Good Morning!

I have something really quick to share with you this morning that I feel like the Lord dropped in my lap.
(I promise those “guest postings” will continue later this week.)

Kevin and I were talking with some friends this weekend about some scripture lately that has encouraged us in those tough times. You know the ones…those times when you are absolutely at the feet of Jesus because He doesn’t want you to change your circumstances, or even be in control to try to do things your way. A place of just laying it all before Him, but realizing He is ultimately IN CONTROL.

The scripture is from Ephesians 6:10-12 “10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your STAND against the devil’s schemes.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Standing in Christ is sometimes all that is left to do. Have we asked for wisdom? Have we asked for Forgiveness and a clean heart? Have we put on every piece of the Armor? Then the next step is to STAND.

This weekend, the Lord reminded me of a memory from 9 years ago when I had to learn how to stand. Crazy… I know, but I had been laying in a bed, helpless for about 3 weeks and unable to do ANYTHING for myself. The physicians had decided that day in MICU that with all tubes attached – I needed to begin this healing process of moving my muscles. Hence, the first step is standing.

The physical therapist used the greatest tool we had – my hospital bed! She turned the button on so that it tilted the head of the bed up towards the sky and it just slipped me out standing up. I don’t think it required much from me except trusting those that were holding me up.

I was scared to death. I just knew I would end up in a puddle on the floor. My legs were not wanting to cooperate.

God used this incident to remind me of these scriptures of standing on Him, trusting that when you have sought His face and He has provided you with all the armor that you need… and you actually put it on…the next step is to STAND.

Sometimes, standing can be quite difficult to in the midst of circumstances. Sometimes God doesn’t want much from us but to trust that He is in control. There is an art to learning to push through these times with our emotions and determination. This is a hard place to be. Some have a hard time pushing through the waiting…..I have to say, I have become better at it in recent years, but it is never easy.

I did not seem to understand this trait of “pushing through the waiting” till I had to learn to walk again during the middle of the pancreatitis 9 years ago. I had to find the determination somewhere to just keep going. Keep on’… Keeping on’.

So this morning, I found some words that encouraged me with how to push through while standing. This is what I read this morning from a friend’s blog Zoe Elmore, who I met last year at the She Speaks Conference. It is some advice that a friend recently gave her! Sorry, Zoe, I think it was meant for me to hear…just this morning! 🙂

“Why do we push through the pain? In life, in a workout, at work, at home, with the kids, out with friends. We push through the physical and emotional pain that is inevitable in our lives because it’s a basic instinct for human survival. We slap on our smiles when we are sad, pick up the barbell again even when our arms have lost their ability to function, face adversity because we want to stand up for what we believe in, and we love even when we are not loved in return. These human qualities are why we progress and these qualities make us warriors.

The moral of the story? It’s ok to admit that life is not always a bed of roses, in fact, we are all better off for it. Maintaining a constant strong persona is not a bad thing but really feeling your pain and honoring that pain every now and then is a healthy way to continue to live your best life with your head held high, knowing that you are human with real emotions and real challenges.”

Sometimes sharing with others those hard places we are in, is a way that we can begin to grow and learn the mighty lessons God is wanting to teach us in our circumstances. Admitting that you are in the midst of hard times is the place where we begin to heal and push through. I would love to hear your thoughts on how you begin the process and mindset of pushing through! Please comment below.

Pushing through today,