Thursday, December 4, 2008

Christmas Time Stress~~God Will Provide

Yup its been a minute or too sense Ive updated the blog , well here goes this time of the year is stressful for everybody and if you have kids its even worse , Throw the state of the economy in and of course you have instant crazy and turmoil with a mind rushing a million miles a minute trying to scramble to make sense of things and try to find a way out to fix it and make it all better ... Sound familiar ... Haha that's been me for the last 2 weeks we have a approaching vacation to Tn coming up and Ive been soo excited about spending the time with my parents my Aunt and Uncle and there family and our family all together , to the point its all Ive talked about pretty much for the last 3 months (we've been planning this trip for a yr now ) .. Skied and happy to the gills i tell you Till Dec 1 and then i started really stressing cause things aren't going as i planned and aren't so smooth sailing and perfect rolling .. i know i know they never are ! But Ive complained cried screamed yelled cussed you name it in the last week . And I Praise GOD for the amazing friends and loved ones i have that have listened to me be such a bear and vent , and am even more thankful to them for telling me to stop stressing , and just say a prayer that God will provide and it'll all be OK ... So i did last night i decided that I'm done stressing what be will be and it will all be okay !! First yesterday was a BAD BAD day and looked so down and i was bad in the dumps , Then going to pick the boys up from school yesterday this was sign one and I'm sure Gods way of smacking me and telling me to stop ! and PUSH ( P--Pray U--Until S--Something H--Happens ) there is a song by a christian group called 10Th Ave North called By Your Side





take a min and listen to it you get the chance , I know between it and my friends yesterday it hit me kinda hard , hard enough to get me to start praying but i was still stressing and that meant wasn't completely giving the problem over to God and my faith in him , Jason and I sat and discussed the money situation last night and i began to relax a little and continued to pray some more about all of it , I do believe Gods breaking into this thick skull of mine I'm beginning to realize alot of things .. God Will Provide and then this morning i check email and this is in there ,

its from a devotional group email I get from the Crosswalk .. Girlfriends in God



December 4, 2008 The Monthly Draw Mary Southerland

Today's Truth Hebrews 13:5 "Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. God has said, "I will never leave you; I will never forget you."

Friend to Friend Can you believe the holidays are just around the corner? Stores are already filled with Christmas decorations. Television ads for the newest and best toys multiply every day. It won't be long until we are wringing our hands, wondering where the money for Christmas gifts is going to come from, a fact that must sadden the heart of God. To think that our first thoughts of His birth are wrapped in financial distress is a clear indication that we do not understand and live on the sufficiency of God.

Have you noticed that it is always more fun to pay the bills when you actually have money to pay them instead of holding what my husband calls "The Monthly Draw"? The Southerland Monthly Draw is held when there are more bills than money. The rules are quite simple. All of the bills are placed in a stack. Dan then rifles through the stack, drawing out one of the bills to pay. This process continues until there is no more money. The rest of the bills have to wait until more money comes in. Sound familiar?

One morning, when I walked into the study, I could immediately tell by the look on Dan's face that the "draw" was not going so well. Finances had been extremely tight for a variety of reasons. Dan and I had prayed our way through that month, knowing that the next few months would only hold more of the same. I debated whether I should stick around to offer encouragement or run for the hills. I decided to stay. "Honey, can I help?" Dan looked up at me with a weak grin and said, "Not unless you have $900.00." Oh, boy! It was worse than I thought. Seeing the look on my face, my sweet husband quickly added, "Don't worry, honey, God always comes through." Now I must admit that at that precise moment, I would have preferred a tangible sample of God's provision. You know - something along the lines of a money tree in the back yard or an oil well in the front. I went to my desk, hoping to find a forgotten check from a speaking event or book sale. I came up empty. An examination of my check register was even more depressing. Did we really need two children? Maybe we should sell one! (Just kidding) As I racked my brain for some way to "provide", I realized that I was stepping dangerously close to enemy territory. "Lord, I want to trust you as my Provider but right now, we really need $900.00", I informed the God of the Universe. How is that for a prayer of faith?

Dan did all he could do with the stack of bills and went next door to visit our neighbor while I stayed home, plotting and scheming ways to come up with $900.00. In fact, I spent the rest of the day in what my mother called "a tizzy" because as far as I could see, there was no plot and there was no scheme remotely looming in the Southerland picture that could produce the needed amount of money. And that was the problem. I was only looking "as far as I could see".

Finally, I left the need at His feet and went on with what was left of my day. As I began to prepare dinner, I remembered that I had forgotten to check the mail and headed outside. There it was, God's perfect provision just sitting in our mailbox, waiting for me to come - an unexpected check for $949.64. Dan and I became aware of our need that morning. The check was mailed several days before. God met the need before the need was evident. He always does! In Philippians 4:19, Paul reminds us that our God will "meet all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

I often learn the most life-changing lessons at the feet of children. Ellie is the five-year-old granddaughter of a very close friend, Gina, who is known to cheer me up by sharing an "Ellie-ism". Not long ago, Gina was telling me about the prayer Ellie had prayed the night before at dinner. The meal was ready. Everyone in the family was seated, and Ellie volunteered to say the blessing. Every adult at the table smiled, wondering what childish offering they were about to hear. What they heard was profound truth from God as spoken through the words of a child. Head bowed, hands folded, Ellie prayed, "God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. By His hand, we all are fed. Give us, Lord our daily bread. THE END!" That just about sums it up!

Just as the shepherd meets every need of his sheep, God meets our every need. Just as the sheep totally depend upon their shepherd's care and provision, we would be wise to depend totally upon God. He is our Provider. He is our Source and in light of that reality, stress flees, leaving only peace. As the holidays approach, fix your heart on God, rely upon your Shepherd, and trust Him to meet every need in your life and rest in the fact that He is the beginning ... and the end.

Let's Pray Father, I confess that I often look to things and to people to meet the needs in my life when all I need to do is trust You. Today, I praise You as my Provider, Lord. I trust You to go before me and "make a way" through every valley. I trust You to take care of me. Right now, I choose to guard against greed and ask that You would give me a heart of compassion and a generous spirit. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Now It's Your Turn Read the following verses carefully. How does each verse support the truth that God is committed to meeting the needs of His children?

Psalm 32:8 The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."

John 10:4 "After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice."

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

Make a list of the needs in your life today. Beside each entry, record one of the above verses as your commitment to trust God.

Memorize these verses so that when the enemy tempts you to doubt God, you will be equipped and ready to dispute his lies.

More From The Girls I never really understood the relationship between a shepherd and his sheep until I began to study Psalm 23. I cannot tell you how much peace this psalm has brought me. My book, Escaping the Stress Trap, is the result of that study. I also have a six-week E-Book Bible Study, God's Answer to Stress that is perfect for your daily quiet time or for small group study. Make Psalm 23 the heart of this holiday season for you and your family. Blessings!








how is that for a eye opening blast first thing in the morning .. God is soo amazing and I am going to continue to pray and trust in the Lord that he will provide for us and that the true meaning of Christmas can be shown this year ! I do hope that this post will also help any others to just pray , pray it will be okay because no matter how dark and bad the situation may seem just like that song said God is By Your Side ~ He will watch other over you and with faith will provide ~~ I hope you all have a blessed and wonderful day ! God Bless

~A~

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5 comments:

~T~ said...

Very nice Amber, just remember "let go & let God". I know it's easier said than done, but you'll be so thankful that you DID!
Chin up babe - cause you got it! God will provide, he always does, maybe not the way YOU want, but he always does.
Tonya

December 4, 2008 at 8:14 AM
Lori Stilger said...

Hi, Amber! I completely understand, too - the economy is not being nice to anyone, and it's difficult to have to LIVE in this world and be in God's peace!!!!! :)
Good luck on my blog giveaway! :) BE BLESSED - and enjoy your vacation here in TN!!!

December 4, 2008 at 5:28 PM
Unknown said...

Well i loved the song thanks for sharing and LOL yup he's smacking and beating ya saying listen to me! I think you need to hear it a few more times!

December 5, 2008 at 9:10 AM
kc_froglady said...

God truly is amazing and isn't it wonderful when our prayers are so readily answered. I am glad you were able to make your ends meet and see that he is there for you!

December 11, 2008 at 10:10 AM
Bridgett Owens said...

I once read a funny card, it had a frazzled looking woman on the front of it trying to juggle too many things at once. The caption read WHAT PART OF REST IN HIM DON'T WE UNDERSTAND? Isn't that the truth? As the wife and mother, we have to know where everything is, lost socks, ketchup in the refrigerator door, book bags, lunch money, and then we have to remember to send payments for this and call that company for an extension or whatever! It gets nuts and then you add in a bunch of commercialism to a holiday that is just too hyped up and the true meaning becomes hidden. It's like a treasure and only those who are looking for it will find it. It doesn't matter what is under the tree, Amber. It doesn't matter if there are gifts to open or not. Do you know how many Christmases I have spent in my home with no gifts to unwrap because we just don't have the money? It becomes more than something you buy...it's something you give. What can you give not to each other even but to Jesus! It's HIS birthday! What can you give Him? Thankfulness? A heart of love? An attitude of gratitude? Thankful for warmth and food and a family...that you aren't homeless and alone. We are so blessed and more stuff doesn't make Christmas real...it just gets in the way of why Jesus was born in the first place. It's okay to be upset that you can't spend a fortune on meaningless STUFF but don't let it shove Jesus out of what CHRISTmas really is about!
Hugs,
Bridgett

December 15, 2008 at 2:57 AM

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