Recently I was told by a well-meaning loved one that if "someone" (meaning me) couldn't afford to have children, they (meaning me) need to stop having them. I took this kind of hard because, among other reasons, I am already quite obviously expecting another child (which is apparently being viewed as a sheer burden and mistake by this loved one) and because I personally would love to have at least one more in the future. I love my children and take good care of them. I consider them blessings. And I take seriously God's command to be fruitful. To be honest, I really felt that this person was out of line! When my husband and I, taking guidance from God, decide that "enough is enough," we will certainly not be having any more children. Until then, we're happy to welcome all the miracles that He blesses us with.
The thing is, there are a lot - and I mean a lot - of reasons, biblically speaking, to have children. But I have not been able to find any reasons not to. Sure, the world can come up with plenty of reasons... but we, as Christians, are not to conform to the world. So what's the deal? Why are well-meaning, Godly people encouraging us to make our decisions for worldly reasons?
First off, I can only imagine that this was spoken to me out of love. Misguided, yes. But loving, nonetheless. It is difficult to watch those whom you love struggle. And we sure do struggle! I was told once by a very dear friend that God has given my family the "gift of poverty." That really stuck in my mind because it's a very weird and profound thing to say. But the more I've thought about it, the more truth I see in it. Would life be easier if we had more money? Yes, of course it would! But there are a lot of blessing that come out of being poor (and obviously since I'm on the internet, I mean "poor" by American standards only).
(Here, I started to make a list of reasons that I feel blessed in our poverty, but it kind of took over the entire blog. Apparently that is one to write sometime, but in the interest of staying on topic, let it suffice to say that the way we live has many positive aspects.)
And if we had money, I'm sure that we would be able to see blessings that we can't see in our current situation. Jesus enables us to have abundant life no matter what our circumstances, and I'm so thankful for that. The way we live is not to be scorned or pitied. We are happy, we are blessed, and we love the Lord. What could be more important than that??
I would never, ever base the size of our family on our finances. "If it's God's will, it's God's bill" and He always takes care of His bills. Why should I reject a blessing because I don't think it will work? Who am I? God is in the business of accomplishing the impossible and I have full faith that He will continue to do the impossible in our budget and in our lives. Money will come and go, and that's fine, but our children will always be blessings from the Lord.
So basically, as I see it, the primary reason for a Christian person to advise a Christian family to stop having children and raising up more Christians to fill the earth simply because of their finances, is fear. The reason is fear! Even if love or concern seems to be a motivator on the surface, fear is the bottom line. Fear of taking a step out in faith - or of watching us do so! But fear is not of God. If we're afraid, it means we don't trust Him, and that's definitely not cool. And honestly, our step of faith is really nothing to fear, because it is practically nothing at all compared to so many, many others. To paraphrase Francis Chan, think about our story in light of the book of Acts: thousands were converted, the Gospel was being boldly preached to the nations, people were performing miracles in Jesus' name, men were martyred for their faith, and the Comer's had a baby that just wasn't in their single-income budget...
Really?? This act of faith and obedience is just nothing. I do hope and pray that our lives can be a good witness and example for others in our situation. And I pray that our lives glorify God, whatever else we may do. But please don't act like what we're doing is crazy or extreme. And please don't think that my life is some haphazard series of financially stupid mistakes. God sees the biggest picture and He is in control. He doesn't make mistakes. And He will always take care of my husband and I and however many children He chooses to bless us with.
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" ~Joshua 24:15
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
In which I am granted my heart's desire
I started a little personal Bible study last week that I found on a Titus 2 woman website. The theme of the whole thing is "Makeover of the Heart," which I found to be a rather helpful topic as it relates to My One Word. So I read through the first lesson, checked out the scriptures referenced, and, being me, I got completely hung up on the first question. So for the past week or so, I have been pondering the answer, and, although they only allowed about three lines in which to write my answer, I'm going to go ahead and fill a blog with it.
The scripture referenced in this particular question is Psalm 37:4 and the question is "What are the desires of your heart?" I guess I first had to define what that even means. I mean, there are a lot of things I desire... a cast iron dutch oven, a good kitchen timer, a few extra hours in my day... those would all be nice. I can even throw a Godly answer in there! My Bible is in tatters (particularly the New Testament half) and I'd love to have a new one. But... I don't think those things exactly qualify as my heart's desire, do they?
No... this is something deeper. Significantly deeper. I had to dig right to my heart to figure this one out. And that's honestly not the easiest thing to do! My mind is constantly going. I think about mundane things like my weekly to-do list. I think about scriptures I've read, sermons I've heard, people I know, blogs I want to write. I think about bizarre things like if I don't make it to the hospital in time, do I deliver the placenta myself too, or just let the baby sort of dangle there until I get to the hospital (which is especially ridiculous if you know where I live in relation to the hospital). At any rate, my mind is always working, but it's very rarely working on anything especially deep. So this was something of a challenge.
But after lots of prayer and heart-searching (the study said to "take a few minutes" for this. I think by "minutes" they meant "days", or perhaps "weeks") I think I have been able to figure this thing out to a certain degree.
The first thing that came to mind when talking about matters of the heart was my children. I'm a stay-at-home mother of (almost) three, a homeschool mom, I recently became a Cub Scout mom, I'm a cloth diapering and breastfeeding mom, and... you get the idea. Motherhood is one of the primary ways I identify myself. So I started out thinking "What is my hearts desire for my children?"
I devote a lot of time and energy to those little people. I want them to be self-sufficient, clean, well-read, and well-educated. I want them to be able to think for themselves and to feel free to ask questions. And I spend a lot of time teaching them these things (particularly Logan... have you ever tried to teach a 36 week old fetus anything?) But when it comes right down to the heart of it, I would rather them be illiterate, living in my basement forever and needing me to do their laundry for life than I would for them to not know and love Jesus.
I know that's kind of a cliche churchy answer, sort of like saying "we just want a healthy baby" when an expectant parent is asked if they're hoping for a boy or girl, but to be honest, sometimes there is a reason for the cliche... it's true!!! Do I want my children to have successful and happy lives? Of course. But even more than that, I want them to feel the joy and freedom that I feel and I want them to feel those things with Jesus for eternity!
The second thing that I thought of was my marriage. Just running through the stereotypical housewife's checklist here, I guess. I am a wife, and that's another of the ways that I identify myself. Simply put, my heart's desire here is that my husband will delight in me, and I in him, until death parts us. I desire that we will love and serve each other just like we vowed to do and that we will never break our marriage covenant. Sure, I'd like us to have lots of money, a bigger house, a maid... but honestly, I signed on for "richer or poorer" and I'm perfectly content with "poorer" if it means I have my Godly man leading me and loving me for life. I desire that we would work through everything that should come our way and have the kind of marriage that God wants us to have.
Finally, I've found that the only other thing that is really and truly there in my heart of hearts is Jesus. And I mention Him last, not because He is least, but because He's the beginning and the end, and this is kind of where my heart-searching journey stopped. My desire, in Christ, is to be a Godly woman. Period. So... what exactly does that mean??
Well... The bible has quite a lot to say about women (despite common misconceptions). One of the first places that a woman seeking to be Godly is generally directed is to Proverbs 31. Let me unpack that one a little to begin with. Firstly, P31 is of noble character, her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. I have to mention that I definitely think of P31 as quite the wealthy broad, but that is not really what defines her and it's not what the scripture is referring to when it says that her husband lacks nothing. That is referring back to her noble character. A description of said character follows. Basically, she is a hard worker and isn't idle (ie she doesn't Facebook and watch TV all day). She is charitable. She manages her household well (she has a shiny sink!). She is wise and gives sound instruction. And she loves God. Because of these things her children and husband adore her and sing her praises. Big shoes to fill, no?
Ruth is another woman to look to in the Bible. She was devoted, a hard worker, a good wife and a good daughter. She's described as someone having noble character, so I would say that she completely exemplified what is described in Proverbs 31. And she's kind of my sort of woman, because she was not monetarily wealthy, but she was wealthy in spirit and character, which is far more important.
I'm actually going to stop after giving one more example, not because there aren't anymore, but because if I don't stop somewhere, I'll never stop! And you didn't think I was really going to go through this whole thing without mentioning my favorite verses did you? Here is talks about older and younger women as having separate, but connected, duties. Older women should live reverently, not gossip or drink too much, and teach younger women about the good life. The younger women should follow those teachings and love their husbands and children, be self-controlled and pure, be busy at home, kind, and subject to their husbands.
Those are three examples, but there are actually a lot of these scriptures (Proverbs is chock-full of them, and Paul has a good bit to say about women too), but they all say sort of the same things, really. 1)Women are important members of the household. 2) Women are to love God. 3) They are to work hard managing their homes, taking care of and loving their children, and loving and serving their husbands (and just FYI, I could go on a whole Song of Songs tangent about loving and serving one's husband, but I won't do it.... right now...)
So... did you notice what I noticed? In case you didn't, and because it's my blog, I'll tell you. If I am doing what I'm supposed to do as a godly woman, the wife and mother stuff is kind of taken care of. All my roles in life are really wrapped up completely in one man - Jesus - and if I'm following Him, the rest sort of takes care of itself. So... basically I just spent a week (or more) pondering this verse to come to the conclusion that it's actually self-fulfilling.
Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart... I'm finding that when I delight in the Lord, my heart's desires kind of line up with His. And when I follow His will for my life, those things naturally will come to fruition. Funny how that works, huh?
And I just have to throw out there that the fact that it all fits neatly into a pretty package does not mean it's easy. There are days when it's really hard to delight in the Lord because life gets in the way. There are days when I simply don't want to do what I'm called to. And there are bound to be struggles when it seems like His promises aren't coming true. Being a human in a fallen world pretty much guarantees that. But His plans are perfect and He sees a bigger picture than anyone on earth can see. All I can do is pursue my truest heart's desire, my Jesus, with all that I've got and trust in His grace and mercy to cover my many weaknesses.
Of course, that might still mean I'm waiting a long time on that dutch oven and new Bible that I'm wanting, but since I have Him, my heart's truest desire, I think I can handle the wait.
If you greatly desire something, have the guts to stake everything on obtaining it. ~Brendan Francis
The scripture referenced in this particular question is Psalm 37:4 and the question is "What are the desires of your heart?" I guess I first had to define what that even means. I mean, there are a lot of things I desire... a cast iron dutch oven, a good kitchen timer, a few extra hours in my day... those would all be nice. I can even throw a Godly answer in there! My Bible is in tatters (particularly the New Testament half) and I'd love to have a new one. But... I don't think those things exactly qualify as my heart's desire, do they?
No... this is something deeper. Significantly deeper. I had to dig right to my heart to figure this one out. And that's honestly not the easiest thing to do! My mind is constantly going. I think about mundane things like my weekly to-do list. I think about scriptures I've read, sermons I've heard, people I know, blogs I want to write. I think about bizarre things like if I don't make it to the hospital in time, do I deliver the placenta myself too, or just let the baby sort of dangle there until I get to the hospital (which is especially ridiculous if you know where I live in relation to the hospital). At any rate, my mind is always working, but it's very rarely working on anything especially deep. So this was something of a challenge.
But after lots of prayer and heart-searching (the study said to "take a few minutes" for this. I think by "minutes" they meant "days", or perhaps "weeks") I think I have been able to figure this thing out to a certain degree.
The first thing that came to mind when talking about matters of the heart was my children. I'm a stay-at-home mother of (almost) three, a homeschool mom, I recently became a Cub Scout mom, I'm a cloth diapering and breastfeeding mom, and... you get the idea. Motherhood is one of the primary ways I identify myself. So I started out thinking "What is my hearts desire for my children?"
I devote a lot of time and energy to those little people. I want them to be self-sufficient, clean, well-read, and well-educated. I want them to be able to think for themselves and to feel free to ask questions. And I spend a lot of time teaching them these things (particularly Logan... have you ever tried to teach a 36 week old fetus anything?) But when it comes right down to the heart of it, I would rather them be illiterate, living in my basement forever and needing me to do their laundry for life than I would for them to not know and love Jesus.
I know that's kind of a cliche churchy answer, sort of like saying "we just want a healthy baby" when an expectant parent is asked if they're hoping for a boy or girl, but to be honest, sometimes there is a reason for the cliche... it's true!!! Do I want my children to have successful and happy lives? Of course. But even more than that, I want them to feel the joy and freedom that I feel and I want them to feel those things with Jesus for eternity!
The second thing that I thought of was my marriage. Just running through the stereotypical housewife's checklist here, I guess. I am a wife, and that's another of the ways that I identify myself. Simply put, my heart's desire here is that my husband will delight in me, and I in him, until death parts us. I desire that we will love and serve each other just like we vowed to do and that we will never break our marriage covenant. Sure, I'd like us to have lots of money, a bigger house, a maid... but honestly, I signed on for "richer or poorer" and I'm perfectly content with "poorer" if it means I have my Godly man leading me and loving me for life. I desire that we would work through everything that should come our way and have the kind of marriage that God wants us to have.
Finally, I've found that the only other thing that is really and truly there in my heart of hearts is Jesus. And I mention Him last, not because He is least, but because He's the beginning and the end, and this is kind of where my heart-searching journey stopped. My desire, in Christ, is to be a Godly woman. Period. So... what exactly does that mean??
Well... The bible has quite a lot to say about women (despite common misconceptions). One of the first places that a woman seeking to be Godly is generally directed is to Proverbs 31. Let me unpack that one a little to begin with. Firstly, P31 is of noble character, her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. I have to mention that I definitely think of P31 as quite the wealthy broad, but that is not really what defines her and it's not what the scripture is referring to when it says that her husband lacks nothing. That is referring back to her noble character. A description of said character follows. Basically, she is a hard worker and isn't idle (ie she doesn't Facebook and watch TV all day). She is charitable. She manages her household well (she has a shiny sink!). She is wise and gives sound instruction. And she loves God. Because of these things her children and husband adore her and sing her praises. Big shoes to fill, no?
Ruth is another woman to look to in the Bible. She was devoted, a hard worker, a good wife and a good daughter. She's described as someone having noble character, so I would say that she completely exemplified what is described in Proverbs 31. And she's kind of my sort of woman, because she was not monetarily wealthy, but she was wealthy in spirit and character, which is far more important.
I'm actually going to stop after giving one more example, not because there aren't anymore, but because if I don't stop somewhere, I'll never stop! And you didn't think I was really going to go through this whole thing without mentioning my favorite verses did you? Here is talks about older and younger women as having separate, but connected, duties. Older women should live reverently, not gossip or drink too much, and teach younger women about the good life. The younger women should follow those teachings and love their husbands and children, be self-controlled and pure, be busy at home, kind, and subject to their husbands.
Those are three examples, but there are actually a lot of these scriptures (Proverbs is chock-full of them, and Paul has a good bit to say about women too), but they all say sort of the same things, really. 1)Women are important members of the household. 2) Women are to love God. 3) They are to work hard managing their homes, taking care of and loving their children, and loving and serving their husbands (and just FYI, I could go on a whole Song of Songs tangent about loving and serving one's husband, but I won't do it.... right now...)
So... did you notice what I noticed? In case you didn't, and because it's my blog, I'll tell you. If I am doing what I'm supposed to do as a godly woman, the wife and mother stuff is kind of taken care of. All my roles in life are really wrapped up completely in one man - Jesus - and if I'm following Him, the rest sort of takes care of itself. So... basically I just spent a week (or more) pondering this verse to come to the conclusion that it's actually self-fulfilling.
Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart... I'm finding that when I delight in the Lord, my heart's desires kind of line up with His. And when I follow His will for my life, those things naturally will come to fruition. Funny how that works, huh?
And I just have to throw out there that the fact that it all fits neatly into a pretty package does not mean it's easy. There are days when it's really hard to delight in the Lord because life gets in the way. There are days when I simply don't want to do what I'm called to. And there are bound to be struggles when it seems like His promises aren't coming true. Being a human in a fallen world pretty much guarantees that. But His plans are perfect and He sees a bigger picture than anyone on earth can see. All I can do is pursue my truest heart's desire, my Jesus, with all that I've got and trust in His grace and mercy to cover my many weaknesses.
Of course, that might still mean I'm waiting a long time on that dutch oven and new Bible that I'm wanting, but since I have Him, my heart's truest desire, I think I can handle the wait.
If you greatly desire something, have the guts to stake everything on obtaining it. ~Brendan Francis
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
In which I speak softly and drop the stick
Okay, so perhaps I haven't dropped the stick yet. But I'm working on it.
This past week, while scouring the interwebs for all manner of knowledge, I came across a site called At the Well, which is a site ministering to Titus 2 women. Right up my alley!! I was really happy to find this site, as I feel like most women's ministries I come across (usually ministering to Proverbs 31 women) just don't have the same New Testament flavor that Titus 2 projects. That probably makes very little sense to anyone other than me, but just roll with it, please. It really doesn't have to make sense for me to act on it. :-) So anyhoo, I found that At the Well does weekly challenges. They post new challenges each Monday. Since I just found the site on Thursday, I looked at the challenge, made a half-hearted (at best) stab at it and determined that I would actually start the challenges this week.
So this morning, after Eric headed off to work, I did my scripture reading for the day, which started off with the Israelite people grumbling in the desert for 5 chapters. And that seems so cut and dry, doesn't it? Because we all know the story oh-so-well, of how God delivered them and they kept complaining. So God fed them, and they kept complaining. And God gave them fresh water, and they kept complaining. So God paid them more attention, and they kept complaining. And then they built an idol. And I know for me, I read it and think about what idiots they were and why didn't they appreciate the wonderfully close relationship they had with God? And then I realize... oh. Same reason I do all the exact same stuff, I guess.
Then my readings concluded with a little talk about love.
Let me back up a little and mention that I have really been struggling with the fruits of the spirit lately. I feel like I don't exude those fruits the way a Christian woman ought to and I have been praying about it a lot. I don't like being the mom who yells at her kids instead of rebuking them in love when they need it. I don't like being the woman who complains about the housework instead of doing it to bless my family and glorify God. I don't like being the woman who sits around being lazy half the day instead of getting up and using my God-given talents and abilities. But that, my friends, is the woman I've become. Not fruitful, not loving, not even particularly Christian in attitude and deed. So I've been praying hard about it. I'm a lot like an Ent in that way and couldn't just hastily decide to do better. I had to think it through, pray about it, figure out why I had slid backward into chaos, and then, perhaps, make a change. But let it be known that prayer and thought without action, in a case like this, is not terribly fruitful. So being unfruitful, certainly did not help my unfruitfulness in any way.
Lo and behold, when I read my Bible this morning and then read through the little devotion that went along with the love verse I read, I was a bundle of conviction! I have not been loving at all! The devotion offered up a challenge to not only feel love for those around us (it actually was directed at married couples, but certainly the advice can be applied to all around me, not just my spouse), but to act loving toward them. According to dc Talk, love is a verb, so just feeling it is not enough. So I was challenged to find ways to exemplify God's love to my family. That's not terribly easy, to be honest, but it is a definite answer to prayer and I am up for the challenge. I started to feel God pushing me toward action, and that is definitely not a bad thing.
Then it occurred to me that the new At the Well challenge should be posted today, so I headed over there to check it out. And what should I see there but that my challenge for the week is to speak softly and use my words wisely. I am challenged to not stir up anger in those around me, which I tend to particularly do to my little Logan, who is so much like me that we drive each other insane most days. Speaking softly when I am annoyed is going to be a very. difficult. challenge. But again, I am up for it! I need to do this!!
So after all of my prayers with no action behind them, God clearly decided to push me into it. What I've been asking for is something He had already equipped me with and my asking for it was just redundant and sinful at best. Why should I continually be pleading to God for something that He's already given me? Well, the answer is pretty clear... so that I don't have to do the right thing. I'm justifying my decidedly un-Christ-like actions and attitudes by simply saying "I'm praying about it" and letting it go. That is NOT what God has called me to! Without fruit, without action, what am I? Why would I imagine that I can get by without following Him?
Today is the day that all that stops (again). I've started fresh may times before, and I'll probably have to do it many more times. The positive thing is that God is always there forgiving me, helping me, guiding me, forgiving me... He wants me to succeed and when I'm getting close to rock bottom, He gives me a little push in the right direction. Sometimes those pushes aren't so gentle either, but I am always grateful for them. And the coolest part is that the next time I hit rock bottom, I'll find (as I have done in my many previous rock bottom moments) that rock bottom is just a little higher than it was the last time I hit it. It's a little easier to be pulled out (because I sure as heck can't climb out myself). So despite the fact that I feel like the miserable failure that I am, I can still see that God is working on me. And that knowledge is really all I need to move forward.
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." ~Psalm 51:12
This past week, while scouring the interwebs for all manner of knowledge, I came across a site called At the Well, which is a site ministering to Titus 2 women. Right up my alley!! I was really happy to find this site, as I feel like most women's ministries I come across (usually ministering to Proverbs 31 women) just don't have the same New Testament flavor that Titus 2 projects. That probably makes very little sense to anyone other than me, but just roll with it, please. It really doesn't have to make sense for me to act on it. :-) So anyhoo, I found that At the Well does weekly challenges. They post new challenges each Monday. Since I just found the site on Thursday, I looked at the challenge, made a half-hearted (at best) stab at it and determined that I would actually start the challenges this week.
So this morning, after Eric headed off to work, I did my scripture reading for the day, which started off with the Israelite people grumbling in the desert for 5 chapters. And that seems so cut and dry, doesn't it? Because we all know the story oh-so-well, of how God delivered them and they kept complaining. So God fed them, and they kept complaining. And God gave them fresh water, and they kept complaining. So God paid them more attention, and they kept complaining. And then they built an idol. And I know for me, I read it and think about what idiots they were and why didn't they appreciate the wonderfully close relationship they had with God? And then I realize... oh. Same reason I do all the exact same stuff, I guess.
Then my readings concluded with a little talk about love.
Let me back up a little and mention that I have really been struggling with the fruits of the spirit lately. I feel like I don't exude those fruits the way a Christian woman ought to and I have been praying about it a lot. I don't like being the mom who yells at her kids instead of rebuking them in love when they need it. I don't like being the woman who complains about the housework instead of doing it to bless my family and glorify God. I don't like being the woman who sits around being lazy half the day instead of getting up and using my God-given talents and abilities. But that, my friends, is the woman I've become. Not fruitful, not loving, not even particularly Christian in attitude and deed. So I've been praying hard about it. I'm a lot like an Ent in that way and couldn't just hastily decide to do better. I had to think it through, pray about it, figure out why I had slid backward into chaos, and then, perhaps, make a change. But let it be known that prayer and thought without action, in a case like this, is not terribly fruitful. So being unfruitful, certainly did not help my unfruitfulness in any way.
Lo and behold, when I read my Bible this morning and then read through the little devotion that went along with the love verse I read, I was a bundle of conviction! I have not been loving at all! The devotion offered up a challenge to not only feel love for those around us (it actually was directed at married couples, but certainly the advice can be applied to all around me, not just my spouse), but to act loving toward them. According to dc Talk, love is a verb, so just feeling it is not enough. So I was challenged to find ways to exemplify God's love to my family. That's not terribly easy, to be honest, but it is a definite answer to prayer and I am up for the challenge. I started to feel God pushing me toward action, and that is definitely not a bad thing.
Then it occurred to me that the new At the Well challenge should be posted today, so I headed over there to check it out. And what should I see there but that my challenge for the week is to speak softly and use my words wisely. I am challenged to not stir up anger in those around me, which I tend to particularly do to my little Logan, who is so much like me that we drive each other insane most days. Speaking softly when I am annoyed is going to be a very. difficult. challenge. But again, I am up for it! I need to do this!!
So after all of my prayers with no action behind them, God clearly decided to push me into it. What I've been asking for is something He had already equipped me with and my asking for it was just redundant and sinful at best. Why should I continually be pleading to God for something that He's already given me? Well, the answer is pretty clear... so that I don't have to do the right thing. I'm justifying my decidedly un-Christ-like actions and attitudes by simply saying "I'm praying about it" and letting it go. That is NOT what God has called me to! Without fruit, without action, what am I? Why would I imagine that I can get by without following Him?
Today is the day that all that stops (again). I've started fresh may times before, and I'll probably have to do it many more times. The positive thing is that God is always there forgiving me, helping me, guiding me, forgiving me... He wants me to succeed and when I'm getting close to rock bottom, He gives me a little push in the right direction. Sometimes those pushes aren't so gentle either, but I am always grateful for them. And the coolest part is that the next time I hit rock bottom, I'll find (as I have done in my many previous rock bottom moments) that rock bottom is just a little higher than it was the last time I hit it. It's a little easier to be pulled out (because I sure as heck can't climb out myself). So despite the fact that I feel like the miserable failure that I am, I can still see that God is working on me. And that knowledge is really all I need to move forward.
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." ~Psalm 51:12
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)