sorry about the long post. I thought I would share because I know that I'm not alone out there going through what I am dealing with and maybe someone else will get something out of this.
Thanks for hearing me unload, unwind and release what has been tormenting me for quite some time now. Also, if there's anybody out there that just wants to vent their frustrations, feel free to PM or email me. I'm not an expert, nor am I a preacher ... but I am willing to listen.
May God bless all of you.
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Frank
We don't live in America. America lives in us!
All we have to do is have a little bit of faith, a little bit of trust, and 2 good eyes to witness His Glory. God always comes through, in His way which is always best.
Admitting to the Lord that we are powerless to do anything without Him is often the Key to receiving His help. You are doing what God wants us to do - rely on Him. Good word brother.
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Today' s small bucks are tomorrow' s trophies.
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If more of us lived that way, we would have that abundant life He promised. Thanks for sharing that great testimony. Mt 6:25 - "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
I got my wake up call.
