I read a post in one of my groups, a member who was concerned for a friend of hers, that might possibly lose her job, along with other problems in her life. She was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say, or tell her friend. She was looking for suggestions from other member of the group, on what might need to be done, or said to help out her friend. Naturally, her friend is upset, and worried about what the outcome will be if her job is lost. On several occasions, I have talked with friends who have gone through difficult times, and there are times when they felt as though there was no way out...that one thing just kept piling on another. It is VERY easy to be overwhelmed, and feel as though your world and life are falling apart. Boy...do I know that feeling! I have shared my thoughts with many of these friends, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to share them with you now. All of us, at one time or another, have faced attrosities, that we thought would destroy our lives. We were sure our lives would never be the same, or right, ever again! But.... Somehow, we make it through...
Below, you will see how I make it through some of the trials that I've personally faced in my life.
I actually had a friend tell me the other day, that she missed my "preaching"....hehehehe Although, I know some of you sure don't...lol But, to answer this, as I would, it is going to involve a little.
I believe that everything happens for a reason.... "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3. I truely believe that God never closes a door, unless He opens another one for us somewhere else, or at least cracks a window, so we can get some air, until He can open the door at the right moment. I've seen it happen too many times in my life. Some would call it something else other than God. ...coincidence...luck...but I don't really believe it that. I only have to look back at my life, the things that have happened. And, because of alot of those things, at times, by life went in a completely opposite direction. But, it the long run, it has all lead me to where I am today. Had all that not happened....where would I be?
I was 22, and 7 months pregnant, when I found out that my husband of almost 5 yrs. was having an affair. I remember thinking that my life was over, and my world falling apart around me....what was I going to do, where would I go...how would I EVER live without this man in my life? This is something that was NEVER going to happen to me!!! There have been several jobs, that when all seemed to be going smoothly...out of the blue, it was over. What's going to happen, how will I pay the bills? I've received word of the death of loved ones, and my heart be so broken that I thought it would never repair. But, each one of these incidents lead me on a different path, and the husband that I was so sure I could never live without, faded from my life, and was replaced by one that ..... well, guess I can't finish that sentence....cause there are just no words to describe what Lee is to my life. There was always another job that came along....often with better pay, or more hours, or better hours. The sadness of the loss of loved ones gone, have always been replaced with happy memories. It has brought me three beautiful children, 3 beautiful grandchildren, and another on the way. It has brought me into friendships that will last a lifetime. Every path in my life, brought me here, and I wouldn't change where I am now for ANYTHING in the world, or ANY amount of money. All of these daily happening in our lives, take us through life, and mold us, and make us what we are. Without having to face all these things we have, we wouldn't be the people we are today. They make us stronger, more aware, more compasionate, more loving, and more understanding, of all that goes on around us in this world.
For me...the one thing that has gotten me through all the trials in my life, has been my faith,... that there was a God,... watching me, guiding me in the right direction, and caring for me. Faith can be a VERY hard thing, at times. I sometimes wonder why...because we don't need very much at all....just enough faith the size of a mustard seed, the bible says. And if you've never seen one, you will be amazed how small they are. Surely, I can have that much faith!
Probably the thing I hear most from people, when things are going "bad" in their lives, is...."How could a God of love, let all the horrible things happen in this world?" I guess I can understand that to a point. He IS all knowing, and all powerful, so why doesn't he just stop all this? He is allowing it to happen! I hear that a lot. I guess people need to blame someone, but I could never understand why they would blame such attrosities on God...a God of love, rather than on the evil that is in the hearts of men. THAT is what causes a lot the horrors of this world. One other thing that I hear a lot of also, is why did God allow this to happen to me? Boy, I can sure testify, that I have asked God that very question, on several occasions. Why did God let my husband get cancer? Why is one of my children bi-polar. Why did God allow my house to burn, and we lose so much? I don't know! But... I do know that God has put a stop to my husbands tumor growing. It hasn't increased in size in 5 years. PRAISE GOD! I do know that God spared 2 of my children, and has His angel spread their wings about them, the night my house caught on fire. I do know, that God touched and healed my husband, as he lay near death. So why should I say that He caused so much pain, when He worked miracles in my life on all those occasions?
Not long after our house fire, a dear friend of my sent me something. It has touched me more than almost anything I've ever read before. In the previous year before she sent this, I had faced the death of my aunt, Lee's hospitialzation with a bleeding ulcer, the death of Lee's step father, Lee's diagnosis of cancer, and a fire that destroyed about 1/2 of everything we owned. Believe me,... I sure felt like it was pouring....and pouring ONLY ON ME AND MINE! I was TIRED of being in the HOT SPOT!!! This email she sent also hit very close to home, because of the fact that my husband Lee is a jeweler. I remember, after reading this for the first time....and read it a loud to Lee also, I turned to Lee and said..."is this really what you have to do?" With all that we had just been through, this hit him very hard too. He looked at me with tears rolling down his cheeks, and said..."yes. That's the way it HAS to be done."
So, as you read this, you can think about all the times that you've felt like God was holding you in some sort of "hot spot"....This helps us understand why, at times He does.
I would remind everyone, that we must have faith...that God will supply EVERYTHING, we need...including a new, and probably better job, if that's what it comes to. If you feel like you're in the hot spot, just remember, this is your chance to shine, in the eyes of God. Not one sparrow falls to the ground that God is not aware of. He feeds the birds of the air...they want for nothing. So, how much more does He care for us....His Children?
Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered
what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of
the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get
back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a
silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She
didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her
curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the
silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He
explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the
middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the
impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot
spot. then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a
refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there
in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The
man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver,
but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the
fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would
be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the
silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and
answered, "Oh, that's easy...when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God
has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in
you.
Love,
Lev