When I got to the DR I realized that my only hope is in Christ Jesus. Now don't get me wrong, I have known this for many years now, but new life has been formed with those simple words. Today I don’t eat unless HE provides food for me. I don't have electricity unless HE provides for me. And ultimately none of us breathe unless HE provides us with air. I have been humbled by this experience, that is for sure! When I am having a horrible day here complaining about not having hot water to shower ... or not having water at all, I can look out my window and see people with a LOT less than I have.
Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Matthew 6:26
Here I can look out my window and see people without shoes, clothes, and probably just rice and beans on the table for dinner. It is then that I eat some humble pie and know that I am blessed. I have taken EVERYTHING for granted ....
"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.” Matthew 6:25
Sometimes it is when we are stripped of all the luxuries that we can see the Lord for who He truly is and ultimately who we are at the core of our being.
When we have nothing left, who are we? When we are no longer self-dependent on our own income, who are we? When we no longer have “things” or “toys”, who are we? My friends, this is when things get a little tough and our faith can become a little “iffy”. Take away my lunch and I am not a very friendly person. I start to get grumpy and a couple hours later nobody wants to be anywhere near me. Take away all the money in my bank account where I cant pay any of my bills, and you are gonna find a stressed out girl!
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Philippians 4:6,7
The lesson the Lord is teaching me here is that I have to let go of all those “worries” and let Him have complete control of my life. I can tell you that this has been somewhat of a struggle for me. But it has given me the opportunity to see the Lord for who He is. He is my Father, and I am his daughter. There is no one better capable of loving me. There is no one more capable of providing for me ........ And this my brothers and sisters, is the same for you!
My prayer is that no matter what you are going through, that you will know that He loves you. The Lord ultimately wants to bring you into a deeper relationship with Him. Sometimes that means stripping you of everything you depend on. That was the case for me. I no longer have an “income”. I do not know if I will have money to buy food to put on the table tomorrow, but I do have a Father that loves me so much that He gave His precious son Jesus to die for me ... and my dear friends, that is more than enough for me :)
