Life Experiences

(Flashback piece from my old blog.  Reading Job, brought this back to me.  For those of you new to my blog, you may not have read it before. )
What about life experience? Have you experienced something in your life that you never saw coming? Something that shook you to your core and wondered "What in the world is happening?" Oh, I have!!!!! Life is not a bed a roses and He never promised us an easy life! He did promise that He would never leave or forsake us. He promised that He would walk through the fire and the flood with us. He would lift our chins as only He can. He would love us unconditionally! So what have you experienced? What is an experience where you can look back on it now and think "Praise Jesus, He brought me through and this is what He showed me and taught me." Those are the things that we like to put on a mask and NEVER tell anyone about. We go through life acting as if things are just wonderful and on the inside, we feel like we are totally drowning. We would never take off that mask and be transparent! Heaven forbid that we do such a thing! Yet, most of the time, we have those close friends that would come along side and pray with us, direct us to the Word, encourage us and listen. We all have those kinds of friends. Some may have MANY and some may have just 1 or 2 but we have them. We never know that if we would share, there may have been someone that has been there and can encourage us and we can see what the Lord did in their life.

This is obviously turning into an entry so please allow me to share a couple of experiences that I have had.
-Infertility
-Adoption of "The Older Child"
-Being Obese
-Miscarriage
-Divorce
-Rebellion
-Healing of hurts
-Loneliness
-Financial Issues
-Surprise Pregnancy
-Re-married
-Teenagers
-Father with Open Heart Surgery
-Mom diagnosed with Breast Cancer twice
-Loss of a job after almost 15 years with the same company
-Rebellious Child
-Friends diagnosed with "incurable" diseases
-Friends leaving for the mission field. Feeling lost without them.
Now, someone may look at such a list and think......Are you bragging? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!!! I am making the point that I can stand on this side of these experiences and say PRAISE JESUS!!!! LOOK WHAT HE BROUGHT ME THROUGH!!!!!! Now, everyone that I go to church with probably knows most of this. Most that read this blog probably already know but some may not. Yet, I know without a shadow of a doubt when someone is talking about one of these trials in there life, I can say "Yes, I understand, I have been there and I can pray from experience. Let me tell you what He taught me...."

Well, there you have it. Now the question is for you. What has He brought you through? What did He teach you? Are you still in the middle of it? How can I pray for you? For sure something for you to ponder today. The comment section is open and unlimited.....feel free to share!!!!!!! I would love to hear!!!!!

Job- Week 2

Let me just say once again, and I will probably say it every week, this is just one of those books that when you read it and study it, you are just reminded of how powerful The Word is.  It is just amazing to me. 
This week we discussed this conversation between satan and the Lord.  The audacity that satan takes upon himself to even come into the presence of the Lord is just mind boggling when you think of it.  The other thing that Rita reminded me is that we are the Lord's.  The Word says that the Lord says, "Have you considered my servant Job?"  Sit on that for a minute.  The words "my servant".  I am his.  The Lord is saying...."That one is mine."  When I just stop and think on that I am just overwhelmed.  Then it gets even better.  "Job".  He doesn't say...'That man over there with 10 children and land and security....He says "Job".  I mean He knows us by name.  Can you wrap your brain around that.  Let's make that verse a little more personal.  Fill in your name when you read it.  "Have you considered my servant _________"  Makes it real doesn't it!  He know us. We are His. IT'S PERSONAL!!!!!

All of these things happen to Job.  He looses his animals, his children, and his health.  Scripture says that he tore his clothes, shaved his head.........and fell to his knees in worship.  WOW!!!!  Let's really look and think this through.  This is a man that within a matter of a few hours has lost his camels, his oxen, and 10 children AND has been covered with boils.  Yet he falls on his knees in worship.  REALLY?  Could I do that?  Could I really fall on my face in worship if I had lost it all?  I would hope that I could.  Do I think that I would have Jobs attitude....The Lord gives and the Lord takes away?  I'm not so sure.  I believe that I would probably go through those stages of loss and grief before I could be there. 

If you have lost something. Maybe it was.....
a friendship
a relationship
a parent
a sibling
a child
a teenager
a child you never got to hold
a spouse
a house
a car
what would your reaction be?  How would you respond?  I can only pray that I don't have to loose something to worship Him.  I want those words to be continually on my tongue......The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, yet I will praise Him.  He knows what is best. His ways are higher than mine. He loves me and those that I love more than we can ever imagine. 
Job has a lot to teach us.  I pray that this will get your mind going today.  Focus on HIM!!!!!  Realize that He loves you!  If you are going through something.....He already knows.  Cry out to Him!!!!!!!  He's right there!!!!

Book Of Job - Part 1

So we have a new study in Community Bible Study.  The book of Job.  My first response was “Oh My!”  I had been listening to it on my You Version while doing my reading through the Bible in a year.  I would get frustrated with the people giving the advice and get frustrated with Job and his response and then the Lord ever so gently reminded me that I am no different at times.  I’m either acting or being Job or I am giving such advice as Job’s friends. So I chose to sit back and EXPECT Him to show me some new things in this book of Job and what He has for me.  I’m excited and can’t wait to see it.  I thought I would give you a little bit of what we learned about in this first week.  They are more “points” so to speak.  So let’s get started.

·         We don’t know who wrote it.  There are all kinds of speculations.  One thing that was brought up in our group is that we may not know for sure but whoever did, had knowledge of this conversation between God and the enemy.  Can you imagine what that is like?  To know about such a conversation?  It really made me stop and think.

These following thoughts are more from the “Teaching Time” with Rita.  I take no credit for any of these things but I am still pondering and wondering and praying about them. 

·         Job (we) has an enemy.  That enemy is Satan.  We can’t see him but he has one goal and that goal is to take us out! 

·         First impressions are important.  We are told that Job is blameless, upright, feared God and shunned evil.  My first thought was that when people see me and get to know me, do they get that as a first impression from me?  Something to consider.  Moving to Mississippi, I do think about first impressions with the people that we met. 

·         He had a genuine concern, love and passion for raising and loving his family.  Having 7 boys and 3 girls plus spouses, his family was large.  He was sacrificing for his children JUST IN CASE they had done something wrong.  He was bringing his children to God when things were good and for sure when something was wrong, I am sure that Job was right there showing and teaching them how to make that relationship right again.  Question posed was…..Is it our regular practice to bring our children to God when things are going right?  She talked about her grandchild and how he tries to sing Jesus loves me.  I was so convicted about this.  Do I point my children to the Lord?  When things are good? When things are bad?

It was a powerful lesson and it was only on the first 5 verses of Job 1!!!!  Wow!!!!!!  I’m excited about diving back into studying!!!!!! 

Have you ever studied Job?  It’s going to be awesome!!!!!!!