“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” I Corinthians 12:4-6 (NIV)
For one of my jobs, I send out a weekly encouragement email to all of the staff and some of our clients. I usually write them a month ahead so when I read them to get them ready to send out, I’m “rereading” them again for the first time.
Today’s encouragement was titled, “There Are Blessings in the Messy” and the messy I was referring to in the encouragement was very different from what I’m going to talk about today. However, I believe it’s fitting that while our family is in the midst of a different “messy,” a more personal messy, God used the words He gave me to share encouragement with others, also encouraged me.
Before starting work this morning, one of the blogs I regularly subscribe to encouraged me as well. It was talking about how our goal in life should be to work at what we love and love what we work at. It further went on to say sometimes that isn’t a reality for every season. I know from personal experience sometimes God puts us in positions that are training ground for the true purpose He is preparing for us. The blog further encouraged its readers to praise God for the blessings found in each area of work God allows us to be in, including sometimes the ability to provide for our family with the paycheck we are earning while we wait to step into our calling.
Our church called a 21-day corporate fast in February. During this time, our pastor encouraged people to ask God what areas of our lives He wants us to empty in order to make room for Him to fill us with what He has for us. He spoke about how Jesus was baptized, then immediately headed into the wilderness 40 days of fasting, stepping directly into His calling once He had completed that testing period in the desert. I got excited.
God had been speaking to me in January when I fasted to give God my firsts for 2018. He had encouraged me to claim His promises, believe He was answering those promises spoken over us and then live out that belief in my daily life (walk out that faith tangibly). I’m believing that at the end of this 21-day fast, God is going to move in amazing ways and I will step into my calling.
However, the enemy sure doesn’t want me stepping into my calling, work I love, a ministry that gives God all the glory. He isn’t going to want to allow me to be excited everyday doing what I love and making a living at it. So there have been a number of incidents occurring that have been quite “messy.” Some could have been even messier, but in God’s mercy, He has protected my family from even greater disasters. I’ve been praising Him during the messy, choosing to believe that while some issues aren’t very pleasant, they are being used for His good and He is protecting us through all of them, preventing something even worse.
Come back next time and while I can’t share all the details of the “messy” we’re dealing with, I will give one example of how God has us and continues to protect our family.
© Cheri Swalwell 2018