When God Shows Himself Strong


I was any-day-now pregnant with my 6th child, lots of pain and fatigue setting in. My 1 year old was scheduled to have surgery 2 weeks out from my due date. And, to mix things up a bit, my 2 year old began displaying seizure-like behavior*, seemingly out of the clear blue sky. . .OVERWHELMED!

I'm talking urgent care visits, unplanned doctors appointments, regularly scheduled doctors appointments, a hospital trip, a call to poison control...There I was literally in labor, needing to get to the hospital, while on the phone with the pediatrician, trying to understand her assessment of my little boy's condition. I thought I would go out of my mind, stress was high, and I couldn't understand spiritually what was going on in the physical.

FOR WE DO NOT WRESTLE AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES, AGAINST POWERS, AGAINST THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS AGE, AGAINST SPIRITUAL HOSTS OF WICKEDNESS IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES. -EPHESIANS 6:12

In the middle of all that, a problem left unresolved far too long bubbled up, uninvited in our home... Some time ago, one family member had disowned my husband as an outsider--no longer a part of the family at large, where that person is concerned. My husband and I moved forward in agreement and had a resolve in our own hearts. Other family members did not see eye-to-eye with us. So, the trickle down effect of those choices showed up in the most unexpected way--an explosion of emotion, lacking gentleness, running wild and unchecked--right in the middle of all that was going with a new baby and 2 ailing toddlers, while older children were watching. I was in a vulnerable place and I needed help badly. This was when I learned the hard truth of this Scripture:

WHEN MY FATHER AND MY MOTHER FORSAKE ME, THEN THE LORD WILL TAKE CARE OF ME. -PSALM 27:10

I distinctly remember hearing that Scripture as a child and wondering how that could be, at least the first part of the verse anyway....

But then, I ended up without the help I thought I'd have to deal with the changes in my family life. Even before the explosion, though, I realized that attention was divided, goals were not the same, vision not held in common....and I recalled that verse above, asking God if this was what it meant, how it felt.

So, my husband did not hesitate to protect the atmosphere in our home. I gained a deeper understanding of what Jesus meant when He said, THEREFORE, WHAT GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER, LET NOT MAN SEPARATE (Mark 10:9)....That this word isn't just about divorce, but it is for the day-to-day, for the way we live and interact as husband and wife. If something, anything, is creating a wedge between my husband and me, then I can't be tied to it and I have to let it go, no matter what it is....that includes family members. Painful, not ideal, not pretty, not well-received, not respected by all, but necessary, completely necessary . . because it brought peace again, it settled my children's hearts; I'm thankful for that.

Summer 2014 was harsh, rugged, jagged and crooked. It was multifaceted, multi-layered and so very deep. I'm still dealing with its effects, still working on healing wounds, still praying for bridges to be mended, still understanding the spiritual, still digesting it all.

But as we know, our God does all things well. And, while I don't know all of the reasons why, the glimpses He has allowed me to see make me want to shout aloud with praise.

Know this: When I was weak, God showed Himself strong.

He held us up, He sheltered us, He knit my husband's heart closer to mine, and mine closer to his. The Lord sustained us and provided our daily bread. Our family life was sweetened by leaning on Jesus and one another. We stumbled our way through a path God had laid for us. Stumbling, but He didn't let us fall. Things felt broken, but we didn't fall apart. We gained some grit, some endurance, and spent countless hours working through the rough places together.

These are ties that bind and bring unity as a family. God's strength is the glue that held us together.
Bless His name.
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By speaking of our trials and how the Lord brought us over, we become victorious and bring glory to His name. I've prayed that this post encourages you to dig deep and hold fast to God. The evil one's job is to tempt you into thinking that you are all alone, that you are isolated in your hard times. Maybe your struggle is way different from mine; maybe it is exactly the same. No matter what, God's promise is to be with us wherever we go, even until the end of time. (Joshua 1:9, Matthew 28:20). You are not alone.

Cling to Him, chase after Him, cry out to Him.

SO GOD HEARD THEIR GROANING, AND GOD REMEMBERED HIS COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM, WITH ISAAC, AND WITH JACOB. AND GOD LOOKED UPON THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND GOD ACKNOWLEDGED THEM.  -EXODUS 2:24-25

*The pediatrician discovered that my son had a super weird reaction to Benadryl. He is fine now and, needless to say, every drop went straight into the trash!

Comments

  1. wow, that's understandable stress! Two little ones, one on the way and all that too! I'm sorry that you have strain in your family; all too often, those who don't understand us push us away. We can only pray and not allow the roots of bitterness to take hold. You sound very grounded in the Word and your husband sounds like a Gideon-a mighty man of God. I'm sure that your life has not gotten calmer, however with 3 little ones now! How do you find time to write?

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    1. Yep, it was certainly stressful, Mary. I'm glad that Jesus walks with me through it all. Thank you for kind words and words of wisdom. . .
      And, I write whenever I can and as the Lord leads me. :)

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  2. On so many levels this post spoke to me. The more I am engulfed with His spirit and the less there is of me, I have been able to move through and learn so much more. I have stored Psalm 27:10. He is awesome to provide us with such encouragement because for the longest I struggled with the why behind my parents behavior and choices. I have found great comfort in Him, and I am glad that you have and are overcoming hurtful situations through Him. You and your husband are blessed to have one another, and your children are blessed to have such faithful parents. I am sure I will return to this post often as a reminder that physically on earth, I am not alone :) Blessings to you and your family.

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    1. Oh, Latonya, I am so glad that you found encouragement from this post. It was quite difficult to write and I prayed and prayed about it. I totally understand how you feel, sometimes wondering about my parents' choices. But, Psalm 27:10 really highlighted where my faith and focus should always be....on the Lord. He is my Keeper, above all else. Take care, friend, and God bless you.

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  3. Wow, what a year!!! Thank God you had His Holy Spirit to give you strength and grow from it. It is these situations that make or break us as they test... Thanks for sharing this encouragement on the Art of Home-Making Mondays!

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    1. JES, you are absolutely right: that was a make or break season of life. But, the Lord was faithful and He didn't let me fall. Thanks for hosting.

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  4. Thank you for sharing your heart with us and your trials, but thank you for sharing how you clung to God and how only He sustained you. What a blessing and encouragement for us all. Thanks for linking up at Good morning mondays. Blessings

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    1. Hi, Terri. I am humbled at how my hard times are used by God to encourage and strengthen others. Thanks for hosting the link-up; I hope to visit again.

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  5. When we are weak, He is strong. What a beautiful testimony that you and your husband grew closer through the trials.

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    1. Thank you, Jennifer. I am grateful that God works things out for the good.

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  6. What a scary and stressful time indeed! I'm so glad that you came out on the other side of it wiser and closer to Him. My pastor's wife from many years ago said "Obey what you know" and this is such a good example of that. When everything else fails continue to obey Him and he will sustain you. And, praise God your little one is healthy!

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    1. Thanks, Courtney, for sharing what your former Pastor's wife said. . . wisdom!

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  7. Praise God Stacie!! I can relate to those "hard-times" and I am glad your family is stronger and wiser for being obedient to God and doing what is best for you and your family.

    Continuous blessings lady!!!

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    1. Gertha! Sooooo glad to hear from you!
      Thank you for your kindness and friendship, always.

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