“THE PROCESS IS THE END. FOR IT IS THE PROCESS THAT IS GLORIFYING TO GOD.” --Oswald Chambers

"This life therefore, is not godliness but the process of becoming godly, not health but getting well, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way. The process is not yet finished, but it is actively going on. This is not the goal, but it is the right road. At present, everything does not gleam and sparkle, but everything is being cleansed." --Martin Luther

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Don’t you just hate it when a joke (or a tease) sounds great in your own head…but comes out not so much so? I had been doing a lot of thinking about things in our past. I had just recently read through some words spoken to us. And I thought of all we were going through now. So I jokingly said to Brian, “you know-all this is your fault, don’t you?”
Now, of course it made all the sense in the world to me, but he didn’t have any idea where I was going with that! Some fancy phrases of the tongue and he figured it out, so no harm done. :-) I guess He thought maybe he was related to the former president Bush, since everything that has happened in the economy and in the rest of the world the last several years is his fault.
I was just thinking about God’s sovereignty and His will. And how it is that HIS will always wins out, so to speak. Now Brian will be the first to admit, and has admitted here, in his testimony, that he wasn’t exactly living his life to serve the Lord. And believe me, I was and am no spiritual giant myself, just follow me here. God knew exactly where He wanted us, when He wanted us to be there. And due to our choices in life, we didn’t exactly get there the easy way. We did not exactly choice to obey right away, in all the right ways. So when we did finally start to, we had a lot of catching up to do. I remember planning our transition to ministry program at church, our missions guy would joke that we are “on the fast track.” Then we get to the mission field, and I believe we learned in one year what most missionaries never do, and some hope never to! We got back and had to learn to deal with our hurt in a pretty quick way too-for our own health and our own kids. And why? So we could be where we are at today, doing what we are doing, for a specific purpose that God is just starting to now part the clouds on, if even just a sliver. He seems to put us in places and situations where we can learn the most in the shortest amount of time. All preparation for the next thing-He’s always two steps ahead!
So, really-I don’t know that we can ever thwart God’s will. I don’t think we can-HE is GOD. But we do choose how we will play our part, which God already knows, so He plans accordingly anyway!

1 comment:

choose joy said...

I'm not sure how I stumbled onto your blog - through an adoption blog, I think. My husband has been in ministry for 18 years and I can really relate to your post, while I don't know any of the specifics (and I don't need to know them!). Anyway, I read A Sweet and Bitter Providence by John Piper this summer and it has ministered to my heart. I highly recommend it, if you have the time (it's really short and easy to read!). Blessings on your journey, Jennifer