A Confederate Soldier's Prayer

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health, that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked for riches, that I might be happy.
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for but got everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am, among all people, most richly blessed.

{found on page 536 of The War Between the States}

My Life Right Now

          I was planning on Saturday to post on Monday... but it didn't happen. And the next day was Sunday and I decided not to schedule the post, because first I would need to write it. And on Monday I didn't plan anything, because I forgot that I needed to, and we tried to start our school-year. I say 'tried' because we realized that we needed another week to get ready. And then on Tuesday night I remembered that I needed to plan to post, only it was too late and I needed to go to bed so that I could get up early to try to do some prep work for school next week. All day Wednesday I told myself that I would blog later, because we had kids over all day and I skipped all preparation for school next week so that I could can from the garden before the tomatoes rotted. On Thursday I continued to prepare for the next school week, and went to music lessons and read some books and went to pick up more beans so that I could can more, and then watched some of the movie that matched my book. And today I did a full day of school just to make sure that it worked and I could do it, and later we're having a friend over to spend the night because we never get to see her, and Mom wants me to do the laundry if I get a minute because she's still trying to finish up the little-kid's school.
 
          This is my life right now. :)
  
          I'm trying to enjoy every second of it, and not miss a moment, because very soon it's going to change. And then it won't ever be the same again, and I'll miss what I once thought was unorganized chaos and running wildly all day long, trying to be in control of our lives.

          In fact, I think that most people lose a lot of time trying to stay on top of things. And I don't think that you can! The only One who can possibly control our lives is God, so I've been trying to give Him my days.

          When the schedule messes up, and nothing happens the way I want it to, and I feel like I had a useless day- I need to remember that every day is a gift from God. He delights in giving us good things, and the only useless day is the one that I spent without rejoicing in Him and praising Him for the good He gives.

          So I apologize for not posting on time... but life took over! Maybe we could start our verses next week?

          "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." ~Eph. 3:20-21

                           ~Emily^"""      

Good Plans

"As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind ?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents ; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." --John 9: 1-3

In this amazing New Testament story, a man's sight is given to him by Jesus after he's lived his whole life thus far blind. At this time, the Pharisees told people that if they committed certain sins, then God would give them certain illnesses as punishments. So Jesus' disciples wanted to know why this man was born blind; could it have been in punishment of something his parents did before he was born? Jesus' answer reveals a wonderful truth about God in our lives:

Everything is for the glory of God. It's not about you.

That man was not blind through a certain fault that he had; after all, everyone sins! He was blind "so that the works of God might be displayed in him." And God used this circumstance in the man's life to lead him to a knowledge of Jesus Christ. It was also for the man's own good that he was blind.

I'm absolutely certain that the blind man was not happy about being blind. He didn't think, "Hurray! God made me blind for a wonderful reason that I just don't know yet. I must be so special." I'm sure that he did not want to be blind. Yet God used that circumstance for great good, and that man's healing and faith are still witnesses to people today.

God's plans for out lives are good, even when we can't see why. And they are meant to give glory to God while helping His chosen people to grow closer to Him. I was struck with another example of this while reading the story of Joseph.

Do you remember what happened to Joseph? It all started when Jacob, Joseph's father, was tricked into marrying Leah instead of Rachel. He got to marry Rachel too eventually, but then the two sisters were stuck in an impossible situation. Leah knew that Jacob loved Rachel more than her. And Rachel was barren, while Leah easily gave birth to numerous sons to carry on Jacob's seed. So of course it was very natural for their children to hate each other. Rachel finally gave birth (to Joseph), and Jacob made him his favorite child, simply because he was Rachel's. Now Leah's sons had two reasons to hate Joseph: He was Rachel's son, and their father loved him more than them.

This sets the stage for Joseph's life story. Through interesting circumstances, Leah's sons are alone with Joseph out in the middle of nowhere. And they're more than normally angry with him. They almost decide to kill him, but then determine that selling him into slavery is a better idea.

So they do.

He was sold by his own brothers into slavery. Can you imagine your siblings doing that to you? This turns out pretty well, however, considering the circumstances. A good man (Potiphar) buys Joseph and treats him well, and pretty soon he's in charge of Potiphar's whole household, because he is blessed by God in everything he does. But then, through no fault of his own, he's thrown into prison.

The same thing happens in the prison that happened in Potiphar's house: Joseph is promoted over and over again until he's in a good position in the prison. He continues to honor God and do good things through this whole ordeal, and eventually he is second in command to Pharoh. Because of his obedience to God, he is able to save many people from starving to death when a great famine comes over the land. And after all that, this is what Joseph has to say about what God has done with his life:

"Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come closer to me." And they came closer. And he said, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. "Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. "For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. "God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. "Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God ; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt." --Genesis 45:4-8

I don't know about you, but Joseph's words here always blow me out of the water! Joseph truly got it; he understood why his life had unfolded a certain way. Eventually, Joseph's father is reunited with him. Jacob is overjoyed to see his son again, and Joseph introduces his father to Pharoh:

"Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh ; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How many years have you lived ?" So Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty ; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning." "--Genesis 47:7-9

"Few and unpleasant have been the days of my life"?! What a contrast! Whose life seems harder to you, Joseph's or Jacob's? I would definitely say Joseph's. And yet who is complaining? Jacob. Joseph is busy glorifying God.

Challenges and trials shape us into the people that God wants us to be. Joseph had learned through his troubles that God worked everything in his life for good. (Romans 8:28) He was able to look at the brothers who sold him into slavery in a foreign land and say, "Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life." Most of us will never be sold into slavery, but imagine what would happen if we were able to look at seemingly huge disappointments and thank God for them instead of complaining about them? Jacob chose to sit in misery and slowly waste away once he reached difficulties. He said ,"...few and unpleasant have been the years of my life...". How have you chosen to react in your life?

In every life there are trials and seasons of tribulation. Even if they're not direct, we all experience watching others go through them. But the plans that God has for our lives are good. (Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28) We can grow through the trials God allows, remembering that God works for our good, or we can waste away complaining like Jacob. What will you choose? Are you going to be a Joseph or a Jacob?

Joy in a World of Pain

For school this year I've been reading The War between the States, a really interesting history book on the American Civil War. As I've continued, I've read accounts of horrible things done by both sides during this devastating war, things that have made me feel sick. In addition to this book, I read Finnikin of the Rock; and Duncan's War, the first book in a trilogy about the Scottish Covenanters.

While I really enjoyed Finnikin of the Rock, I'm not recommending you read it. Unlike the Hunger Games, it can easily be related to real life, and the truth is hard. The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking, "I'm so glad that I live in a world of peace instead of a world of war. America is safe, and these horrible things don't happen here."

But I realized that I was wrong. This world is so broken, so full of sorrow and pain. And I don't know about you, but I can't deal with pain. At all. My heart gets numb, and all I can do is cry and try to hold myself together until the pain leaves. And this, from only secondary sources of pain. I haven't actually had to deal with personal pain myself.

And then I was handed a book. One Thousand Gifts. And I started to understand better how you can be hurt and still live with joy in this world of pain.

The Big Truth in that book is, "Our God is good." He delights in giving good gifts to His children. And His purpose is always to make us better and more like Him, even through really hard circumstances. He disciplines us because He loves us. No matter what happens, He will shape everything for His good purposes, and He is in control. And that is a very comforting thought to me.

In His Hand

'But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord,
I say, "You are my God."
My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my
enemies and from those who persecute me.'
~Psalm 31:14-15

This has become one of my very favorite Bible verses. If I had to pick a life verse, this would probably be it. It both comforts and humbles me.

I get very easily carried away with school and schedules and places to be and things to do, etc. etc. Life in general just carries me away and turns me into a person who is just marking things off her daily checklist without really enjoying every moment of the time that God has given her.

How often have you gotten up in the morning with concrete, constructive plans for the day only to have your beautiful plan torn from your hands, ripped up and sent through the paper shredder, and then sprinkled over your head just for good measure? (OK, I went overboard with that. Sometimes it does seem that way to me, though!)

I think that this is God's way of telling us that He already has plans for our day, and His plans are better than ours. WAY better. And when God rearranges my day, I am humbled and reminded of Him, and I stop thinking only of my plans.

In Proverbs 27 we read,

"Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth."

We can't know what will happen tomorrow. We may plan a family vacation for months only to have it cancelled because we all get sick. But God does know the future, and His plans are good. And our times are in His hand! Although the scenery of our life will change, we will always be standing on the same firm ground.