Yesterday,
my husband found a photograph of me from about 10 years ago.
Immediately, all the memories from the day that image was taken, came
rushing back to the forefront of my mind. I had my oldest daughter
Kyla with me; she was the only child back then and we were posing in
front of our red Ford Contour. Even though the body of the vehicle
looked nice enough, I remember how loud that thing was every time I
cranked it up. The engine light never went off and we needed to get
our brakes fixed.
as a young family without a whole lot of money to spare, we couldn't
afford the high cost of the repairs. So anyway, on the day that photo
was snapped, I had called my husband on the phone laughing, though I
was honestly frustrated deep inside. "Babe, tell me it's gonna
get better," I said to him, hoping he could say something
inspirational to cheer me up a little and help me feel better. Both
Kenya and I were convinced that the vehicle was on its last leg, and
would conk out any day. But you know what? Even though our little car wasn't in the best shape, it lasted up until we were able to get some things fixed on it, and eventually get something altogether better.
From
experiences like that, I've learned that the Lord doesn't always immediately make things "new"
in our lives; yet, He does, without fail, sustain us through our tough seasons.
I'm reminded of the passage of scripture in Deuteronomy 8:4 that
talks about how the Father took care of the children of Israel while they
were in the wilderness for 40 years. Scripture says, "Your clothes did not wear
out and your feet did not swell during these forty years."
I
don't recall reading anything about the Children of Israel
going on any "shopping sprees," but the Lord made it so the
clothes they did have,
didn't wear out.
Often, we make the mistake of getting so
fixated on wanting something new, different, and better, that we
forget to praise God for holding things together for us right where
we are.
You ought give Him glory for sustaining
you in your wilderness and favoring you in your dry place. There
might be a "famine" in the land, but don't worry about the
famine. Just give God thanks for feeding you in the midst
of famine; giving you
peace in the midst
of confusion; giving you joy in the midst
of sorrow; and
meeting your needs in the midst
of lack.
One day you'll look back on that turbulent period in your
life and declare, "If it had not been for the Lord who was on my
side, I would have been swallowed up, but His
grace and mercy kept me through it all!"
As always, thanks for
reading and until next time... may you be empowered to prosper!
Dianna
Hobbs
www.empoweringeverydaywomen.com
