A Time to Refocus

It most certainly has been a long time since I have done a blog post.  I hope you all had a very special Thanksgiving holiday.  Here we were grateful to be able to host.  I love having people over, I love cooking, I love making the menu, I love getting the table all set, I love sending people home with leftovers and I even love cleaning up.  I know why I love all of these things too.  I get to do them with or for people.  We were created for relationships.  God made us this way for a reason.  He wants us to connect with others but He also wants us to connect with Him.

A few weeks ago I was having a mind battle.  I allowed my brain to take me to thoughts which stir up frustration and anger.  The reality is we all have past hurts parts of our lives that cause pain.  As I was driving I felt the emotions building when suddenly my daughter raised her hands in the air and shouted “WEEEE”.  We were driving on some hilly roads at the time.  My boys quickly joined in the excitement and followed suit by waving their hands while screaming “WEEEEE” as well.   It was in the that moment I felt God say, “Stop!  Focus on what’s happening right now and enjoy this moment.”     I love when He speaks to me like that.  In the following moments we continued along in the mini van over the hills pretending we were on a rollercoaster.  Praise God for helping me refocus on what’s really important and where my mental energy should really be going.  I am grateful for the many, many good things He has done in my life.  My children are mighty little miracles!

I am one of those Disney fanatics.  It truly is one of my secret wishes to one day be the voice of a Disney princess :) Anyways, this moment brought me not to a Disney princess moment but to a Lion King moment.  Remember when Rafaki hit Simba over the the head?

Simba - Ow!  Jeez, what was that for?
Rafiki - It doesn’t matter.  It’s in the past.  (laughs)
Simba - Yeah, but it still hurts.
Rafiki - Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it or .... learn from it.
ion King 1994 from IMDb.com (Rafiki hits Simba on the head with his stick)

We all have pain from our past. And I know I have learned quite a bit about myself through the hurts and times of struggle.  I have also learned how much God loves me through tough seasons and how He is always there.   This world is filled with joy and sorrow.  It’s such an intermingled conglomeration of sorts.  One I find hard to wrap my mind around and which brings me to a place where I am so grateful for a God who understands it all.  

I love what Phillippians 3:13-14 reads:  “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”    

In Isaiah 43:18-19 we read, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

There is not a doubt in my mind that God is doing a new thing in my life and in the life of my family. I am so incredibly grateful for this.  I also know Satan wants nothing more than to take me back to times that were terrible and painful.  It’s his goal to keep me there while trying to block the way forward.   If I get stuck there I know I will miss out on what God has in store.  God plans to use and already has used some painful times from my past for His Glory.   So the next time you begin to have a war going on in your mind taking you back to your past, look for God.  He is there and maybe He’ll use a child to scream “WEEEE” in the backseat. Or maybe he will use something else!

He is also the God of all healing.  Maybe there are hurts in your past which are too heavy for you to bear.  God does not want you to bear them.  Cast your cares on Him.  In Psalm 55:22 it reads, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” 

Keep pressing on because I promise you it’s going to be good!  He makes all things GOOD!