It has been awhile since I posted, so I decided to post one of my reflection papers from my Religion and Philosophy class. So many times we have obstacles to overcome and it is easy to get discouraged. I just want to remember God's promises of good that will come "up and out" of the the bad. I feel at times I squeeze through by the skin of my teeth, then look back and see God had me in His mighty hands all along, and I really had nothing to worry about. This teaches me that my only job is to walk. God has already done His part. The war is already won!
Judaism
Judaism
holds a special place in my heart. There
were so many things that spoke to me on a personal level. Two of those things were the repeating theme
of struggles and the idea of standing up to God. It
was mystifying and humbling to see God’s approval and blessings that He
bestowed on Jacob, Moses, and David despite their dishonesty and
frailties. It opened my eyes to the
bigger picture; the bigger plan of God.
It was not only about blessing each man and giving them what they wanted,
but about blessing a nation, Israel.
Purpose emerged from those struggles, both God’s and mans.
Standing
up to God was a new concept for me. I
was wondering why God would want us to stand up to Him. I was taught “to be still and know
God.” Maybe being still does not always
mean quiet. I believe there are painful struggles we go through that call us to stand up to God. It made me think of the times in my life I have wanted to stand up to God, but did not because I either felt I did
not have the right to question Him or I was so angry and hurt that I turned my
back on Him. I realized this
revealed weakness, cowardice, and a lack of confidence and worth that I had in
myself. So I came to the conclusion,
that to stand up to God is more for us than Him. It is not about right or wrong. It is to show us just what we are made of. It takes a confident, strong-willed,
courageous person to stand up to God and question Him, even if they are
standing on shaky knees and prepared to dodge the lightning bolt when they do. I believe it is a way to know who God is and cultivate
a personal, deeper, and more intimate relationship with Him; one that heals and
offers refuge, and strength and confidence in ourselves to stand up against the
struggle. I believe that is why God said
David was a man after His own heart. It
was not only because David had a contrite spirit, but because he was willing to
be vulnerable before God. He had a real
intimate relationship with Him. It is
humbling to see that God loves and cares about us so much as to give us what we
have not earned nor deserve.
Struggles
come in many ways. Some are painful,
stressful, difficult, or just an inconvenience.
Sometimes they force us to stretch beyond our limit. Sometimes they are
long and drawn out and affect so many areas of our lives. I have recently changed my mind on how I
think of struggles. I used to try and
avoid them at all cost; dread and grieve them before they were even in sight,
but I have found it is through our struggles that our purpose, God’s
purpose for us, is revealed. It brings
to mind my personal struggles and hardships that occurred in my childhood that
conditioned me for my struggles and hardships in adulthood. I recently asked God, “Did I go through all
of this in vain? Why did all of this
happen? What was the purpose?” It was at that moment God revealed to me that
going through those painful struggles would become my passion, my purpose. Finding my purpose has enabled me to let go
of the “victim” inside of me. I no
longer feel helplessly trapped in a situation that I cannot get out of. I have something that I can hang on to. It is more than an accomplishment. It is my purpose!
It
just goes to prove that to stand up to God is to know our worth. For we are who He says we are. Our struggles are not haphazardly place in
front of us. It is to reveal our
purpose, His purpose for us. Jacob
became a Nation, Moses became a patriarch, David became a King, and I will
become…..well my story is just beginning.
