I find it interesting that the word I chose in January for 2020 was “Standing”. For the last few weeks I have been challenged to stand in the face of some very real cares and worries.
It occurred to me that standing against adversity requires you to plant your feet and square your shoulders. While your stance is important, your foundation plays an even greater role. Planting your feet on marbles is not nearly as effective as solid ground.
The foundation for my mental and emotional stance always comes back to God’s promises. So after a particularly difficult day recently, I focused my bible study on what God says he will always be. I found four promises that resonated with me in our current situation and the resulting ways I can stand firm in His foundation.
1) God will always be with me.
God says so many times that he will never leave nor forsake me. He is forever at my side, fighting with and for me. He doesn’t say I will never experience hard things, but that in them He is with me and will bring me through them. In the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, God didn’t extinguish the furnace. He stood in the furnace with them.
Joshua 1:9
Isaiah 43:2
Deuteronomy 31:8
Because of this I can stand and not despair.
2) God will always be in control.
While there isn’t one bible verse that says this truth in a simple quotable way, there are many times when God has demonstrated his power. Nothing happens that he hasn’t decided needed to happen. He is sovereign and our finite minds can not even grasp the enormity of what that means.
Isaiah 14:24
Proverbs 19:21
Daniel 2:21
Because of this I can stand and not fear.
3) God will always be good.
This promise is so hard for us to believe because oftentimes what is happening to us doesn’t feel good. It feels hard, sorrowful, painful, and to us those are an indication of a break. Broken equals bad in our mindset. Broken is good to God because He knows the end of the story. Mended is so much more beautiful to Him.
1 Chronicles 16:34
Psalm 34:8
Nahum 1:7
Because of this I can stand and not doubt.
4) God will always be victorious.
I love this promise! In the end, when all is said and done, God is the winner! He has all the power and all the authority because He created it all.
Romans 8:37-39
John 16:33
1 John 5:4
Because of this I can stand and I will not fail.
So many more promises of God are in the bible. I would encourage you to seek them out and discover your own way to stand in Him.
Showing posts with label virus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label virus. Show all posts
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Hard Times
I'm not going to lie. The last few weeks have been really hard. Covid has changed so much for everyone I know. Sam's job as a first responder in what is now the second hardest hit city in the state, has certainly shaken up our world.
Three weeks ago Sam moved into a dorm provided by a local university. They had set up rooms for first responders and health care workers who had concerns about going home after their shifts. At the same time a camper was parked on our property for me to live in so that the girls could go back to work in their "essential employee" positions.
Three weeks of no physical contact with another human being makes you realize that perhaps you aren't the isolationist you thought you were!
This separation has changed my relationship with Sam. Talking via video feeds and the occasional face to face visit (maintaining at least 6 feet of separation) has bettered our conversational skills. We've always been good at managing and coordinating family life with distancing; it's just part of being a firefighter family. Now though, it's Sam who is managing the house, and I am the one giving input from the outside. I have had to give up a LOT of control and those that know me, know that is no small feat!
We are currently attempting to construct what the next steps will look like. We need to find the balance between safety and quality of life. The measures we have taken certainly mitigate the immediate threat, but do not set us up for a long term solution to, what appears to be, a long term problem. This virus that is unprecedented and has a lot of variables, is one that necessitates creativity. I am grateful that our current solution has awarded us the time we need to think things through and make a calculated plan.
Time is certainly something I have a lot of these days. A blessing and a curse. One thing I have developed over the last three weeks is the habit of taking a breath. When a problem comes up, I am teaching myself to breathe and let the situation sit before responding. It is a very new way of approaching things for me. The downside is I have time OVERthink! I am teaching myself to mentally set thoughts aside and then focus on all the things I can control. Practice makes perfect and I'm getting a ton of practice these days!
Good things come out of times of struggle. Taking the time to recognize them and remember them will help us get through this. That and a mug of whipped coffee!
Three weeks ago Sam moved into a dorm provided by a local university. They had set up rooms for first responders and health care workers who had concerns about going home after their shifts. At the same time a camper was parked on our property for me to live in so that the girls could go back to work in their "essential employee" positions.
Three weeks of no physical contact with another human being makes you realize that perhaps you aren't the isolationist you thought you were!
This separation has changed my relationship with Sam. Talking via video feeds and the occasional face to face visit (maintaining at least 6 feet of separation) has bettered our conversational skills. We've always been good at managing and coordinating family life with distancing; it's just part of being a firefighter family. Now though, it's Sam who is managing the house, and I am the one giving input from the outside. I have had to give up a LOT of control and those that know me, know that is no small feat!
We are currently attempting to construct what the next steps will look like. We need to find the balance between safety and quality of life. The measures we have taken certainly mitigate the immediate threat, but do not set us up for a long term solution to, what appears to be, a long term problem. This virus that is unprecedented and has a lot of variables, is one that necessitates creativity. I am grateful that our current solution has awarded us the time we need to think things through and make a calculated plan.
Time is certainly something I have a lot of these days. A blessing and a curse. One thing I have developed over the last three weeks is the habit of taking a breath. When a problem comes up, I am teaching myself to breathe and let the situation sit before responding. It is a very new way of approaching things for me. The downside is I have time OVERthink! I am teaching myself to mentally set thoughts aside and then focus on all the things I can control. Practice makes perfect and I'm getting a ton of practice these days!
Good things come out of times of struggle. Taking the time to recognize them and remember them will help us get through this. That and a mug of whipped coffee!
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