Hi Brad,
Your words ring so true. I’m thinking along the same lines right now
after just receiving an email from one of my best friends from college
that informed us that she and her husband are separating. I’m embarrassed
to admit it, but I have spent a lot of my life looking at others
receiving what seemed like better than what I have, and seeing it not
work out for them in the end.
I was jealous of this friend because they changed their plans and,
instead of getting married after Greg and me, as originally planned, they
pushed their wedding ahead a year for no really good reason other than
that they didn’t want to wait. They never took the time to work out
problems that have, evidently, reared their ugly heads since then and now
it looks like a tragedy is coming.
When Greg was in his last year of seminary, all our friends seemed to get
the ideal jobs. Everyone was praising the Lord and saying how wonderful
it was that God was answering their prayers and they were getting
everything that they wanted in their place of call. Well, we got Maine
and I don’t need to tell you guys, because you’ve already heard all my
belly aching, that this has not been what I would have called an ideal.
However, many of our friends who got just what they wanted are now out of
ministry altogether and only one other person that I know from that class
is still at the same church as we are here in Glenburn.
Also, our family isn’t perfect, as you all know, but we are still
together and despite the struggles, piece still generally reigns in our
home and we can have a civvil dinner together with relatively few
mishaps.
I’m finally, maybe, beginning to see why Solomon stressed discipline so
much and also why self controll is a fruit of the spirit. There is so
much to learn in the waiting. Even the situation with our house is
something that I can begin to see this way. Humanly, I have no idea why
our house project has been put on the back burner. God is certainly doing
His part by keeping temperatures in the fifties. The ground is nowhere
near frozen, but God is also in controll of the people and paperwork
involved and I am learning that we just don’t need it yet for His
reasons.
I guess, to boil it down, even when nothing is happening, if something is
happening within you, it’s a good thing because it’s God’s design to help
you, and me, become more like Christ.
IN Him,
Kathy

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