Surely by sharing a glimpse of the last year of my life, you can understand how there were times I felt like giving up. Many of my trials had me hanging my head with shame and feeling like it was impossible to stand.
Many Disappointments
I found that many of the friends I knew to be the steadfast Ruths of my life, instead became quick fleeing Orpahs. (If you've read the story of Ruth in the Bible, you know just what I mean by that.) I became very disappointed. The enemy even attempted to capitalize on my downtrodden state with illusions of everyone but me prospering in life. He would continually speak into my mind that God had forsaken me to complete loneliness and that I just needed to give up.But God Was Working For My Good
That’s when I decided, instead of giving up, I needed to seek God like never before. And guess what? I’m still standing. Instead of the storms breaking me, they've made me stronger, wiser, and I learned for myself what it means to trust God. In his time, God touched every situation mentioned above and worked it out for my good.He gave peace to each tear that I shed. For instance, when our van was stolen, my purse, wallet, credit cards, and all three of the children’s car seats were in the car. My mom had purchased the car seats for the children before she passed, so the sentimental value alone had me very upset. Two days later, our car was retrieved by police a few blocks away from the church. My purse, wallet, and credit cards were all untouched. The children’s car seats were flipped over in the trunk area, but they were just fine. The van didn't have a single scratch on it--well, new scratch that is.
My husband said, as he was running late to service that morning, he was going to stop because the gas was on empty. However, he ended up going straight to church because the Spirit told him to get to church first. As a result, the thieves only traveled those few blocks away from the church because they ran out of gas.
Also, while my mother-in-law's condition looked very poor initially, she’s now back to work full time and doing much better.
What if I had given up back at the beginning due to the heaviness of these storms? What if I didn't believe that God would work out any of these situations because of what it looked like in my eyes? How tragic would it have been for me to have missed out on seeing the victory that God has promised me all along?
Daily, my life is a fight against the enemy. It’s a fight for my mind, a fight for my destiny, a fight against grief and so much more.
In closing, I encourage you to keep fighting the enemy for your life also. No matter what storm you are facing right now in your life, if you just hold on and believe, you will overcome also. Your back may be against the wall, but don’t you give up! Don’t you faint!
Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV)
Visit Brandy's website to learn more of her story or find out about her book Redeemed: From Earth's Gravel to God's Glory.
