God blesses all of us in the rain that falls down,
the sun that shines and all the things we enjoy in nature. However the Bible
says that if you obey God, He will bless you. That is the kind of blessing I am
talking about; personal blessings.
Looking back over the last 3 years, my life has
been one blessing after the other. It started just after I gave my heart to
God, even before I learnt what it meant to be obedient. In the first 6 months
after my husband moved out, I managed to keep the roof over our heads and food
on our table, despite the fact that for 4 of the first 6 months I did not earn
a sent, except for the R 2000 I received from my husband towards child
maintenance. Considering that my rent was almost R4000 alone, it was a miracle
that we did not end up on the street. However God knew what I needed and in His
perfect grace He provided. In the 3 years that followed not once did I not have
what I needed? Talking to a friend the other day we marvelled at the fact,
that the figures didn't add up and still we survived. But it's more than just
surviving. I am happy and at peace, despite sometimes having to face really difficult
circumstances. It is all God! He brought all the people I needed into my life
at the right time. Not only did He bring them into my life, but He made it
possible for them to bless me.
Every single person that played a role in my life
after my divorce, God brought into my life for a specific purpose. I could not
see it then, but now I can. All of them were blessed in some way and in return
they blessed me in whichever way I needed at the time. It wasn't just the
financial support they gave me, but the emotional support I received, that made
these people so extra special. Never in my life have I been surrounded by so
many people who really cared about me. They gave of their time and money to
someone, who in some instances they hardly knew.
Last Friday I was told by people who I have known
for just over 6 months that they want to bless me with a new car. Their reason:
They want me to be safe on the roads and because they can and want to do it.
How awesome is that! Yesterday I saw this verse in the Bible: 1 John 3:17 “If someone has
enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no
compassion - how can God's love be in that person.” If ever this
verse applies to someone, it applies to the couple who bought me that car. I
have seen them go out of their way to help other people as well, not expecting
anything in return. Looking at their lives I can see the quiet peace and joy
that is part of who they are. It is a peace and joy that can only come from
knowing God personally.
Not only am I blessed in that all my needs are
taken care of, but God blessed me by changing my personality. Yes my
personality! I used to be very impatient, stressed out, often angry and so the
list goes on. This morning was a perfect example of how much I have been
renewed. I was late getting the kids to school and then my son realised he
forgot his PT clothes. I went home, not puffed up and irritated, like I so
often would have been in the past, and got his clothes. When I started the car,
the car's exhaust made this very weird sound. It sounded as if the whole thing
was loose. In the past that would have been enough to spoil my whole day, but I
have also find the quiet strength and peace that comes from having a
relationship with God. Within the half hour before I had to leave for work, I
dropped the clothes off and had the exhaust sorted out without paying a sent,
which BTW I would not have been able to do because I had no money for extras. Not
only did God smooth the pathway for me, but through His strength I manage to
stay calm and not completely loose it. He went on to bless me even more. Things
have been very slow this month at work, but today I treated more patients than
any other day this month and when we got home this afternoon there was a
peacefulness about the afternoon, unlike so many other afternoons when I have
to run around making sure homework is done and preparing things for the next
day. On top of that the insurance company phoned me, instead of me them saving
me a lot of money, and by 16h00 this afternoon my car’s insurance was also
sorted out. (PS: For all South Africans – OUTsurance rocks! Excellent service!)
So a day that in the past would have been a total
disaster because of how it started turned into a total blessing simply because
I allowed God to be in control. I don't know where I am going to get the money
to put the car on my name and to pay the insurance, but I do know that this car
is a blessing from God and if He blessed me with it, He will blessed me with
the money to do what I have to do in order to look after my blessing. I also
know that He would want me to use it as a means to be a blessing to others as
well. I don't know how yet, but I asked Him to show me what He wants me to do
and I just know that this car has a part in what He is planning for me.
My point being: Never in all my life have I
experienced the kind of peace I am experiencing now, despite situations that in
the past would have driven me bonkers with stress and frustration. Never before
have I experienced the joy in friendships like I do now. Never before have I
found myself feeling so content just enjoying the quiet, as often as I do now.
Never before have I seen and appreciated the small things in life, as I do now.
Never before have I felt more blessed than I do now and never before have
I wanted to bless others more than I do now.
I came from a totally broken and lost person to
where I am now and I would never in a million years have thought it was
possible to change so much in just 3 years. Not only did God change me as a
person, but He also gave me a whole new perspective on life. A perspective that
changed the way I look at things completely and allowed me to find peace in the
knowledge that it’s not me, but Christ in me. Just imagine what I will look and
feel like in another 10/20 years. It makes me excited about what lies ahead.
They say never say never, but I want to say never ever will the future scare me
again. I face it boldly, knowing that never again will I face it alone. I can't
help it and I have no control over it, but my life just overflows with joy. The
only control I have is in saying yes, yes, yes to Jesus Christ!
I told my son tonight that if having this kind of
joy and peace, means having to suffer while we are on earth, I will gladly give
up any earthly pleasures for what will be mine one day, when life on this earth
will be finished as we know it now. It will be worth every single sacrifice, if
feeling the way I do now, is what lies ahead of me. The best part is that what
I have now is only the smallest part of what is promised to me. Some of you
might think I am crazy and a fool for feeling the way I do, but I azure you I
am not. 3 Years ago I would have rolled my eyes at what I am writing now, but
not anymore. I cannot deny what have happened to me and are still happening to
me neither can I deny what I am feeling.
The song “Rooftops” by Jesus Culture says it all. I
have listened to this song a 1000 times and every time I want to cry, shout and
dance. I have fallen head over heels in love with God. Don't worry I'm not a
Bible pusher. God is a gentleman and he won't force anyone. When you accept Him,
you do it because you want to and only then do you start to feel like dancing
and singing. It’s like a drug accept you don’t feel empty when you come off it,
you feel fuller. More complete. The addiction don’t lie in your need to get
high again after you came of the drug, it lies in your need and recognition
that the high do not depend on your physical circumstances. You do not have to smoke,
drink or inject yourself, destroying your health and state of mind. All you
have to do is empty yourself of you and fill yourself with the Holy Spirit.
When people look at you, they won’t see a person defeated by life, but one
experiencing life in all its abundance.
CS Lewis said it so well. He said that you can recognise the “new person” by the fact that he is
stronger, quieter, happier and more radiant.
They start where most people stop. They are recognisable, but you have to know what you are looking for. They don’t
normally look like what the world would like you to think “religious people”
look like. They don’t walk in the lime light.
While you think you are being good to them, they are actually being good to you. They love
you more than other people do, but they need
you less. (We should get away from “wanting” to feel needed.) They also
look like they have plenty of time and
people will wonder where they get it from. He also says that he has a strong
feeling that they will without a doubt recognise
each other, across all borders of colour, race, sex, age and even
religious traditions. It’s almost as if holiness allows you to belong to a
secret organisation. To put it mildly it must be huge fun.
And boy! Is it fun!
ROOFTOPS
by
Jesus
Culture
Here
I am before You,
Falling in love
and seeking Your truth.
Knowing
that Your perfect grace,
Has
brought me to this place.
Because
of You I freely live,
My
life to You oh God I give.
So
I stand before You God,
I
lift my voice cause You set me free.
So
I shout out Your name,
From
the rooftops I proclaim,
That
I am Yours,
I
am Yours.
All
the good You’ve done for me,
I
lift up my hands for all to see.
You’re
the only one,
Who
brings me to my knees.
To
share this love across the earth,
The
beauty of your holy
Word.
So
I kneel before you God,
I
lift my hands cause You set me free.
So
I shout out Your name,
From
the rooftops I proclaim,
That
I am Yours,
I
am Yours.
All
that I am,
I
place into your loving hands,
And
I am Yours,
I
am Yours.
Here
I am I stand with arms wide open,
To
the one the Son the everlasting God
The
everlasting God.
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