"I've been through a terrible six months," I told my close friend. "Well actually, we both have been through a terrible six months! You broke both your legs, I lost two of my closest friends and now can't seem to sell our house."
She agreed and we both discussed what the Lord was trying to teach us through all of this.
I myself, although discouraged keep holding on to hope and faith that our house will sell. It is terribly disheartening to feel like you have acted on faith and followed through with the purchase of your dream home (set forth by God), only to discover that the old home, where you raised three children is being picked apart by buyers.
"The house lacks pop."
"The carpet needs to be pulled."
"We don't like the master bedroom."
All of this is understandable but when you've priced your home to sell, a great price, it almost feels as though the buyer wants you to give them your home for free! It's very personal.
I'm still holding out in hope and faith. I pray daily that the Lord's presence will be felt all over our house.
You may be under the impression that karma is biting me in the butt. But I don't believe the Lord deliberately wants harm to come to His children. I, on the other hand believe the Lord is putting a little extra pressure on my husband and I-to see how far our faith goes. He's molding us into better people for His kingdom.
And what about these friendships? I have to say that although I have spent much time grieving the loss of people in my life, I have grown closer to God. In fact, at communion the other week, I felt called to ask the Lord to bless them.
"Lord, I ask only good things to come to their lives. I ask you to bless their children and their marriages. I thank you for being a God of forgiveness and love. I thank you that you have helped me let go of what was. It feels good to forgive. Amen."
And it was so peaceful to take communion with a spirit of forgiveness. It felt unbelievably right to love. I'm okay. I know God has been with me every step of the way.
So, my faith is increasing. My devotion to my Father, what is good and right is increasing. I'm content. You wonder how I can be so religious. But I beg to differ, I'm not religious. I'm a follower. I have committed my life to serving him in the good and bad.
Maybe you've been through a terrible six months, a year, maybe longer? Just remember that as a follower of Christ it is our job to hold out faith and to serve Him. Although we don't understand what's happening around us, we do know that the Lord is putting pressure on us, to mold us and shape us for His kingdom.
To conclude, read these verses on how the Potter molds and shapes us from
His very hand:
“The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. Then the LORD gave me this message: “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.”
Jeremiah 18:1-6 NLT
