This has been one of the most interesting seasons of my life so far... I'm sure there are many more to come but this one takes the cake.
Through every area of my life God has been highlighting, underlining and in all other ways emphasizing He is both good and faithful.
I started out in January in awe of God's faithfulness. I journal at the beginning of each new year; I write down the things God has done and the things I feel He is promising for the new year. It is so sweet to remember and then look to the future. GOD IS FAITHFUL. I can lose sight of that truth too often. My worries or concerns get too in focus and I quickly forget that God has always been faithful and always comes through; not always how I expect and not always exactly how I would like but many times better and more fully than I can recognize in the moment.
So there I am for a few months in awe of God's faithfulness and I hear Him begin to whisper into the corners of my heart that He is not only faithful He is good. The two HAVE to go together. He cannot be faithful without being good and He cannot be good without being faithful. That is WHO HE IS, not just attributes but the very essence of Him.
Here's why that was such a big deal... somehow I had been separating the two. Because God hadn't quite met my expectations or my time frame or my dreams exactly how I thought He would (and at times even thought He said He would) I was doubting His goodness. I couldn't doubt His faithfulness, He has always answered, always been there, always been the best of friends and fathers but somewhere in my heart a chasm had been forming. It seems silly even typing it out, I don't know how the two can even be separated but that had been happening.
The process of bringing the two back together and believing God is who He says He is has been interesting; many tears, much stubbornness, a few battles of the mind and some of the sweetest moments of my life. Getting self and the world out is a painful process, especially when we feel we have the right to hold God accountable for something. But the truth is, He is God, I am not. He gets to do whatever He wants, however He wants, whenever He wants and as a Christian I have chosen and committed to His lordship. But that's only half the picture. Because He is not only Lord, He is a good and faithful Lord, Father, Friend and Provider. And then not only that, He's not just good and faithful in those areas, He is GOOD and FAITHFUL. Period.
All of the sudden, this life that can seem so hard and full of trials fades, it doesn't go away, God still has to work it all together for my good and for the good of all those who love Him but it fades in comparison to WHO HE IS. I am so thankful He is both good and faithful. I can claim, rejoice and rest in that power-packed truth.
Through every area of my life God has been highlighting, underlining and in all other ways emphasizing He is both good and faithful.
I started out in January in awe of God's faithfulness. I journal at the beginning of each new year; I write down the things God has done and the things I feel He is promising for the new year. It is so sweet to remember and then look to the future. GOD IS FAITHFUL. I can lose sight of that truth too often. My worries or concerns get too in focus and I quickly forget that God has always been faithful and always comes through; not always how I expect and not always exactly how I would like but many times better and more fully than I can recognize in the moment.
So there I am for a few months in awe of God's faithfulness and I hear Him begin to whisper into the corners of my heart that He is not only faithful He is good. The two HAVE to go together. He cannot be faithful without being good and He cannot be good without being faithful. That is WHO HE IS, not just attributes but the very essence of Him.
Here's why that was such a big deal... somehow I had been separating the two. Because God hadn't quite met my expectations or my time frame or my dreams exactly how I thought He would (and at times even thought He said He would) I was doubting His goodness. I couldn't doubt His faithfulness, He has always answered, always been there, always been the best of friends and fathers but somewhere in my heart a chasm had been forming. It seems silly even typing it out, I don't know how the two can even be separated but that had been happening.
The process of bringing the two back together and believing God is who He says He is has been interesting; many tears, much stubbornness, a few battles of the mind and some of the sweetest moments of my life. Getting self and the world out is a painful process, especially when we feel we have the right to hold God accountable for something. But the truth is, He is God, I am not. He gets to do whatever He wants, however He wants, whenever He wants and as a Christian I have chosen and committed to His lordship. But that's only half the picture. Because He is not only Lord, He is a good and faithful Lord, Father, Friend and Provider. And then not only that, He's not just good and faithful in those areas, He is GOOD and FAITHFUL. Period.
All of the sudden, this life that can seem so hard and full of trials fades, it doesn't go away, God still has to work it all together for my good and for the good of all those who love Him but it fades in comparison to WHO HE IS. I am so thankful He is both good and faithful. I can claim, rejoice and rest in that power-packed truth.
