By Louise Haynes (Kingstown Church of Christ, SVG)
It is with pride and dignity that I put pen to paper to be an encouragement to anyone who is going through difficulties in their life. God has given us life, health and strength to maneuver ourselves in this dark and wicked world and we have two choices. We can either live our lives to please God, or to please this world and the things of this world. Remember, the things of this world are only temporal, but living for God and His Son, Jesus Christ, is eternal. In the end, I have learnt to give up the things of this world for Jesus.
On February 2nd, 1991, I repented of my sins, confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord, went into that watery grave of baptism and became a Christian. Since then, I've been striving my utmost to live for the Lord. I'm not saying that I'm perfect and don't fall short at times, but I always ask for God's forgiveness and His guidance. This Christian journey has seen me through trials, hardship, struggles, temptation, provocation, rejection etc., but through it all I've learnt to lean and depend on God more. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13)
You see, sometimes it's very difficult to comprehend why we are serving God. Who is supposed to be protecting us? When the storms of life are weighing us down we begin to question God, "Why me Lord, why me?" Then on the other hand, we realize this is God Almighty, and we are not supposed to doubt Him, for He has a reason for everything. God did not promise us a bed of roses. He did not promise us that the Christian life would be easy. But He promised us that He would never leave us nor forsake us and that He would be with us even unto the end (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20).
I've also learnt to humble myself in everything, even when my world is crumbling. Christ humbled Himself unto death, and what Christ went through cannot be compared to our light affliction. He bore it all on the tree. That gives me strength. My family has gone through and is still going through challenging, perilous, terrible and troublesome times, but in everything we have learnt to rely on God, to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Sometimes we try to fight our battles on our own but the battle is not for us to fight, for the battle belongs to the Lord.
I have seen in my life where God has lifted my husband and me up. I spent years praying for my husband to become a Christian and I thank God for answered prayers. God has also brought joy to our lives by blessing us with a precious daughter. God has blessed me with a wonderful friend, companion and husband. After God, he has been a source of strength and inspiration to me. I pray that God will continue to bless our marriage, and all marriages, especially those of the household of faith.
God works not on our time, but in His own time. So you see, when life's burdens get hard to bear and your broken and crumbled world seems meaningless, Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." My advice is to seek God and find Him. The road will not be easy, but God is always watching over us. With man things are impossible, but with God all things are possible.
It is with pride and dignity that I put pen to paper to be an encouragement to anyone who is going through difficulties in their life. God has given us life, health and strength to maneuver ourselves in this dark and wicked world and we have two choices. We can either live our lives to please God, or to please this world and the things of this world. Remember, the things of this world are only temporal, but living for God and His Son, Jesus Christ, is eternal. In the end, I have learnt to give up the things of this world for Jesus.
On February 2nd, 1991, I repented of my sins, confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord, went into that watery grave of baptism and became a Christian. Since then, I've been striving my utmost to live for the Lord. I'm not saying that I'm perfect and don't fall short at times, but I always ask for God's forgiveness and His guidance. This Christian journey has seen me through trials, hardship, struggles, temptation, provocation, rejection etc., but through it all I've learnt to lean and depend on God more. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13)
You see, sometimes it's very difficult to comprehend why we are serving God. Who is supposed to be protecting us? When the storms of life are weighing us down we begin to question God, "Why me Lord, why me?" Then on the other hand, we realize this is God Almighty, and we are not supposed to doubt Him, for He has a reason for everything. God did not promise us a bed of roses. He did not promise us that the Christian life would be easy. But He promised us that He would never leave us nor forsake us and that He would be with us even unto the end (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20).
I've also learnt to humble myself in everything, even when my world is crumbling. Christ humbled Himself unto death, and what Christ went through cannot be compared to our light affliction. He bore it all on the tree. That gives me strength. My family has gone through and is still going through challenging, perilous, terrible and troublesome times, but in everything we have learnt to rely on God, to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Sometimes we try to fight our battles on our own but the battle is not for us to fight, for the battle belongs to the Lord.
I have seen in my life where God has lifted my husband and me up. I spent years praying for my husband to become a Christian and I thank God for answered prayers. God has also brought joy to our lives by blessing us with a precious daughter. God has blessed me with a wonderful friend, companion and husband. After God, he has been a source of strength and inspiration to me. I pray that God will continue to bless our marriage, and all marriages, especially those of the household of faith.
God works not on our time, but in His own time. So you see, when life's burdens get hard to bear and your broken and crumbled world seems meaningless, Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." My advice is to seek God and find Him. The road will not be easy, but God is always watching over us. With man things are impossible, but with God all things are possible.
"Thank you Lord for all your blessings!"
TO GOD BE THE GLORY, AMEN
TO GOD BE THE GLORY, AMEN
