"Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, and be gracious to me and answer me. When Thou didst say, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to Thee,
'Thy face, O Lord, I shall seek." David---Psalm 26:7-8
Sometimes I find myself asking, 'Why did we come here?'. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad place. The people are nice and the air is fresh. There is no want for cool places to go and things to do. It's not hard to find great music teachers...they are everywhere! We've got great neighbors who love the Lord and have kids to boot. Greg goes to a job where he earns a paycheck for doing what he likes to do and he gets to come home before 4:00 most days and sometimes even earlier. I don't have to tell you, that ain't no small thing! Life is good here and I am not complaining.
I still wonder why we are here though. See, it has to do with more than just the job. From our fleshly perspective, that is what brought us here, but there is more to it than that. Our country is in economic crisis. Job security doesn't exist. The housing markets are so bad, it is very likely we will not sell our house in North Carolina. That means we will not buy a house here. We will not be putting down roots here in that way. That's a new thing for us. The truth is, we don't know where we will be living a year from now, or who we will be working for.
So, we have a home in NC and we have a transplanted, possibly temporal life here in OR.
Well, of course our lives anywhere on the Earth are temporal, but you know what I mean.
To top all of this off: God is sovereign.
That is what I believe, which means I believe that none of this is outside of His will. How 'bout that!?
This is our story. Anyone reading this is going through his or her own story. I know for a fact that many of you (my friends) are dealing with illness, relationship issues, job loss, financial crises, and other life changes in your own lives. When you are going through something and the Lord is doing a new thing in you, have you ever noticed the coincidences that mysteriously start cropping up everywhere? You know, where it seems like life starts taking on a theme. It's the kind of thing we later call a season. There are seasons for ministry, seasons of happiness, seasons of sadness...seasons of pruning.
Speaking of pruning, it's hard work you know. Especially if you have neglected to do it for some time. The last time I pruned my rose bushes, it ended up being a monster of a job. I had scrapes, scratches and punctures all over me. See, I had not done it the year before (I wanted to see what would happen). So the branches were very thick and thorny and unruly. It was a mess. They had looked so full and thick before I pruned them, but I knew I had to do it, because they stopped producing roses like they used to. When I was finished they were ugly and bare and cold looking. Sad little rose bushes that just hours before had been big, green and bushy...though wayward.
It was not easy work for me, but it's my job to take care of them and that is what they needed. It was stressful for them too. You have to be careful when you prune a plant back. It's got to be the right season.
And so it is with God and us.
Pruning is hard and some seasons are more fun than others.
I don't know what we will be calling this season once it's in the past. As for the pruning, I don't know how deep the cuts will go. It's anybody's guess, but the Lord knows. For now, I know there is to be a singular focus in the Liechty family. We are to raise up our eyes above the unanswered questions to the One who deserves our undivided attention.
"When Thou didst say, 'Seek My face', my heart said to Thee, "Thy face, O Lord, I shall seek".
By the way, the roses looked great this spring!
LYMYWY,
Kara,
Hey Kara, In the Redemption Series, have you gotten as far as Sunrise? Towards the end of the book, Katy wonders what's ahead and as she looks out over the sunrise, she realizes that as the sunrise changes, with the depth and hues, it is still beautiful, but different...
ReplyDeleteI was telling this story to Craig as we walked into the hospital the morning before Andrew's birth, just not quite sure how life would be with 4 and as crazy as the days are, I know that He is able to do immeaurably more than all I can ask or imagine. Life sure is different;what a routine we were in before; but I know this is God's plan and He will make it beautiful. It sure doesn't compare to a complete overhaul of life as yours is, but in all things, big or small, God is good.
Love you and miss you too!
Kim
Hi Kara,
ReplyDeleteAMEN! It is great to see someone so young...someone still raising their children...gain such wisdom.
God is certainly Sovereign and he is the master pruner. Aren't we glad he is never negligent in pruning us in just the right season/time? Though I do believe sometimes He lets our 'branches' get thick and unruly and this, too, for His purpose and glory.
I know that when we moved here I asked myself a lot of those questions... questions I didn't ask BEFORE we moved...but ones that came after I had suffered the loss of close friends and family (we had NO friend or family here when we moved) ... it was a sore loss. But God had opened doors to us that we knew were evidence of His leading. I'd like to say that when the sames doors slammed shut soon after we arrived I remained convinced He led us here... but I had to be dragged, screaming and complaining, back to that place of acknowledging that fact.
Whether your season here is short or long... no doubt it will be blessed and one of growth and maturing in Christ. . .this is a promise from our faithful Father.
I would encourage you to 'allow' for a time of suffering over the loss of fellowship with those you have left in NC. This accompanied by the vulnerability that comes when making new friends IS energy zapping and emotionally draining.
But you have discovered the most important 'key' to it all... seeking Gods face!
Have a very blessed Lords day. . .and if you feel inclined I would love to have you join us at Hillcrest on Sunday.
In Christ, Diane of Salem :)
I suppose Diane would be sufficient now!
...it's me again... I meant to say on A Sunday :) just for clarification. Diane
ReplyDeleteSorry...it is me again... if you ever feel like coming to Hillcrest please mapquest it..the directions given on their website is missing one turn and you won't find it :)
ReplyDeleteI notified the site master but until then...mapquest is the way :)
Diane
Kim,
ReplyDeleteSo good to hear from you! I'm going to call you soon!
Yes, I got that far in the Redemptions series. I am waiting for her to come out with the last book.
And yes, life is beautiful with your sweet, little Andrew. How could it be any less?
Love you,
Kara