Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Up and Down (04/02/09)
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TITLE: Content Whatever the Circumstances | Previous Challenge Entry
By Sheila Lockhart
04/04/09 -
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How beautifully does this passage of scripture exemplify the true worth of simply just seeking the face of God. Many times we come to the throne room in pure want, beseeching the Father for stuff and things, but how much more satisfying it is to Him when we just come to Him and offer up worship out of a pure heart of desire. Paul illustrates contentment to its finest in this passage of scripture, I can truly relate. I have had houses and cars, and in the blinking of an eye, I have seen them get snatched away, but did those things have me? Sure it hurt but it also humbled, because even as I lost those earthly goods, God never left me and I never stopped loving Him. And as Paul states in verse 13 of Philippians, "Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am". Well put, it's not what you have; it's Who you have, because the sustaining power comes ultimately from Him. I remember hearing a song entitled, "I Won't Complain", the lyrics that stick out to me is, "I've had my good days, and my bad days, but I won't complain". Every day that we breathe is a good day, no matter what situations are facing us; we're alive to see them. Today is my oldest daughter's 13th birthday, it is also on this day that the home in which we are renting has gone into foreclosure and is up for trustee sale. I had two choices when I woke up this morning, I could have allowed this anticipated date to cause me to panic and fear, or I could wake up praising the Lord for my daughter seeing another year of life or better yet, me being alive to see her turn 13 instead of allowing circumstances to cause me to blow my own head off. Oh yes, Christians have committed suicide, life is not fair we are in the last days, and some are not able to deal with it. But, I chose not to allow it to bother me, because I trust the Lord, He says in His Word to give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. If He does it for the birds, trees, and flowers, aren't we much more than they. But yet, when you think of such things as the birds, flowers and the trees when it comes to worshiping God, they automatically do it. The birds wake up in the morning singing praises unto Him, the flowers in the field bring forth beautiful blooms in their due season to His glory, and the trees in their season of life wave their branches as arms worshiping the Lord. The birds don't know where their next meal is coming from but they know that it's coming, the flowers don't know the time or day when one might come and pluck them up to place them in a vase to eventually die, but they still worship whatever the state. That's where we must find ourselves, worshiping Him, whatever the situation.
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It will help your readers to follow your essay if you put extra spaces between paragraphs. The topic of "up and down" is more implied than overtly stated, but it's definitely here.
Bless you and your family for your attitude amidst uncertainty!
May God strenthen you as you go through this difficult patch in your lives.
Beautiful.