Lady in Waiting...

I have been reading and a lot of the material I have come in contact to reading lately has been talking about waiting, being patient and putting your hope in the Lord. So I took it upon myself to read the story of Hannah for some insight. In 1Samuel Chapters 1 and 2 are telling the story of Hannah and her cry to God for help. Hannah was a barren woman. But being barren does not describe WHO Hannah is, yet because this was a known fact (everyone knew because she had no children)she was labeled and made fun of because of her barrenness. And to add insult to injury, her husband had another wife. This other wife made it hard for Hannah by rubbing it all in her face because she had children and Hannah did not. Sound familiar? This lady was using what God blessed her with to belittle another. Merriam-Webster defines barren as being not productive, not bearing fruit, devoid or lacking, lacking interest or charm, etc. Basically, barren means empty plain and simple. How many of us tend to feel barren in our own lives? I don't have that car. I don't have that job. My kids are lost and I don't know what to do. I don't have a husband. I know you're probably wondering what am I getting at because when we think of being barren, we automatically tend to think of not being able to bear children. But as I studied this thing, I was looking for God to speak to my situation. We all have situations...yep we do. I came to the idea that my barrenness may not be the same as your barrenness and vice versa. You see when God created us He already knew us. He already had our life story written, for He is Alpha and Omega; the author and finisher of our faith. He knew there would be some things we longed for in this life. Many of us could easily get to feeling like Hannah after year after year of no change in our condition or should I say our situation. Hannah was longing for a child, so much so that her husband felt sorry for her. He loved her and accepted her but this was not enough for Hannah. She could only could get what her heart was desiring from God. Remember I wrote in a post one time, "Lord help me to be able to handle what I have been desiring when you do give it to me"? Well, can we handle the gifts He gives? Do you think that is why we may be in waiting right now? Do you think that if He gave it to us we'd keep our end of the deal and honor Him and not make idols of the gifts? You see Hannah had gotten so bitter and hurt about this thing she was dealing with that she cried out to God in prayer. WAIT!!!!!!!!!!! You mean to tell me that this lady cried to God in prayer? To the same God that many probably teased her about and may have blamed for her barrenness. Yes! She did. God was her last hope. How many of you are down to your last hope right now? Hannah not only prayed and asked God to deliver her from that situation, but she also told Him that if He would grant her request to allow her to bear a son she would give her son back to Him. Now me personally, I'm thinking how in the world could this woman say this!?! Here she is begging for a son and now she's saying she's going to give him back. But as I pondered on this...I began to see just how strong Hannah was, just how strong her faith was. So now I'm like, God give me some of that faith like Hannah. Lord help me to cry out to you to deliver me from my barrenness. Lord help me to wait for you and your timing for I know that this is just a test of my faith. Lord help me to not grow weary in doing good and help me to believe that in due season I shall reap if I don't give up (Galatians 6:9). Guess what, Hannah got her wish, not only did God give her a son but He also gave her three sons and two daughters! What an AMAZING God we serve!! If He can do it for Hannah, ladies He can do it for us! Ladies, let us not grow weary in the wait. But let this be a time to surround ourselves with God. Some of us have a barrenness that's not as open for others to see, but guess what...God knows and He sees. He also sympathizes with us. He wants the very best for us. Whatever your barrenness is, I hope and pray for us all that we turn it over to God and trust Him and His timing. I pray for patience because it's going to take a lot of it. And when you have time, take a moment to read over Hannah's story in 1Samuel Chapters 1 & 2 and know that God has not forgotten you. "Don't get discouraged by what you see, but be encouraged by what you don't see". Blessings, ~Liz~

Far from perfect

Hello ladies! I've been MIA on the blog; I've been busy with church and busy with life. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. I enjoyed the break and spending time with my son. This has been the best Easter so far. On Good Friday, April 6, 2012 I woke up with joy in my heart for what Jesus did for me, you, my son, all of us. I wrote a post on facebook that stated: "Because He lives I faced yesterday, because He lives I face today and because He lives I have hope to face tomorrow. I'm not perfect but, because He is I don't have to be." I don't know why I woke up with that in my spirit, but I did. It's good to know in a fallen world that is filled with endorsing beauty as being the woman who is size 2 with flawless makeup and no signs of flaws as the way to be. But in actuality, we ALL have flaws and fall short in this life. If someone does not like you or accept you for WHO you are then you don't need them in your life anyway. I get tired of seeing the young ladies saying how they feel so down, "but then I heard from you" is what they'll say. Honey, a man should never define who you think you are or how you feel about yourself! And I can say this to you because I've been there. Anyone who truly wants you will respect you and admire your inner beauty, what's in your heart. My cousin wrote a post that "if your man can't lead you in worship then leave his butt behind, if your woman can't pray with you or tell you something about the Lord then she might not be the one for you". I agree, now that I'm older and have some life experiences, I think he is exactly right. We don't want the one who is seeking God, trying to do right. We want flashy; we want instant gratification. This is why so many marriages may have problems today and fall apart. This is why there are single parents. There is not ENOUGH of God in our homes and in our hearts! This is what we allow ourselves to accept, when we accept less than the best. Ladies we were made for more! God wants more for us. This is why He died, so we can have more. It starts with us though. We have to want more, expect more and demand more.

I remember I used to think I had to be a certain way; I wanted a certain life. Many of you can relate to this I'm sure. We as women, when we were little girls, we often dream of our life for the future: the fairytale wedding, the beautiful kids, the great job and the great husband. Sometimes we get what we want and sometimes we don't. But it's not to say that we aren't good enough or undeserving, better yet that we never will. Sometimes, we are not ready to receive what we thinkwe are. We may can't handle it. God may have something or someone better who will appreciate you for all your worth. This can be a hard pill to swallow. It feels like rejection, but it's really just God's protection. He knows what we can handle and when we can handle it.

It's easier said than done, trust me I know :) But we have to trust Him. The word trust has been surrounding me lately it seems. I keep getting words from His word telling me to trust Him. So it is my prayer for you and myself that we all can learn to trust the Lord with ALL of our heart. (Not just some of it or with some things) I pray that we lean on Him and not our own understanding. I pray that we acknowledge Him with ALL our ways so that He can make our paths straight. You see if we don't, we make our own paths longer to where He wants us to be. I'm learning this.
I may have been all over the place while writing this, but I hope you get what I'm trying to say. :)

I hope you ladies have a blessed week! <3 you!

Blessings,
~Liz~