made for this ...

dear sis,
" I struggle with what God could call us to. Financial struggle/hardship. "
your little bro

dear little bro,
Yes, you are made for hardship! All your good bits are getting refined, purified, strengthened! All those other bits are falling off because you don't need them. Proverbs 17:3 - 'The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the hearts.' God is Master of the storm. Stop striving! Be in His Peace.

Do you realise that you will not have one hardship but multiple ones? And most likely that one hardship could be a hardship that come back over and over again. Proverbs 24:16 - 'For a righteous man may fall 7 times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.' They are out. This blew me away at how much God gives us in resiliency.

Take a look at the Taylor girls in Mistaken Identities. One girl died and the other lived but their identities got switched. These two christian families are probably wondering why the mix up happened and still have no answer. I too was wondering what purpose God has in this. I can only say that we are clay pots with a treasure inside. These unexplainable moments are for the Message to get out. How we behave is our transportation mode of getting the Message out. I was beside myself with 'wowness' as one father explained that he "loved mercy" and quoted the verse explaining why he said no to the lawyer wanting him to sue the driver. The other father answered O's question to how he could endure this by saying that they had a relationship with Jesus Christ. I was shouting!!!!! Remember that in your clay pot is a Treasure inside - an unshakable HOPE that this world does not understand but harbors a need for. Hold to the Rock that is higher than you.

So all I can say to hardships is that we are in Holy Mud. It is a sacred time. The enemy is a thief. He steals your joy. He wants you grumpy to take your love away from your dear wife and child. He wants your emotions so wasted that you lash out at your pets. You have no good thing without God. So do not let the enemy steal away your delight over all that is precious in your life. Keep the Strong Man at your door. I won't put the words here. So here is your assignment. Go read Matthew 12:29-30 and connect the dots of your life to this verse.

Remember Thomas the doubter? Jesus never reamed him out for not having enough faith. Jesus showed us Thomas as a reminder that questions will come into our lives. Jesus welcomes the q's but always seek Him and He will answer them in the most wildest ways ever.

This might be the toughest to swallow but a believer's by-product must be joy!!!! I have learned this through my own hardships. You know the one - the one that keeps coming around in circles and hitting me over the head. Yup, loneliness or what I call it - aloneness.

Afraid so, little bro. You are made for this...
Not only are you made for hardship, you are made to delight and savor...
~always your sis