Last
weekend, I attended the annual ladies’ conference at The Anchor in Beaumont,
Texas. The theme was “Anchored in Joy”. Like the last couple of years, they had
enhancement classes. Shara McKee was a
speaker for one of them, and being the Shara McKee fan that I am, AND because I
SO needed to know how to maintain and keep my joy, I took her class. One of the things she said was that I should
guard and protect my joy and peace like I would my kids or anything else of
important value to me. I shouldn’t just “give
them away”. I never had thought of it
that way before, and she was absolutely right.
It is way easier said than done, though.
I’m usually
not a fearful person. I mean, yeah,
confrontations, deep water, frogs, snakes, confrontations with the 3 – you know,
the normal stuff – PETRIFIES me.
However, the future, finances, and the economic state of this country do
not usually cause me to panic. Until
recently…
By watching
the gas prices grow lower, we know that the oil and energy industry has made an
extreme downfall. I’m not super
intellectual about the why’s, (hated Economics in high school), concerning all
of it because honestly, it has benefited our bank account to not pay almost $4.00
for a gallon of gas. However, those
employed in this line of work have been effected greatly by it. There are a few families in our church whom I
know of personally that have. I can
recall one couple, in particular, who have been unemployed for several months
and are in an unfortunate spot of having to sell their home to get out of
debt. Not only have they been struggling
financially, they have, also, faced the death of his father, and now, their
youngest child is having some major medical issues. I have no doubt that they have wondered just
how much more is going to be dumped in their laps. What human wouldn’t? I have, actually, wondered it myself
for them.
So when my
hubby’s job starts looking, let’s say, fuzzy, (even though he’s in plumbing and
not the oil and energy industry), I’ve started worrying simply from looking and
knowing what these people-of-God have endured.
The “what if’s” have started creeping up. Let me stop and reiterate something:
I DON’T WORRY ABOUT MONEY AND THE
FUTURE!
God has
ALWAYS taken care of us. He has made
ways where there seemed to be absolutely NO way! For me to start getting worrisome and fearful
and letting my faith waiver is, really, out of character for me. As God is no respecter of persons, neither is
life. Some things are…just…life.
Last
Wednesday, the spirit of fear and heaviness made a visit with NO announcement,
or invitation, for that matter. (I know,
why would I invite them to visit, but when we think on negative situations, isn’t
that, more or less, having a sign in our window saying “WELCOME FEAR AND
HEAVINESS! I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YA’LL
TODAY!!”?) To make it worse, what did I
do when they came knocking? I let them
in. And what did I give them? My joy and peace. Like taking candy from a baby. I, almost, sent a text to 2 of my friends to
ask them to pray for me, but something inside told me that this was something
that I really needed to handle, WITH GOD, on my own. Honestly, my flesh just wanted to crawl on
the couch and do nothing until time to pick my daughter up from school, but
THANK YOU, JESUS, my spirit knew better and ruled over my flesh, (this time). After I had done my Wednesday errand-running
and paying bills, I went on to the church to get my daily exercise, (walking,
and I don’t care WHAT my hubby says, walking IS exercise), and to pray.
I didn’t
have a lot of words. Actually, I didn’t
even really know what to specifically pray about. I did remember that we are to replace the spirit
of heaviness with a garment of praise so I started praising God. I talked to Him about the fear that I had and
the things that were worrying me. At
this moment, He gently rebuked me by reminding me that I was only promised
TODAY – not tomorrow, next week, year, or 30 years – just TODAY. He, also, reminded me that our daily needs
were being met and that’s what my focus needed to be on instead of the
future. (You know, that span of time I
NEVER worry about.)
I gladly
retrieved my joy and peace from those party-crashers, heaviness and fear, and
started my day over. (Thank the Lord for
do-overs!) Besides, I have the Holy
Ghost in me, and there’s NO room for Him AND those 2 in this temple!!!!
“…the garment of praise for the spirit
of heaviness…” Isaiah 61:3
“For God had not given us a
spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7
"Therefore I say to you, do not
worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; nor about your body, what
you will put on. Is not life more than
food and the body more than clothing? ...
Which of you by worrying can add
one cubit to his stature?” Matthew 6:25 & 27
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