I don't know if anyone noticed, but Gospel Girl started strong and has kind of slipped off the radar here lately. There is one thing I know, the enemy smiles when we are up to our ears in work, but he trembles when we pray; when we take a stand and claim our identities as children of the Almighty God, satan has to leave at the sound of His Great Name. Jesus Christ gave His life so that we may have life abundantly and I start with all of this to say; I'm here to stay. I may only have a few precious moments right now, but I won't allow anything to get in the way of the work God has started in me! So, all together now, even if under your breath just say it, "Jesus". Now we can move on to a brief summary of how come this blog took so long to post!
There has been a lot of activity in the life of Gospel Girl. This has been a season of change and growth for me and just when I think I get a handle on one thing, God leads me to something else. I praise Him and the wisdom He so lovingly shares with his precious children! See, I had two other posts that are still sitting in my "drafts" pile which would've made for good posts, but I think I clued everyone in at the start that I can't phone it in. My heart was in what I was writing, I thought it was pretty funny and somewhat thought provoking stuff, don't get me wrong. The Holy Spirit wasn't jiving with it though and so I decided to pray about it until I got the green light. Which came this morning. This is a pretty huge accomplishment for your impatient, high-metabolism having sister! One of my greatest struggles is letting go and letting God. How many times have I entered into prayer with an earnest desire for God's will to manifest in my life, but on my timeframe? Oh, the times I have asked for answers and when I didn't get them as quickly as Google could deliver, I just threw my hands up and continued to do whatever it is I hadn't heard back on yet! Have you done this?
How merciful God must be to put up with our demands. Any of you have children? Know children? Seen children on tv? Surely you've heard of them. They are smallish people with big demands and typically do not possess a whole bunch of patience or practical been-around-awhile knowledge to keep them from falling off of roofs or setting the house on fire. I know a few who would like to think they know more than I do, in fact I know a certain four year old who is the greatest back seat driver that ever was. One morning after delivering his brother to the bus stop, I asked little bossy bones if he wanted to sit in my lap and steer us back to the house since apparently he wasn't quite impressed with my 6:30 a.m. driving ability that got us there. With a huge grin that read let-me-show-you-how-it-is-done, bossy bones got in my lap and gripped the steering will and said, "Mom, push the gas!". I assured him that I was letting him steer without any help, which worked out momentarily as the street we were on was a straight shot. When we stopped at the stop sign and then started to turn the corner, I noticed that bossy bones wasn't turning left hard enough and calmly said, "Sweet stuff, you have to turn harder!", to which he replied, "you have to go faster!". I explained that if we went faster, we would end up in the yard of some poor soul who wasn't counting on their lawn being used as a learning tool that quiet morning. I was met with a fierce stubbornness that possibly could be a genetic trait and as we made a very wide left turn and ran aground on said neighbor's lawn, bossy bones started shouting "Stop Mama!!!". A few moments of frustration followed and a humble little boy looked at me with big crocodile tears and said, "I don't want to drive anymore." What we agreed on from that point is that he would drive, but only under my guidance. After we made it home safely and without disturbing the lawns of any of our other unsuspecting neighbors, it occured to me that the lesson learned was more for me and not little bossy bones. How many times has God lovingly tried to steer me and how many times have I gripped the wheel and argued that I know what I'm doing?
I've ran aground on circumstances a lot less innocent than perfectly manicured grass and there Jesus was, patiently and so lovingly waiting for me to admit that I didn't know at all how to drive. Not God's way anyhow. Submission to the will of our Father is difficult and all we have to do is remember Jesus praying in Gethsemane to remind of just how difficult it is. Our savior, Jesus Christ, knew that he was staring down death at the hands of sinners and said "Abba Father all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will". Mark 14:32. The struggle of the flesh is a very real thing, it is weak! In the flesh, Jesus asked if there was any way around what was about to happen, but knew that it was God's will and accepted death FOR US and I know I have mentioned it before, but even as he hung there dying asked God to forgive us sinners because we did not know any better!! What love is this?! Christ showed us that no matter what we face, if we accept God's will "For those who love God all things work together for good." Romans 8:28. Good. Don't you want good?? I do! What's so amazing about this is that anyone who has accepted His will find that it goes beyond good. Joy is what you will find. Pure Joy, thick and sweet enough to ice a cake with, will surface in your life and you won't have a vocabulary elaborate enough to explain it. It eclipses all affliction with His Glory.
I want to challenge you to look at a situation in your life where you are gripping the steering will so tight that your hands hurt from the effort of it. Now, try this; slide over to the passenger seat and say "Look God, no hands. Take me where You need me to go!". Let Him drive for you and just enjoy the ride.
Thank you for continuing to allow me to share my heart with all of you. Joy be with you.
Love Does Not Demand Its Own Way.
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