Authentic testimony

When we are born our parents have hopes and dreams for how our lives will turn out.  Over the years we begin to develop our own dreams.  Sometimes those dreams align with those of our parents and sometimes they don't.  Either way, we set out on a path to achieve our dreams.  No matter what those dreams are...somewhere along the way you are bound to face challenges that run the chance of shifting your perspective and quite possibly adjust the path to achieving your dreams.  So often there are experiences that change the course of our lives.  Whether it's not getting in to the school you hoped to or the career you've chosen not working out.  There are so many things that affect us.


So what happens when we are faced with a challenge we don't thing me can possibly overcome?  We survive!!!  How?  Through our relationship with God.  For some this is hard to believe.  I know it was for me.  I had to experience going through hardship and surviving that hardship in a way that was supernaturally beyond my capability and could have only been the result of God working in my life.

I recently read the book "Work Love Pray" by Diane Paddison. A lot of what she wrote about really resonated with me.  For those of you who haven't had a chance to read this book, I really recommend you check it out.  While the focus of the book is "practical wisdom for young professional christian women,"  I believe that this book is an excellent read for just about anyone.

While the book focuses primarily on what it means to be a Christian woman in the workplace, she also shares some personal aspects of her own life.  One personal aspect that I really appreciate and respect her sharing was her experience of going through a divorce.  Diane talks about how she was hesitant to share this part of her life because of the pain she still feels, the ongoing perceptions that one faces by being divorced, and because of how easy it would be to paint her ex-husband as a monster.  But she admits how he wasn't actually a monster, just that they shouldn't have gotten married in the first place.  That the plans they each had for their lives didn't align with one another.

I really appreciate how Diane summarizes her decision to share such a personal aspect of her life by saying, "Perhaps the greatest lesson I learned from my divorce is that with God's help, I can face anything and come out on the other side a better person.  You can too.  But only if you allow yourself to be exactly who you are.  To be authentic, not just when everything in your life is going as planned, but when things go horribly wrong.  And they will.   I was tempted to hide this part of my story from you, but I chose to follow the advice I've always tried to live by: just tell the truth.  Sometimes it will help you.  Sometimes it won't. But it's always the right thing to do."

Have you ever faced something challenging in your life that was difficult to share with others.  Maybe it was something you were currently experiencing.  Or perhaps it was something you experienced at some time in the past.  Either way, we all have aspects of our lives that we are tempted to hide from others.  It isn't always necessary that the first thing we share with someone is a deep personal part of our lives.  Sometimes it is good for them to get the chance to know us first.  But we need to not be afraid to share how we are who we are with others.  Diane sharing about her divorce might not directly impact many of her readers...but for those of us who have gone through that kind of an experience or know someone else who has, her encouragement and demonstration of overcoming that aspect of a time in her life is a powerful example and motivator.  

It is a challenging thing to share the personal aspects of our lives with others.  Fear that you will be looked at differently.  That you will be respected less.  It is so easy to worry that people will see the worst in us.   But is important for us to share our testimonies.  By sharing the challenges we have faced, we reduce the hold that the negative aspects of these experiences have over our lives. 

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior"   Isaiah 43:1-3

Following

Last week I started digesting what it means to follow God's will.  And I ended with the question: "So how do we know that the path we choose is God's will?"  I have come to know many people who have made major life decisions because they believed that God had instructed them with a certain direction for their life to take.  That instruction came in many different forms.  For some it was a truth revealed in scripture, for others it is the council and wisdom of others,.  There is also the very popular saying "when God closes a door He opens a window."  This also kind of ties in to the theory that if we are seeking God's will then he will open doors thereby revealing his will to you.

Standing at the doorway we must "live by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor. 5:7).  We must expect that God will guide us.  To trust that God will guide you it is essential that you are in relationship to God.  It is important to work on this whether things in life are good or bad because it takes but a moment for things to shift in our lives.  When we trust that God is leading us, we will truly benefit.

How often have you dropped by to visit a friend and the door to their home is closed?  Pretty often right.  What do we all do next?  We either ring the door bell or knock on the door right?  Then think about the occasions when some one has come to visit and you are in the middle of something.  You can't make it to the closed door, but because it is unlocked what do we typically say..."It's open, come on in!!!"

 It is important that we stop and reflect when we reach a doorway...because not all doors are opened and closed by God.  Sometimes the devil will try to derail us from following God's path.  When we knock on the door, our relationship with God enables us to hear him call to us and let us know if the door is open.

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity of attending the Believers in Business conference.  It was an incredible experience to share in fellowship with some amazing Christians.   It was jam packed with amazing speakers and tidbits of information that will take me a while to fully digest.

One of the speakers talked about how "The foundation of a focused and inspired vision for life is revealed as we humble and boldly walk in God's plan and pursue His opportunities to be a blessing."  It made me stop and realize that the less I told God what I wanted Him to do for me, the more likely I was to actually hear him tell me what I should do in my life.



Another speaker shared one of my favorite quotes of the weekend. "Never live beyond your means, instead live below your means so you have the luxury to make decisions when God calls you."  I really related to this!!!  Before my husband and I got married we had a discussion about whether I would quit my job and move to Connecticut to be with him.  I really wanted to be with him, but I really struggled to trust that we could manage it financially.  I had a house with a mortgage and a job that barely covered the cost of the mortgage.  I didn't have enough in savings to cover a year of mortgage and was worried that even if I found renters they might fall behind on paying their rent and how in the world would I manage to cover the expenses associated with that.  Not too mention the concern about finding a job in Connecticut.  Rationally I was convinced that I should remain in Colorado.  In this particular situation, God had other plans.  Very shortly after reaching the decision to remain in Colorado, I was laid off from the very job keeping me from being with my husband.  In this case God very much closed a door and opened a window.  Because I was close in my relationship with God I knew it was him acting and that I could trust everything to be ok.  I was upset the first evening after my layoff, but as early as the next morning I felt a wave of optimism sweep over me because I knew everything would be okay.

Yet looking back, I might have been able to see God's plan for me to be with my husband in Connecticut if I had adhered to the concept of leaving below my means.  The benefit of being in that position would have removed me from having to experience being laid off and all the emotions that go along with that experience.

I wanted to leave you with two additional valuable pieces of information as I wrap up this week's blog:

"True greatness comes in direct proportion to the passionate pursuit of a purpose beyond money."

"Yesterday has already passed, and it is not yet tomorrow, so how am I going to maximize TODAY."