Assignments that creep or leap…and a fun summer baseball game

The hunt assignment is to look for gifts of challenge, conflict and change.

Whoa…when I’m in the middle of those things, it’s hard for me to consider those as gifts.

Conflict and change and even challenge are challenging.  So much to the point, a few years ago there was a time when all those things were going on in my life and I got shingles from it.  (You know I like to put photos on my posts, but I’ll spare you the one of my face and eye where the shingles were.  My husband said…with love of course…that I looked like a Klingon from Star Trek).  Studies say stress is one of the main causes of shingles.

I admit I get stressed when those “c” words creep… or even leap… into my life.

A few years ago there were several challenges and changes and even some conflicts going on in my life all at the same time.  All I could do was hang on.  Or better yet, maybe it was just the opportunity of having to let go of all of those challenges and let God make me, shape me and mold me more the way He wants me to be.

But that still doesn’t make it easy.  And I can be stubborn sometimes.

But God was patient with me (thankfully I was patient enough), and I quietly learned a lesson from this challenge as I recovered from shingles (which took several months).  It was a time for me to relinquish my worries and doubts and have a better understanding of what “trust in the Lord with all your heart” means. 

And God was right.   But I knew… He always is… but it’s hard to swallow that sometimes.  He can give us “assignments” to teach us.  We just need to try to do our best…because God does not give us any assignments… we can not handle. 

“God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”  1 Corinthians 10:13

And the temptation was allowing challenge, conflict and change to be bigger than God. 

Recently I heard the teacher say at the church I attend… “God is bigger than every giant in our lives.”

So…yes, conflict and change are gifts.  They will always be a challenge but being able to see how God has used them in the past can help trust Him with the more to come.

Challenge, conflict and change…

#652  …gives the opportunity to let go and let God.

#653   …gives the opportunity to thank God for the conflict…and sometimes God wants us to practice that so we’ll get better at dealing with it!

#654  the gift of change, (of which I’m sometimes stubborn to accept), gives the opportunity to practice yielding…surrendering…relinquishing and giving in to my selfishness.

#655  the gift of unwanted change really can be really good.

#656  All of those gifts are opportunities for a divine appointment with the One who has an assignment for me.     (also what our teacher said at church)

#657  An assignment for me to desperately depend on Him, for me to trust Him more, for me to allow my “self” to become more “selfless”.

Divine assignments are gifts.

 

Still counting…

#658  celebrating my daughter’s last single-digit birthday

#659  celebrating my sister’s birthday

#660  trying out a new ice cream shop

#661  spending afternoon with my sister and her family

#662  the little rain shower we got after a 2 week drought with 100* heat

#663  a new sprinkler

#664  water to drink in the syrupy and sticky heat and sweat.

#665  a baseball game with church family and SM:FX (St. Marks Family Experience)

#666  daughter being bold…in front of a camera and in front of a stadium.

#667  little pink house of hope ministry

#668  our fearless SM:FX leaders!

(thanks for the photos from the game Laura Williams and Laurie Mundy!)