God Knows Me Best

By Pat

I often struggle with feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty in my Christian walk, feeling like I don't have the knowledge and confidence required to move forward in certain areas. I allow what I see in myself to supersede what God sees in me, and become afraid to take chances for fear of failure. For instance, many times I have considered hosting a Bible study, but have never felt that I could be an effective group leader, and am afraid I might say something wrong.

I forget that God is in control, and that when the Holy Spirit nudges me, it's the Lord speaking. In Jeremiah 1:7-10, Jeremiah voices his reluctance to God regarding Jeremiah's prophet abilities: "but the Lord said to me, "Do not say 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord. Then the Lord reached out His hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth."

Over and over throughout scripture, we see examples of God equipping us with whatever is necessary in order to do His work. I have to stop relying on what my limited eyesight can see and allow God to give me what I need to serve Him effectively. God knows us better than we know ourselves!

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

Rebuilding

By Pat

In the neighborhood where I live, an abandoned house had fallen into great disrepair. It sat vacant for several years until finally, it was purchased by a contractor who began the extensive renovation. By the time be bought it, the house was in such bad condition that nothing could be salvaged except for the foundation. The house was bulldozed and the work began.

Day after day, the builder and his crew worked rebuilding on the existing foundation, and slowly but surely we began to see a new and beautiful home emerging. Frame, walls, roof, windows...little by little, it all began to come together. In time, the plumbers and electricians arrived, and before too long it was finished. Where a dilapidated, crumbling house once stood was a lovely, strong home, gleaming from top to bottom. It was just beautiful! In fact, the contractor who rebuilt it ended up keeping the house for himself, and now lives in it.

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Are You Allowing Him To Shape You?

By Pat

"So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands, so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as it seemed best to him." (Jeremiah 18:3-4)

I have often thought of the Lord as a potter, and myself as clay. I pray often for God to "mold" me into what He needs me to be, but yet I know that, as His clay, I am not always very cooperative. In order to be molded, the clay must stay in the potter's hand for the work to be done effectively.

I'm quite certain that there have been times I have slipped away from God's hands as the molding was in progress, hindering the job God was doing. But thankfully, God picks me back up and patiently resumes His work, smoothing the dents and gently re-shaping.

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A Member of The Flock

By Pat

"If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep!" (Luke 15:4-6).

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. I love the picture my mind creates when I read it. I have been that lost sheep more times than I care to admit, and no doubt at some point I will be that same silly, lost sheep again and my tireless Savior will come after me, and carry me back on His shoulders.

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Doing The Unexpected

By Pat

It's so easy to share our struggles, to tell about how we grapple with faith and the the things we question in our Christian walk. I know I certainly do my share of it! After all, we as Christians are all walking a similar path. Although the destination is the same, the route we take and the scenery along the path is usually quite different. We like to share; we need to share.

I am so thankful for the gift of friendship and the chance to give my cares and prayer requests to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and for the chance to share theirs as well. What a blessing. This past Saturday evening, God spoke to me concerning an issue I have been praying about for the past couple of months, and oddly enough, He didn't speak through one of the friends who are familiar with the issue I am wrestling with. Even though several people know the situation and have given me encouragement, and have kept it in prayer, they usually only discuss it with me when I bring it up, not spontaneously... and that's fine.

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