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Sunday, September 4
Today, I am pleased to bring you a special guest post by my friend Dionna Sanchez. Please welcome her and leave her some comment love...
“This isn’t the life I ordered.” I bet that’s what the diabetic says. Or the mom of a child with disabilities. I bet the spouse who sits in their home reading a note from the one they loved who has gone to love someone else wonders where their happy-ever-after has gone.
We are misled in a way. We are taught that if we are good, honest, moral, and right that life will often be safe and comfortable. It won’t hurt.
Yet, the person who answers the phone to hear their teenager was killed in a car crash knows they didn’t order that kind of a story. And the grandparent who is taking over guardianship of their grandkids because their child can’t be a parent in jail…they probably think – “this isn’t the life I ordered.”
I think it’s funny, in a way, how we think we can order our own lives. I mean – who gave us “boss-ship”? God orders our lives and He ordains our days. Satan does what he can in the meantime to trip us and mess up our every step. And he does a good job of it.
Life is life. The good, the bad, the uphill and downhill. It has valleys and deserts. It has exhilarating joys and deep, deep pain. We can’t escape. We live, we breathe. We love and we hurt.
We can feel robbed about the things we didn’t order in our lives. Whatever those “things” may be. We’ve all been given something that wasn’t on the agenda. But…we can make the most of our situations. We can look for the blessings, use the hurts to minister to others, or simply let the trial make us stronger and better.
I heard it said that if a tree doesn’t have wind, it won’t grow. The same is true for our lives. If we don’t have adversity and hardship, we won’t grow. Our roots can’t get deeper or stronger.
This may not be the life we ordered but it’s the one God ordered for us. Life IS a gift. It’s up to us to choose how to open that gift.
“For I surely know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 )
~Be sure to visit Dionna’s site: Beauty in the Storm and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.
True! That's one of my favorite Scriptures too. God is good =-D
Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, Dana! Appreciate it! Blessings!
The words in this paragraph touched my heart in a very personal way Dionna."I heard it said that if a tree doesn’t have wind, it won’t grow. The same is true for our lives. If we don’t have adversity and hardship, we won’t grow. Our roots can’t get deeper or stronger."
I can see clearly how that "wind" blowing in my life has given me remarkable strength and courage to accept things I can't change and know that God will never abandon me. Thanks for sharing :)!
Wonderful points and such an encouraging Scripture. When my kids used to say, "It's not fair," I'd reply, "Life ain't fair!" and aren't we glad! If it was, we'd ALL be in hell because it surely wasn't "fair" for Jesus to have to die for all of us. I choose grace instead of "fairness" and am so grateful He provides it so awesomely. The Sandwich Generation issues can definitely have their difficult times and I would NEVER want to do it without Him. Thank you for a great post and encouraging reminder. :)
Dana - It IS a great piece of scripture. :)
JoAnne - I'm so glad this post touched your heart yet I'm so sorry you are having the wind blow in your life right now. God WILL never abandon you though and the strength you are growing now will guide you through this tough time. Hang in there.
Kaye - I love how you choose grace. That's not always easy. :)
Hi Lynn - I enjoyed reading this post. Just went to Dionna's blog and was equally blessed by her writing there.
Thanks so much, sweet JoAnne, for stopping by and supporting Dionna. I appreciate it! Love you. Blessings!
Thanks, Kaye, for stopping by and leaving Dionna a comment. Appreciate it. Blessings to you!
So glad you stopped by, Joan. And glad you got to visit Dionna's site. Blessings to you!
Nicely written Dionne.
On my own, I probably would have ordered from the child's menu! No matter what winds are blowing, the life God ordered for me is better than anything I could have chosen.
LOL Love that, Carol! Such a great thought! Thanks so much for supporting Dionna! Bless you!
Dionna,
I live in a part of the country where the "Faith" message gets taken out of context a lot, so people are devastated when something happens to them that they can't pray away. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. I have always found that when I have been tested and tried, I may not see it at the time, but I always end up somewhere good, where I wouldn't have ended up, had I not gone through the ordeal. What a wonderful post and truly a blessing! Lynn, thanks for sharing your friend with us!
~Erin
Erin - You are so right. I love how you said "the rain falls on the just and the unjust." I believe you're right. I so often find myself on higher ground when my trials are over and I'm looking back in retrospect.
What a great post! Thanks, Dionna and Lynn - it was a blessing to read. Sometimes life is so hard but knowing that the Lord is with me always is the only way that I would make it through each day.
Linda, thanks so much for stopping by and leaving Dionna a comment. We both appreciate it. So glad it blessed you. Blessings to you!