#TrustinGod – Page 3

Silent no more, I’m just getting started

By Sara | June 27, 2022

“Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.” (Acts 18:9)

When I first created this blog a few years ago, I did so with the sole purpose of writing to uplift, encourage, and strengthen others by sharing stories of how my Heavenly Father has led me along life’s journey. I had written a monthly political column for a legacy media publication in my former hometown and knew I could comment on politics without issue. This forum, I thought, should be different. I worked for a church at the time, and my conservative values were embraced by those I rubbed shoulders with daily. My voice was safe, protected, and appreciated.

Today, I work for an organization that might not take kindly to knowing my views. I need my job, I reasoned. It’s best to stay quiet, share political thoughts with like-minded individuals, and work quietly in the background. I’m not sure that reasoning is wise anymore. A still, soft voice in my head tells me that the time to remain silent is no more.

As Christians, we are called to share one another’s burdens, cry with those who weep, and rejoice with those who are happy. I always strive to do so.

But what can I do to help those who are afraid? How can I empower other conservatives out there who are as outraged, frightened, saddened, and concerned as I am about what’s happening in our nation – about the moral decay, shocking headlines, and lost innocence that daily digs its heels ever deeper into our culture? Why do other Christians and I often feel compelled to stay silent? Should the majority remain meek and mute when they see injustice solely because they fear the spotlight being redirected onto them instead? Isn’t that why degradation has prevailed, churches have pandered, and minds have been plied into welcoming what would never have been tolerated even a decade ago?

I applaud pastors who speak up against the evils they see happening around them today – but such acts of bravery are few and far between. Most have purposely decided to follow the liberal mindset that keeps the church and state separate – a premise never intended by our nation’s Christian founders – let alone the disciples of the early church. Weren’t New Testament believers willing to be beaten, imprisoned, and martyred for their faith? How much more should we who don’t face such persecution be shouting about today?

This morning, as I faced a challenging workday, I joined our weekly organizational meeting only to hear how my “woke” employer would reimburse employees who needed to travel across state lines for abortions in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v. Wade. In that same meeting, corporate leaders were happy to announce that, in addition to daily meditation classes, there would also be a virtual “Drag Queen Trivia” session over the lunch hour on Tuesday. On Wednesday, “Safe Space Conversations” will feature the topic of “Corporate Representations of Pride: Pandering or Progress?” On Thursday, the organization will provide an open session on “LGBTQ Mental Health” for anyone who’d like to attend.

How I wish I could just scream, enough! Whatever happened to the workplace being just that – a place to work and not proselytize? I can’t talk about anything related to my faith – which forms the very core of my being – and yet what someone chooses to do in their bedroom seems to have become the bully pulpit of my corporation’s identity.

I was still pondering such things when I sat down to lunch today. After opening my Kindle to continue my daily scripture reading, my eyes immediately went to the center of the page. There, my eyes locked on the following verse: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.” (Acts 18:9) Did I just read what I thought I did? I read it again. The complete verse states, “One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.’”

I couldn’t have been more thunderstruck had God sent a lightning bolt down from the sky to strike me in the head. I’ve never received a more explicit message. I will no longer be afraid and wish someone else would say what I’m thinking. I will not be frightened into refusing to use this forum to speak truth over lies, even if it’s not politically correct. Even if it costs me my job, I will stand for my faith – in all areas of my life. I trust my Savior. And I will speak what He places on my heart. After all, someone has to. Why not me?

God gave me this platform for a purpose. He made me an encourager for a reason. My Creator blessed me with discernment not to keep to myself but to share with others. I pray that my words will embolden fellow believers. As long as God allows me to do so, I will use the voice that He gave me for His purpose. While this form of encouragement may not have been what I initially envisioned for my blog, I feel compelled to use it this way now.

Stick with me, readers. Learn with me. Grow closer to God with me as I stand unafraid to speak out against the world’s evil. Fasten your seatbelts. We may be in for a bumpy ride.

And I’m just getting started.

God never disappoints

By Sara | February 20, 2022

For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica (2 Timothy 4:10)

Our lives can be defined by how we handle the challenges we face. Our raw determination and courage often strengthen and enable us to overcome our difficulties. Other times, obstacles assail and strike us down. Perhaps one of the most debilitating conundrums we face is the feeling of disappointment. Worse yet, when dejection is facilitated by the hands of those we trusted, the ensuing despair can be palpable.

As a young adult, I longed to be swept off my feet by a love so deep that we could scarcely stand to be apart. Romance may be the stuff that movies, gothic novels, and countless enterprises are made of, but the reality is that true life seldom resembles a movie screen. As a person who’s spent her life seeking ways to demonstrate love to others, never finding that “true love” in another person has been a bit disappointing, to say the least. My experiences, instead, have been physical and emotional abuse, broken promises by another who claimed to “love” me, and beautiful words of adoration and undying devotion from a man who turned out to be married.

Friendships, too, have often proven themselves more discouraging than uplifting. I’ve had several close friends turn against me – one, recently, due to our differences on the topic of COVID vaccinations. I was shocked and saddened to have her eviscerate me, via text, with a message stating that my “egregiously selfish actions and ‘religious freedom’ are directly responsible for harming others.” That not being enough of a knife to my gut, she questioned the faith that drives my existence by stating, “I fail to see how this could be considered the actions of a Christian. I hope that someday you will be forgiven.”

My married sister once told me that “single people are selfish” while we were on a trip together to a place she wanted to see that I’d driven across three states to take her to. A recent call from her reminded me that she still feels the same. It’s distressing to know that no matter how I work to demonstrate kindness and love to her, she seems determined never to see it.

Today I learned that my mom and brother had abandoned their plans to move to my state. We had often discussed this consideration, but when an opportunity came for them to purchase the house next to mine, I, admittedly, began thinking how nice it would be to have them close by. Our once-a-year visits together would be replaced by daily encounters, affording us the ability to interact and share each other’s burdens in a much more literal sense. I hadn’t realized how much I was looking forward to all of that until I heard their decision. The ensuing heavy-heartedness hit me as yet another rejection.

That’s the world, isn’t it? People disappoint us. Friends betray us. Families reject us.

Nevertheless, it’s encouraging to know that God never will.

The Psalmist, David, captured this reminder perfectly when he said, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God.” (Psalm 42:11)

David knew a thing or two about disappointment and rejection. He demonstrated great bravery in standing up to the giant Goliath – thus saving the Israelites from Philistine enslavement. And yet his brother saw him as nothing but a nuisance.

“When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, ‘Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.'” (1 Samuel 17:28)

After becoming King Saul’s helper in the palace and playing his harp for the king whenever his spirit was disquieted, Saul’s heart turned against David.

“The next day, a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear, and he hurled it, thinking, ‘I will pin David to the wall.’ But David eluded him twice.” (1 Samuel 18: 10-11)

Thus began a series of thwarted attempts by Saul to take the life of David, of whom he was jealous and afraid. Over the next ten years, David lived like a fugitive, running for his life from Saul despite never having done anything to provoke the king.

At one of the lowest points in David’s life, he recorded his sadness while living in a cave outside of the Philistine town of Gath. You may recall that Gath is the town where Goliath hailed from. In his fear, David found himself not only petitioning his enemies for help but humiliating himself in front of others – portraying himself as a madman to escape their wrath.

“So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands, he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. [King] Achish said to his servants, ‘Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me?'” (1 Samuel 21: 13-14)

It is then that David recorded a Psalm that detailed his great sadness. His family had turned against him. He had lost his wife and promised inheritance for killing Goliath. His best friend, Prince Jonathan, had bid him fairwell forever, and the king and all his warriors were hunting him out of jealousy.

Listen to the words of David’s despair.

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall. (Psalm 13: 1-4)

But the story didn’t end there. When David was at the lowest point of his life, he remembered that God was still with him.

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me.” (Psalm 13: 5-6)

David’s faith serves as a sober reminder to focus my eyes on my Creator rather than on those He created. The world and everything in it, including me, are flawed and imperfect – but God never is.

God’s love is ever faithful. God’s promises will always endure. God’s provision will always sustain. I won’t let the world or anyone in it determine my worth. God never disappoints, and I will always trust in Him.

Come what may, God’s wisdom prevails

By Sara | January 23, 2022

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

I’m a reasonably patient person, but six months of delays followed by a poor outcome won’t win me any awards for enhanced endurance. Rather, I must admit to recently reaching the end of my tolerance level.

I’ve been waiting for six months for a contractor to begin working on a screen porch project at my home. I first contacted him in July and was anxious for the work to start in August. No such luck.

His first excuse was that the materials would take eight weeks to arrive. Whenever I asked if he’d ordered them, he’d tell me he was out of the office and would do so “soon.” The project was projected to commence in September and then bumped to October. In October, I asked if I’d have the porch by Thanksgiving. It was promised that I would.

A week before the holiday, with no word on a start date, I told my contractor I had the feeling he didn’t want to do my work. He admitted to putting me off because he wasn’t happy with our agreed-upon pricing. I agreed to a significant price increase hoping that the building would finally ensue. A month later – just ten days before Christmas, it did.

A week into the build, I held significant reservations about the project’s quality—a rush to complete things before the holidays left me feeling worse. The roofer walked off the job mid-day, and my contractor’s helper moved into the truck in the afternoon – not wanting to work in the cold weather. We agreed to pause while I was traveling.

When I returned from the holidays, I expected work to continue. Instead, my project manager told me that he had been in the hospital for a few days. A week later, he called to say he quit.

Frustrated and anxious over my half-built porch and not knowing how to proceed, I didn’t sleep well that night. My mind has a way of embedding itself into problems until I’ve reached a solution.

“Let anyone who lacks wisdom ask of God.” That Bible verse repeated itself in my mind as I lay awake for hours in the middle of the night. It became my prayer – my mantra.

I need your wisdom, God. Show me what to do, I cried out. Let anyone who lacks wisdom ask of God. I’m asking You. Please show me Your wisdom.

After rising the following day, I called the contractor who had built my former screen porch and asked him to look at the creation. To say he was shocked at the project’s quality is putting it mildly.

“This is the worst work I’ve ever seen in my life,” he told me.

“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse,” I replied. “I’m happy to be validated but frustrated to hear that things are so bad.”

By the end of our discussion, he advised me to rip everything down and start over. I agreed to have him do so.

I also reached out to the franchise owner to request a refund for his subcontractor’s faulty work. A day later, he returned a third of my money with no apology. I’ve been fighting for the remainder of my payment ever since.

While I know God gave me the wisdom to find another contractor, this entire project has been quite an ordeal. Rather than celebrating my home’s new addition, I’ve been frustrated and frazzled every step of the way.

But perhaps, I need to look at this differently.

*Stripped to the bare bones, my porch project begins anew.*

My subcontractor’s decision to quit allowed me the opportunity to assess his work and secure corrections before everything was completed. In a way, this setback afforded me a better product in the long run. God intervened before things got worse.

This isn’t the first time my patience and trust have been taken advantage of, and it likely won’t be the last. Nevertheless, I can’t let the actions of others change who I am.

I’m reminded of an Irish prayer that summarizes this sentiment.

Count Your Blessings
Count your blessings instead of your crosses.
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes.
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your laughs instead of your tears.
Count your kind deeds instead of our mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth.
Count on God instead of yourself.
– Author Unknown

And so I shall. God has blessed me more than I deserve, so I will concentrate on all the good things in my life and let go of the bad. While I can’t always count on things to turn out the way I want them to, I know my heavenly Father will never let me down. God’s wisdom far exceeds my own.

I’m still learning to let go of the stressors in my life, but I will trust God to bring the resolution that He desires. His outcome, His governance is all that matters. I will, therefore, rest in the arms of Jesus, come what may.

Tag: #TrustinGod