Hello, My Chickadees.
God has a plan for everything He allows, whether we like it or not. We don’t always understand why He allows what He allows, and when what He allows is traumatic, devastating, or results in a loss for us, we are tempted to feel angry with God for allowing it to happen. During those challenging times, it is important to remember we are in the midst of a spiritual battle being played out on a physical plane. The clash between light and dark, good and evil, is reflected daily in what we see and hear. What allows us to have hope is knowing who wins in the end. We must take our eyes off of our situation and remind ourselves that in Christ, we are more than conquerors. As believers, we know that whatever we go through, God (our Daddy) loves us and promises NEVER to leave us or forsake us. Although we may sometimes feel alone, we are not alone! We are surrounded by God’s invisible army that is fighting on our behalf. He will always see us through.
I have had to remind myself of God’s plan lately. As I have been contemplating the fragile state of our country, the once-in-our-lifetime pandemic, natural disasters along our coastal areas, wildfires raging in California, racial tension in the light of Black Lives Matter, an economy in shambles due to COVID-19, and a person in the White House whose only concern appears to be getting re-elected… I have to remember that God has a plan.
When I think about the state of affairs, I feel like I’m on a sinking ship, but I keep reminding myself (and reminding others) why I’m glad I know Jesus.
As we approach another election year, I find myself thinking about the importance of our vote. Our vote is our voice. So many of our ancestors understood the value of it – enough to be willing to, and in some cases, die for it. Never before have I felt how crucial my vote is than during this election, so much so that I even put my money where my mouth is and made a financial contribution to help make a change.
This blog is not meant to be a political statement, but a moral one. We have a moral responsibility to ourselves and our ancestors who fought for our right to vote to vote. Apathy is a killer and comes from a place of feeling or believing like you are powerless. The truth is that we are anything but powerless. Exercising our power by taking a stand and casting our vote allows us to rest in the fact that we have done our part in the writing of our history.
Ephesians 6:13 tells us, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes (like now) you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand, STAND.” I often equate the Bible to that old Prego spaghetti sauce commercial which said, “Everything you need is in there.” While we are standing, Ephesians 6:14 goes on to tell us how to arm ourselves while we stand as the battle is being waged. Our part is to do our part and believe that God has the final say. He promised that no matter the outcome, He will work all things out for our good and His glory. I know that this promise can be hard to accept when we are blindsided by an outcome we didn’t expect; but our consolation is that God has a plan for whatever He allows. He sees what we don’t see. Our peace comes when we can take Him at His word and rest in the assurance that He is faithful in all that He says and does.
Yes, God does have a plan and His plan includes you. In closing of my message this month, I leave you with the words of a poem by Marianne Williamson entitled “Our Deepest Fear”.
Our Deepest Fear
By: Marianne Williamson
“Our deepest fear is not that we are in adequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves
who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that others won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do.
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone.
And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we’re liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.”
Let’s liberate ourselves and others with the power of our vote, as we rest in the assurance that God is in control.
Peace and blessings, My Chickadees,
Gail