An Invitation for the Ladies

Yesterday in my Good News Monday post, I made mention to my life verse. Can you guess what it is? Well, it is found in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. and it says Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. We have all had our fair share of loss, disappointment and failures in life. Some of us more than others. Yet God's plan with our pain is the same for us all. His number one goal is to drive us into a relationship with Him, if we don't already have one and to strengthen our faith if we do. Then, he desires to heal us so that we would be able to use that pain for someone else's gain. Sounds simple, doesn't it?

With that said, I would like to let you know that I have been praying for you and would like to invite you to our first Women's Ministry Picnic at Doral Baptist Church. Ladies, this invitation is for you only. Come as you are and allow the Lord to begin the healing process in your life. Don't forget to bring your picnic blanket and bible (if you own one). Complimentary lunch will be served. Hope to see you there!

I am like Joseph

As part of my New Year's Resolutions this year I began reading through the bible in a year using the Discipleship Journal Plan. I am currently reading Joseph's story in the book of Genesis which I must say is an amazing book in the Old Testament and I could relate to him.

If you're not familiar with Joseph's story, here's what happened in a nutshell: Joseph was his father's favorite and so his brothers became very jealous of him. When Joseph told them their dream about his brothers bowing down to him that about did it and they decided to take him into the wild and kill him. However, they sold him into slavery instead so that they could make some money off of him (How's that for greed and envy?). But God had other plans and he eventually made his way to Potiphar's house. Potiphar's wife was attracted to Joseph and wanted to have sex with him but Joseph was loyal and knew that it was wrong and simply could not and would not sleep with her. She was enraged and humiliated so she falsely accused him of trying to have sex with her. Potiphar had him imprisoned immediately after he heard the allegations from his wife. During his imprisonment he met two of Pharaoh's hired men who needed their dreams to be interpreted and so Joseph did just that. Although one of the men promised he would tell Pharaoh, he forgot to do so and therefore Joseph remained in prison. It wasn't until two years later that Pharaoh needed his own dream interpreted and that was when the cup-bearer remembered that Joseph was able to interpret dreams. Joseph was summoned to interpret a very important dream for Pharaoh. When he did, Pharaoh himself gave him the highest position, second only to Pharaoh. During the 7 years of famine, Joseph's brothers were sent by his father to get grains which, was a source of nourishment, a basic necessity during that time for survival. Joseph recognized them immediately although they did not know it was their brother, the one they had sold into slavery. And it is at this point when Joseph comes face-to-face with his brothers that this verse appears in Genesis 41:24. "Now he turned away from them and began to weep. When he regained his composure, he spoke to them again. Then he chose Simeon from among them and had him tied up right before their eyes."

You see, Joseph had come a long way. All that his brothers meant for evil was turned around for good. God had been able to take Joseph out of Canaan and put him in a leadership position where he saved a nation. Judging by his accomplishments, he was by all means a successful man, however, that could not erase all the pain that he had experienced. If anyone could say that life was unfair, it was certainly Joseph's right. Yet, he never did. What he did do in that verse however shows me that no matter where you are, no matter how much God has been able to bless you and use your pain for good, when you have been hurt, it will always hurt. You see Joseph was no superman. The verse tells me that he the pain of what his brothers had done and put him through was very real. I can assume that he had forgiven his brothers because he gave them the grain free of charge (he returned their money in their sacks). It was not his intention to seek vengeance, but he still "wept" and needed a few moments to "regain his composure".

I can relate to this verse so well. I have suffered injustices in my life (as all of us have) yet for so long, I thought I had to suck it up. I thought that because I was a new creation in Christ, those things that had happened to me in my childhood and youth were no longer relevant. They no longer had to hurt but this verse shows me otherwise. When you have been harmed especially when it is unjust, no matter how much time has transpired, it will hurt. There is a wound.

I have not yet finished reading through the life of Joseph in Genesis but what I have read thus far has given me so much peace. I've always thought that I had to be strong but now I am sure that it is not I that needs to be strong, it is Christ through me that heals my pain and gives me the strength like he did to Joseph to "regain my composure".

I can honestly say that everything that has happened in my life, God has used for a purpose. And those things which seem unfair now, I am confident he will use them someday.

Here is my heart's prayer,

Dear Lord,

Thank you for your word. It is living and active and it has spoken to my heart. It has shown me how you took an innocent man and allowed him to live through unfair circumstances, to be falsely accused and imprisoned, yet you did not leave him there. You made him victorious and used him for your purpose. I pray that this may be true of my life. Lord, use those things you have allowed in my life for the good.

I also pray for those who are hurting and asking "Why Me?" that you would give them a peace that surpasses all understanding, that they would be able to rest in knowing that you are in control.

I thank you that one day, Lord, one day you rescued me from the miry clay. Thank you for being my savior, for being my everything. I love you!

In Jesus' Name,
AMEN

The complete story of Joseph can be found here in Genesis 37-50.

I am angry

As I sit here waiting for Danielle's mani/pedicure to be completed I am taking advantage of the fact that I have her handy dandy iPhone to update my blog.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately (and it's not that I don't think at other times but I just have less distractions now that I'm on summer vacation). One of the things that I've been thinking about is my anger. Some of you who may know me a little better may not be surprised that I am writing about my anger. But I think the majority of you reading this post have no idea (I probably do a good job of hiding it) that I struggle with anger.

The truth of the matter is that I am a very angry person and many times I fail to identify what the cause of my anger is. Something as minor as being late can make me angry and yet the very things that I should be angry about such as the lack of empathy I have for the "orphans and widows" do not stir me to action. As a consequence, I find that many times I let it out on those who love me the most (my mom and Lucas).

Anger in and of itself is not a negative emotion but the way we respond to it has the potential to destroy us and those around us if mishandled. Currently I am working through a workbook titled "The Anger Workbook". It has helped me become aware of the little things that get my blood boiling.

I really debated on whether or not I should post this but I quickly realized that everything God has been demonstrating through his word shows that great men and women in the bible struggled with something. Moses had a speech impediment, David was an adulterer and Paul persecuted the Christians before his conversion, yet God used them despite their flaws to accomplish great things for his kingdom. Paul puts it like this, But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I 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 12:9-10)

I pray whether you are a follower of my blog or just someone who happened to stop by today that if the Lord is working in your heart on a specific area, that you would be able to find the comfort and healing he has so faithfully provided me with. I am not at the end of my journey, I am merely at the beginning but as I've said in the past, "I am confident that He who began a good work in [me] will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).