At this point all they knew was wandering and instability. I wonder how they did with “be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid”. They had real challenges and obstacles. I don’t think we as people deal with uncertainty these days. It’s so easy to worry about the future, will I be able to fix my house, who will be the next president, what will my kids do when they get older, etc. I am not there, I don’t worry as much as my better half but some of that is chronic fatigue and intellectual laziness. Life has to be aboit following God and adapting to the circumstances that we have. I don’t know what will happen in 3-5 months when we do mold testing. If the results are high, yeah, I have some concern and anxiety about that, but I also know that 2-3 years from now, somehow we will be ok, God is the one that provides and He has a plan. We just have to be strong and of good courage and follow His commandments without turning to the left or the right.
"wandering and instability"...yep, that was certainly a part of it. But then again, there was a certain hope in where they were going, and a way of life that had been established for basically their whole life, and a mission to be fulfilled/mistake to be corrected when it was time to enter the land. They had all the answers for "what are we going to do when we get there?"...
...and their most recent history was defeating two kingdoms of their enemies, one of which was led by a legendary giant-king....so they knew 1) God was on their side, and 2) they could get the job done...
...it does get trickier applying these lessons to SETX in 2023, doesn't it? One perspective that we've kind of taken on is that we don't have to figure it all out this time around (let's call it this year)...we've got plenty of time to keep learning those lessons, keep making those adjustments, keep dealing with the drama that life seems to throw our way. We remember that we've been saved and set free from our past, and we're on our way to the life that He's prepared for us, and it's not over until it's over. A former pastor used to always say, "the journey is our friend". That may be true, but Aaron is also my friend, and it helps me a great deal to know that I'm not alone in this thing. I draw strength from knowing that you're a fellow traveler, and there are other guys like us too. That knowledge *may* not help with mold issues, but maybe it can! I know another fellow traveler like us who hasn't quite figured out "all the things", but might be able to help you out with this one. - jeffrey
It’s wild to think about Rahab sitting around in Jericho doing her ….business…not knowing the Israelites we’re coming nor that she would be part of the lineage to the future Messiah. We certainly don’t have the forethought or creativity of God!
that is true, brother. He takes all comers, and makes treasure out of what others may regard as trash. And help often comes from unexpected places, in unexpected ways. I think Paul summed it up later with something like "...so no one gets to brag, except to say 'Look at how God came through and saved the day!'" ...I look forward to Him coming through for us in ways both big and small along the way - seems like we always need him to save the day! lessons from our own wild journey on our way to where he's taking us, I suppose. - jeffrey
At this point all they knew was wandering and instability. I wonder how they did with “be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid”. They had real challenges and obstacles. I don’t think we as people deal with uncertainty these days. It’s so easy to worry about the future, will I be able to fix my house, who will be the next president, what will my kids do when they get older, etc. I am not there, I don’t worry as much as my better half but some of that is chronic fatigue and intellectual laziness. Life has to be aboit following God and adapting to the circumstances that we have. I don’t know what will happen in 3-5 months when we do mold testing. If the results are high, yeah, I have some concern and anxiety about that, but I also know that 2-3 years from now, somehow we will be ok, God is the one that provides and He has a plan. We just have to be strong and of good courage and follow His commandments without turning to the left or the right.
ReplyDelete"wandering and instability"...yep, that was certainly a part of it. But then again, there was a certain hope in where they were going, and a way of life that had been established for basically their whole life, and a mission to be fulfilled/mistake to be corrected when it was time to enter the land. They had all the answers for "what are we going to do when we get there?"...
Delete...and their most recent history was defeating two kingdoms of their enemies, one of which was led by a legendary giant-king....so they knew 1) God was on their side, and 2) they could get the job done...
Delete...it does get trickier applying these lessons to SETX in 2023, doesn't it? One perspective that we've kind of taken on is that we don't have to figure it all out this time around (let's call it this year)...we've got plenty of time to keep learning those lessons, keep making those adjustments, keep dealing with the drama that life seems to throw our way. We remember that we've been saved and set free from our past, and we're on our way to the life that He's prepared for us, and it's not over until it's over. A former pastor used to always say, "the journey is our friend". That may be true, but Aaron is also my friend, and it helps me a great deal to know that I'm not alone in this thing. I draw strength from knowing that you're a fellow traveler, and there are other guys like us too. That knowledge *may* not help with mold issues, but maybe it can! I know another fellow traveler like us who hasn't quite figured out "all the things", but might be able to help you out with this one.
Delete- jeffrey
It’s wild to think about Rahab sitting around in Jericho doing her ….business…not knowing the Israelites we’re coming nor that she would be part of the lineage to the future Messiah. We certainly don’t have the forethought or creativity of God!
ReplyDeletethat is true, brother. He takes all comers, and makes treasure out of what others may regard as trash. And help often comes from unexpected places, in unexpected ways. I think Paul summed it up later with something like "...so no one gets to brag, except to say 'Look at how God came through and saved the day!'"
Delete...I look forward to Him coming through for us in ways both big and small along the way - seems like we always need him to save the day! lessons from our own wild journey on our way to where he's taking us, I suppose.
- jeffrey