Hello again, Friend! I'm here with a new post: a story + an urge for you, Dear Reader.
Sometimes I enjoy sewing. At least, at the beginning of yesterday I did. I rummaged through our closet to find the heavy, pink sewing machine and pulled it out, set up my projects, and prepared to run them through the machine!
But first, my toddler sister and I paused and asked the Lord to help the machine work and enable us to finish the project successfully.
I replaced the needle I broke last time (*covers face*) and began!
After a few minutes, it was a mini disaster. The thread kept knotting, and I cut it and restarted again and again. Then I even took apart the entire machine (at least twice), cleaned it, and it still knotted.
My sister watched. When it messed up yet again, her lips turned downward. "I'm sorry." She gave me a genuine hug.
But she also thought and looked at me as it seemed our prayer didn't work. "Maybe," she said, just honest, "Maybe God doesn't love us this time."
We stopped right there as I explained that prayer doesn't work that way. God loves us so much even in hard things, and often, those hard things are for good in the end; He has a purpose.
But isn't it a lie we might secretly wonder?
In those mundane moments of life, or when things are going wrong, there's that nagging thought that prayer isn't working or maybe God doesn't love us this time. Maybe if we disobey one too many times He will give up on us. Maybe we’re not doing something right.
I stood by that machine, ready to shove it back into the closet and forget the project altogether. I didn't. The machine began to run (I seriously have no idea how), and I broke the needle again. *giggle* I kept going, and somehow, the next day, I have those same projects on my desk, sewn and nearly completed.
And I can say, I'm glad it didn't work perfectly the first time.
I'm glad I had to learn patience and perseverance.
I'm glad I got to keep praising God when things went "wrong."
These projects were fought for. What should have taken 30 minutes instead took two hours, but He showed me a tiny piece of His heart; He completely, 100% answered the prayer I prayed at the beginning.
But friend, sometimes we have to fight for perseverance.
Keep going. Keep believing. Keep praying.
Keep loving that person that shows no fruit. Keep pursuing Jesus when the enemy attacks you with lies or reveals your inadequacies. Keep searching the Scriptures even if it’s hard. Keep praying when you don't see an answer.
The Truth?
Because of Jesus, we can have peace with God, and there is no condemnation.
Not works. Not us. All Jesus’ incredible grace.
What’s awesome is that He chose every believer before the foundation of the world—that means it’s not based off our attempts right now; justification is something He does in us, not us for Him!! (Read Ephesians 1:4 and Romans 8:29-35!)
So dear brother or sister, I challenge you to persevere and keep the loyalty. Discovering Jesus is a treasure worth giving everything for.
Lies are what the enemy attacked us with in the beginning (read Genesis 3!), and he is still attacking us today. So I'm fighting for Truth. I'm digging in the Scripture and basing my life off those words. I'm seeking and praying to replace thoughts in my head that aren't from the Lord with ones of praise, humility, and the love relationship Jesus and I have.
Fight on, friend.
I thought this would make me finally stop enjoying sewing, but who knows? In a few weeks, I'll probably get a hankering for some needle excitement again. *wink* But for now, I'm sewing on buttons, snipping off string, and ready to package them as gifts. I'm glad I didn't give up, because it was worth it, like how Jesus is worth it.
...knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
~♥~
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