Three truths that keep me steady

Hello friends! So many changes in my life. After a lifetime of living in California, and over thirty years in the Bay area of Northern, Ca., my husband and I moved to Arizona.  Yes, we know it gets hot in the summer…yes we are aware it’s the desert, yes we know  we left a lifetime of connections behind… and yes we prayed about it for months  before making the decision.

We moved in on Friday the 13th of December. Yeah, you heard  that right, Friday the 13th! And, besides  buying a house we were excited about, everything   else was truly like what you’d expect for Friday the 13th….so many stories and so much hard….oh man, can hardly believe all we went through to get here. But we are here…and guess  what? We aren’t sure exactly why. And that’s ok. Sometimes God says, go…and you go. The details are  being covered  by him. (someone remind me  of that, ok?)

There is a peace in  trusting God with the unfolding of details.

I’m at the age of looking back over the things I have learned and remembering God’s faithfulness through the hard and the holy stops along the way. Through all I have lived through, there are three truths that keep me steady.

1. Remembering God loves me and is for me.
2. Remembering God is always working, even when I don’t see him or feel him.
3. Remembering that every single thing has  purpose, for  my good and growth.

Without remembering God with me,  I can spiral rather easily, but when these three truths are in place, my attitude is different and life is viewed as a story bigger  than my circumstances. It’s  like  viewing life as the front of a puzzle box.  The end result of all the pieces within the  box is a beautiful well planned picture. But, with 1000  pieces to put into place, the  opened  box  looks  like  a  big mess rather than a perfectly planned  design. But, piece  by  piece,  it  all fits. And, the same is true for  us. Life often looks  like a heap of  pieces that don’t make sense. But he knows  how even the hard and dark  pieces of  our story  will  work  together  for our  good and our  growth. Believe  me friend, I have seen  God work his  faithfulness  over and over again.  But, it’s not  an overnight  thing, it’s  overtime.

If you are struggling with  the hard  right now stop  to remember those  three truths. If you are stressed over not being able to make sense of your own details, remember those truths.  Focus  on the  truth,  fix your  eyes  on  the bigger  picture   and  believe that  he   is  masterfully working  all pieces together. And,  above   all   else, don’t compare your pieces,  your  hard, or  your  story with anyone  else. Comparison is the  thief  of  joy  and comparison will  rob  you  of focus   quicker  than  anything else. Comparing  with  others is  a  tactic  the enemy uses  to steal  the joy of our  one-of-a-kind  God  ordained story from us.  When focused on  everyone else, we can not see the beauty of what  God is  doing in us.  Close the door  on  comparison.

If I could  meet  you for  coffee I might bring  a single   puzzle  piece and  ask you to  tell me what one  piece  of life you  are struggling  with today.  Then   I’d share  my current struggle piece with  you too. In the end, I’d  remind  us  both  of those  three  truths with the  hope  that as  we  continually  regain our  focus,  our  hearts  will be drawn to God’s bigger story and our minds will stay fixed on his love for us.

Life is not always easy but armed with the truth we can defeat the enemy’s whispers on the daily.

Here’s some references to go with my rambling…..

“I have  loved   you  with an  everlasting love; I have  drawn you with loving kindness. I will build you up again.” Jer 31:3

” I know the  plans  I have  for you says  the Lord, plans for  good and not  evil…” Jer 29:11

“I  will never leave you nor  forsake you”  Hebrews 13:5

“In all things God works for  the good  of  those  who love him, who are  called according  to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

“It is God who works in  you to will and to  act according to his  good  purpose.” Philippians 2:13

“And he determined the times set  for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so the men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of  us.” Acts 17: 26

On another note…

California  friends  I will be on the Aspire tour in March… speaking in Merced 3/20,  Livermore 3/21 and Chico 3/22. I will be joined by  two  amazing women… comedian Anita Renfro and recording artist Mia Keohne.  www.aspirewomenevents.org  for  tickets.

Talk soon….

with joy ,

Debbie