".....of greater worth than gold"
A while ago I heard a guy speaking about how tempting it is for us, as normal human beings, to want to protect our life from any sort of difficulties or trials. He went on to say that it's even more magnified as a person starts a family as our natural instinct is to protect family members and do our best to shield them from anything that could be uncomfortable or hurtful. The guy speaking went on to say, after making multiple attempts to prevent his sons from falling down, getting hurt or shedding a tear, he had to give up and he realized that God was teaching him something that would change his perspective. He said that he felt God saying, "let ME write their story". See, this speaker had a difficult up-bringing and didn't wish any of that upon his family. But what God was saying was, through all of that difficulty, trial and tribulation that you experienced as a boy, look now at the man you have become. As I think about my time with this man I am in awe of how God has healed him, shaped him and molded him into a person that is committed to sharing that same grace with all that he comes in contact with. He endured much heart ache and many trials only to have God do what He does best, take something broken and make it whole again.
1 Peter 1:6-7
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
This man's faith, because of his trials, is of greater worth than gold. God is writing his story and he's allowing Him to do the same for his kiddos.
I've had the privilege of watching another story unfold over the past few years. This one is a little closer to home but the ending is just as sweet! The moment I became a husband I wanted nothing more than for Audrey and myself to grow together in our relationship with God and in our marriage. But, like the guy in the previous story, I wasn't so sure that I was willing to go through trials in order to get there. I mean, who wants to learn through difficulties, mistakes and heart ache? The problem is, they are unavoidable, no matter how hard we try!
When it was time for us to start a family, I had no idea what was coming! After a few years of being unsuccessful, a fear crept into my heart that was new and unfamiliar. I had a strong desire to have children, but I learned quickly that a woman's desire is one, I am convinced, that only women can understand. I feared for Audrey's heart every time there was a failed attempt to get pregnant. There was nothing I could do. I was reminded of those 5 words that I knew I had to submit to, but had diffulty accepting...let God write your story.
Fast forwarding to the point of this entry, my prayers as a husband have been answered ten-fold over the past couple of years. I always prayed that Audrey and I would grow spiritually as a couple, but never stop our journey with Jesus as individuals. The fear that consumed me, that Audrey's heart wouldn't recover from the difficult moments, turned out to be a result of my desire to protect those closest to me. I wasn't allowing God to write our story. I was so busy trying to protect Audrey that I never really stopped to take a look at how incredible her faith was during this whole process. So when I finally gave in and lifted up my head, I saw something that still brings joy to my heart every single day...Audrey, living out 1 Peter 1:6-7. She suffered trials that as a man, I probably will never understand, but her faith in God is proven to be genuine, worth more than gold! Her faith never waivered, her hope never lost. And nothing could make me happier than that.
So here are some pictures of what happens when we realize that God can write our story in a way that we can't even imagine. We were blessed with the adoption of a beautiful little girl named Ruby Ann (her story can be found in a previous blog entry). I hope, when you look at these pictures, you see a women of God holding onto God's grace and mercy with a joy that comes from knowing He is the Author of life...and a fine Author He is.
A while ago I heard a guy speaking about how tempting it is for us, as normal human beings, to want to protect our life from any sort of difficulties or trials. He went on to say that it's even more magnified as a person starts a family as our natural instinct is to protect family members and do our best to shield them from anything that could be uncomfortable or hurtful. The guy speaking went on to say, after making multiple attempts to prevent his sons from falling down, getting hurt or shedding a tear, he had to give up and he realized that God was teaching him something that would change his perspective. He said that he felt God saying, "let ME write their story". See, this speaker had a difficult up-bringing and didn't wish any of that upon his family. But what God was saying was, through all of that difficulty, trial and tribulation that you experienced as a boy, look now at the man you have become. As I think about my time with this man I am in awe of how God has healed him, shaped him and molded him into a person that is committed to sharing that same grace with all that he comes in contact with. He endured much heart ache and many trials only to have God do what He does best, take something broken and make it whole again.
1 Peter 1:6-7
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
This man's faith, because of his trials, is of greater worth than gold. God is writing his story and he's allowing Him to do the same for his kiddos.
I've had the privilege of watching another story unfold over the past few years. This one is a little closer to home but the ending is just as sweet! The moment I became a husband I wanted nothing more than for Audrey and myself to grow together in our relationship with God and in our marriage. But, like the guy in the previous story, I wasn't so sure that I was willing to go through trials in order to get there. I mean, who wants to learn through difficulties, mistakes and heart ache? The problem is, they are unavoidable, no matter how hard we try!
When it was time for us to start a family, I had no idea what was coming! After a few years of being unsuccessful, a fear crept into my heart that was new and unfamiliar. I had a strong desire to have children, but I learned quickly that a woman's desire is one, I am convinced, that only women can understand. I feared for Audrey's heart every time there was a failed attempt to get pregnant. There was nothing I could do. I was reminded of those 5 words that I knew I had to submit to, but had diffulty accepting...let God write your story.
Fast forwarding to the point of this entry, my prayers as a husband have been answered ten-fold over the past couple of years. I always prayed that Audrey and I would grow spiritually as a couple, but never stop our journey with Jesus as individuals. The fear that consumed me, that Audrey's heart wouldn't recover from the difficult moments, turned out to be a result of my desire to protect those closest to me. I wasn't allowing God to write our story. I was so busy trying to protect Audrey that I never really stopped to take a look at how incredible her faith was during this whole process. So when I finally gave in and lifted up my head, I saw something that still brings joy to my heart every single day...Audrey, living out 1 Peter 1:6-7. She suffered trials that as a man, I probably will never understand, but her faith in God is proven to be genuine, worth more than gold! Her faith never waivered, her hope never lost. And nothing could make me happier than that.
So here are some pictures of what happens when we realize that God can write our story in a way that we can't even imagine. We were blessed with the adoption of a beautiful little girl named Ruby Ann (her story can be found in a previous blog entry). I hope, when you look at these pictures, you see a women of God holding onto God's grace and mercy with a joy that comes from knowing He is the Author of life...and a fine Author He is.
