Peace

I have been thinking about my last post

and I think God is convicting me.

(so for whoever was praying for that you got your answer)

 

I want things to fall into place for us...

I want Bo's job to be a consistent 9-5, M-F job, our house to sell, and us all to move at the same time,
but it is looking less and less like that.

  As I look at the future I see long separations, tight budgets, and loneliness.

So often I want life to be easier than it is.

 I think we have hit our quota of trials and hardship for the year.

I don't want to admit what I know to be true,
 life is not meant to be easy or comfortable even as a Christian,

 or maybe especially as a Christian. 

I want peace from the storm,
 but God is calling me to only seek peace in him. 

I know God has a plan for our lives,
 but sometimes the plan includes horrible things. 

 

I think about Paul and all he endured. 

He says in 2 Corinthians,

"I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.    Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,  I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.   I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked."  (11:23b-27)

 

 How I long to be like Paul who despite all these hardships, and more,
 responded well when God said,

“' 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'   Therefore I (Paul) will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9b-12)
 

So I have come to the place, once again, of pleading with God not for the things I want,

or have diluted myself into thinking I deserve,

but in begging that God will give me a contentment and peace in the midst of whatever He may bring so that I may boast with Paul, 

^"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:12-13)

The good way, the ancient path...

Jeremiah 6:16a

"This is what the Lord says:

'Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.' "

Ever feel like you have wandered into a wooded maze in life?

Ever wonder which path is the best path to get you out of the maze and into the straight paths again?

I am smack in the middle of the maze and I can't see over the bushes and around the trees.

I am pleading with God to show us the ancient path

that will lead us onto the path He desires for our family.

My family and I are at the crossroads and we are asking God for the ancient path.

Lord, where is the good way?  Help us walk in it and find rest for our souls.

Bo has been laid off the majority of 2012.  Since January he has worked one full week, and usually only one day a week, if that.  God has faithfully provided the income we need to cover our bills but it is not the life we would choose.  Men were not intended to sit at home.  It is not looking any better as we move forward into fall.  Over the four years we have been with this company we have gotten used to the layoffs from Jan. to May., but never this long.  It being one of the better HVAC companies in the valley we know there is little hope for finding another job here.  Over the last 7 years Bo has struggled with the same issues in construction and HVAC.  He loves working in these fields because they provide variety everyday and the hands on work.  We know from experience that a job can make or break a man.  Though never intended to be fun (as any punishment shouldn't be), it should provide a level of enjoyment and satisfaction.

So this week we put our house on the market.  Bo has been looking for several weeks for work in the Northwest, but especially in the Olympia area as we have wanted to move there for years.  We are praying that God will put everything into place just as we need it.  We try not to worry about the house selling before he gets a job, or him getting a job months before the house sells.  And we try not to worry about choosing "a job" and not picking the job that is best.  And than there is the issue of keeping the house clean while you wait for it to sell with 5 kids climbing walls and just being kids.  But the truth is we worry.  We worry that God is not listening anymore because we have plead with Him so many times to lead us to the right job, and instead of life getting any better the wallet gets tighter and the struggles get harder.  Do I believe in prosperity living?  No, but I do believe that when we seek God with all our hearts He will lead us to a place of peace, and we have not had that for awhile.  I praise Him that the struggle has brought us closer to Him and given us opportunities to rely on Him to provide and care for us.  I pray that we have used the struggles to effectively honor and worship God.  Sometimes its hard to see Him working in the daily life, but I know that He is there because I have felt His presence in my dark days.

Please pray for us that God will show us the path, the good way, and that we will find rest for our souls because after this last years struggles and pains we need a time of healing rest and peace.