Good Fig

There is a long story of how my marriage went on a downward spiral recently and how I was exiled from my house.  I will spare you the details but will make my point.  I am back at my house and God is slowly, very slowly working on my marriage.  Praise Him for His mighty works!!!

To get to the point of this post...
In September, I was asked to leave our marital home because my husband felt our marriage was over.  We live on family land and with me being retired I can't afford a house payment so it just had to be this way.  I was "exiled", so to speak, from what was my safe haven or at least I thought was my safe haven.

I moved into my 5th wheel and became a, somewhat, permanent resident.  I thought about complaining for all of about 5 seconds but realized that it was very comfortable and very peaceful. It became my home.  God took care of me and made sure that I was provided for. He became the husband that my earthly husband no longer desired to be but even better.  (I didn't have to cook for God, hehe) All kidding aside, I enjoyed being one on One with my Heavenly Husband.

This morning as I prayed about what scripture to read, the Holy Spirit gave me Jeremiah 24.  I read it and began thinking back to being exiled. Verses 6 and 7 really hit a nerve.  The Lord is speaking and says, "I will watch over and care for them, and I will bring them back here again. I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord . They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly." This is scripture about greedy King Nebuchadnezzar exiling folks from his land.  He wanted it all for himself.  Well...God had other plans. God spoke to Jeremiah using an illustration about good figs and bad figs.  Read Jeremiah 24 to get the entire story.

[Side note:if you haven't read the story of King Nebuchadnezzar, please take the time to.  It's a great story.  I love the story of King Neb because of the twist and turns of it.]

God made a promise to take care of those exiled.  He did.  He took care of me and returned me to my house with my husband.  He followed through on His promise. He said that I am His good fig because I gave my heart to Him and trusted Him to take care of me. 

I thank God that He led me down a path to being a good fig.  He has brought me to a place of full surrender. I feel secure in Him. He has made it clear that He will protect His good figs if they (we, I) give Him the steering wheel and let Him drive the car.  Lol. 

Since I have been back in my marital house, I have faced a couple of issues with the hubs causing me to want to scream.  I have fought, a couple of times, against God saying that He has all of it under control. God has made it clear that I am trying to take control of things that He says He will handle.  If I continue to be a good fig, I have nothing to worry about.  There is nothing I need to try and control.  God has ultimate authority and will see that I am more than taken care of.  He promises things are going to be amazing if I let Him do things His way. With promises like that, why would I want to get in the way?!?

Marital Singleness

Recently my marriage has had issues and struggles. As my husband and I begin the healing process and the really tough road to reconciliation, I hear the words from his mouth..."we have nothing in common." We don't-we have nothing in common other than being created by the Lord.

I have thought about those words so much since he said them.  Should I be hurt by them?  Should I take them as we don't belong together? Why would God want me to stay in a marriage with someone I have nothing in common with?

It's kind of ironic that someone from church would hand me a book last night and ask me to read it.  The purpose was so that I could give an opinion on whether it would make a good class for, possibly, the youth. The book is titled "Single, Married, Separated and Life after Divorce."

The person that handed me the book had no idea I was struggling with the phrase that came from my husband's mouth. God and His perfect timing always amaze me.  He knew the questions I had and how to answer them through one of my favorite past times-reading.

I hadn't gotten very far in the book before I felt led to share what I have read.  I will summarize. The first chapter talks about being single versus being alone.  Being single in today's society carries a stigma with it.  To be single says you can't find a mate which apparently means you are a loser. What??? No wonder we have so many divorces. Single, to most, means being alone.

As I read this I thought about what my husband said.  For the past 17 years I have been my husband's wife or girlfriend.  I did what he wanted, when he wanted to and just went along with his likes and dislikes.  I never had a problem with it because somewhere along the way I lost MY identity. I found myself believing that I had to be with him and do the things he wanted in order to be happy.  Being individual was not my cup of tea.

It's crazy but as I write this I think about brussel sprouts and broccoli. As a child I never got to eat those vegetables because my mom didn't like them.  I was, essentially, forced to conform to her likes and dislikes. I LOVE those veggies now.  I feel I have missed out for a long time.  But you see what I am talking about? By no fault of my mom did I miss out.  She just didn't think I would like them since she didn't.

When we conform to the likes and dislikes of other people instead of being who God wants us to be-unique and special-we miss out on things. We can't look at being different as a bad thing.  Not having anything in common is actually a good thing. It can expand our lives as a couple.  Being capable if being single, even within the marriage, is healthy.

Just because my husband and I have nothing in common doesn't mean we can't find common ground in joining each other in our individual likes.  We can teach each other and expand horizons.  How awesome!! I might teach him to enjoy reading one day! Doubtful...

The book that I am reading refers to how God created Adam and then gave him Eve as a helper.  He made them individually, giving them individual likes and dislikes. If God had made everyone alike, how boring would this world be!?! The author of the book also points out the fact that we all have different fingerprints and DNA.  Clearly, God wanted us to be individuals, right?

As we look for a spouse or work on the marriage or relationship we are already in, be yourself.  Find your own identity and be you.  If I had been me from the beginning, I would like to think that my marriage would not be struggling.  The shock of us having nothing in common would not be a shock. 

When we find our identity and learn that being single, even in a marriage, is not the same as being alone...good things will happen.  Bad things happen when we start to think that our happy has to come from our spouse or mate.  When they aren't around we can be trapped into feeling lonely and caught of guard by Satan's lies and deceptions.

I am praying that God will, not only restore but, renew my marriage.  I feel He is bringing me back to individuality in order to make me who He originally planned for me to be.  My husband liked and fell in love with me as an individual, God knows that.  He is restoring me and my marriage. Ha!

Joyful Reading

If you ever need scripture that will make you smile, well...the Bible is full of it. Lol- But, this morning I read Isaiah 55.  It brought over me a feeling of peace and joy. 

I won't quote the entire passage but when I got to verse 12, I have to say it gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Isaiah 55:12 says, "You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!"  This made me giggle as I had a visual of the mountains and trees joining together in praise and worship time to the Lord. 

Isaiah 55 has a long list of promises from God and His invitation into salvation.  There is verse after verse telling us how God provides and takes care of us.  He shows unfailing love to His people.  The Lord is inviting us into His way of living.

So many times we get wrapped up in what we can't do as the Lord's children.  We look at it as a burden to stay out of sinful living.  When we stumble into sin, we beat ourselves up and feel less than worthy to serve God.

The Lord wants a relationship with us.  He wants to love on us and show us His charm and peace.  Our Father wants to hold us and shower us abundantly with all the good things of this life.  He knows that we will fail and that we will stumble.  Jesus was sent to die for us because of this. 

Our sin has been covered in the blood of Jesus.  Oh salvation! That doesnt give us a green light for sinful living but daves us from death. Sin can come between us and an intimate relationship with God.  He wants to clean us of sin, rid our lives of the bad so we can join the mountains and trees in praise.  The closer we get to Him, the further we want to be from the wicked.  Maybe there is something in your life that is sinful or something in your past that was sinful. Ask God for forgiveness and give it to Him. Turn from it.  Start living the way that pleases the Lord.
Just picture yourself singing in a chorus line with mountains and trees.  If that doesn't make you smile nothing will.

A New Level of Praying

Since I was a tiny girl I was taught to pray.  I have always blessed my meals and said prayers before going to bed.  The "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer was one that was said very often at my childhood home.

Throughout my growth as a Christian, a follower of Christ, prayer has continued to be a huge part of my daily life.  As a police officer for more than 20 years, prayer was vital in keeping my sanity.

Over the years I have prayed for all kinds of things and yesterday was no different. Because God doesn't do things half way, He showed His awesomeness to me after praying for something so insignificant.

Here's the story...
I have a pair of fresh water pearl earrings that my grandparents gave me for Christmas when I was in high school over 25 years ago.  I wear them a lot because they are special to me and they are just simple.

Friday I wore them to town to run some errands.  I was all over the place.  When I got home, I did some stuff in the yard and worked in my woman room (girls version of man cave). If I had to retrace my steps from that day, I probably could not. It was like a scene from the Family Circus comic strip.  That night I took a bath and went to bed so tired that I don't remember hitting the pillow.

The next day, as I was getting ready to do more work, I noticed one of my pearl earrings had fallen out of my ear.  I was very sad.  I had had these earrings for a long time and now my pair was a single. Sad emjoi face here.  Because I have hit a new level of praying and communication with God, I prayed that He would help me find the earring. I looked around hoping that it had just fallen on the bathroom floor. Nope!

That day I took a bubble bath, went through my day and ended up taking another bath that evening.  Don't judge...I like taking baths. I, normally, would rinse the tub but I just got too tired and felt like rebelling against my OCD.

This morning I got in the bath tub for my Sunday morning bath.  As I reached for the soap, that had fallen to the bottom of the tub, I reached to find what felt like a tiny rock or a beetle.  I thought maybe a lady bug had drowned.  I had a quick moment of despair. :-(   When I pulled it out of the water I saw that it was my lost earring.
Ha! I did a little happy chant praising God for answering my prayer. 

My point is...God answers prayers. Just because it's not exactly when we ask , doesn't mean that it isn't going to happen.  If God had immediately answered my prayer and I had found the earring on the floor at my feet, I wouldn't be writing about it. He knew that.  He made it an extraordinary story to show His power and to get the full serving of glory He deserves.

God loves to show off.  He loves to woo us and make us feel so special.  He knew where the earring was all along but chose the perfect timing in order to prove how awesome He is. After 3 baths, why didn't that tiny little earring wash down the drain?  Because God knew I would be delighted in His earring rescue story.  Praise God for answered prayers.

Writers Block

Because I have writers' block, I just feel the need to praise God!
There is no story to tell or fancy Holy Spirit led discussion this morning, just praise time.

I praise God that He loves me and calls me Beloved.
I praise Him that He carries me through rough times and doesn't expect me to do it on my own.
I praise God that my marriage has survived and will thrive because He is control of my life.
I praise God and thank Him so much for my husband.
I praise God for changes I see in my husband and myself.
I praise God for my family even when they don't want to claim me. (Ouch-I have so much love to give)
I praise God for my church family and their encouragement.
I praise God for the hoots from the owls in the backyard last night.  He woos me with birds because He knows my likes. :-)
I praise God for my home.
I praise God for speaking to me so softly and sweetly, letting me know everything's in His capable hands.
I praise God for morning coffee with Him.
I praise God for the gifts and talents He has entrusted me with.
I praise God for provision during my 4 months away from my husband.
I praise Him for the provisions while I am with my husband.
I praise God for being my Husband, Brother, Best Friend, Father and Everything.
I praise God for Words of encouragement in times that I want to give up.
I praise God for each breath that I  breathe.

My list goes on and on. In the last 2 months I have written a list of over 1100.  I don't want to overload you. Just know, God is amazingly, abundantly loving and worthy of praise. I will end by saying this...
If God is for you, no one can come against you....PRAISE GOD!

Big Hands

Weathering a storm, whether self-inflicted or no fault of your own, can be so difficult and overwhelming.  Your world crashes around you and there just seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. If there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it may seem like it's the train that's getting ready to run you over.

God never promised us that bad times would not come.  He has never promised us a life free or struggles or pain.  What He has promised is a life of safety and peace in His big, loving, strong, very capable hands. He has promised us that whatever we face, He holds us tightly in His sweet embrace to allow for us to be rescued at the right time.

"Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." Psalms 37:24 (NLT) God  allows us to stumble.  I have found that through the stumbling, we have the opportunity to draw closer to Him.  Sometimes we get complacent when everything is going well.  We begin to lose touch with God and the fact that He wants us to need Him. 

Yesterday, as I drove to church, I was listening to my Ipod.  Natalie Grant's song, "Held" came on.  I have never really thought much about the words of that song because I couldn't really understand what she was saying or what any of it meant.  But yesterday...I understood every word and it made perfect sense.  It is a beautiful song.

I'm not going to quote the entire song but here is the chorus:
"This is what it means to be held
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held"
Is that not the most beautiful  chorus you have ever read?!?! I have, finally, felt this song and it has become a life lesson, a motto, a testimony.  I just got chills.

When our "sacred" is torn away, through whatever trauma you might have experienced in your life, God holds your hand and brings you through to the other side.  He gives you strength to survive.  He holds you when everything falls or seems to crash around you. 

The best part of all of this "being held" stuff is that God holds you no matter what you are going through.  He wants to hold you in the good, the bad and the ugly.  We, sometimes, forget He is there when things are good but He doesn't forget us.  I have heard stories of parents forgetting their children and accidentally leaving them at school or whatever, but God is perfect and never forgets His children.

Take a listen to the song "Held".  Let your mind hear the words and your heart feel them.  Let God hold you-  There is an amazing peace that comes with it.

Harvest of Blessings

I am having a difficult time not jumping up and down and doing a happy dance today.  God has blessed me beyond measure, as always.  He continues to show His love and mercy minute by minute. 

If you have been following my blog, you have probably realized that my marriage was headed south and appeared to be over. My mistakes and struggles pushed my husband away and sent our marriage spiraling into the abyss of doom.

Since September of 2016, I have been praying that God fix my marriage if it was His will.  I prayed that my husband would have a forgiving heart and be more gentle with the way he deals with things.  I prayed that God would make me a better person and, in turn, a better wife.

My faith in God told me that my marriage was going to be okay and that God would use me in a big way even through my mistakes.  God kept whispering to me in His still, small voice to wait on Him and just trust.  So...I did but only through His strength and love. And then...

Well...wait for it.....
Friday, February 10th, 2017, my husband asked me to move back in with him and wants to get our marriage, our lives, back on track. Yay! God has softened his heart and even given him the ability to talk me down off the ledge as I had a bit of meltdown over an issue that is really not even an issue.

God answered my prayers abundantly more than I could ever imagine.  I prayed for restoration but got complete renewal.  My husband and I share thoughts and feelings like we never have before.  The brokenness from my past kept me in hiding and behind walls that hindered me from having the relationship with God that I, truly, desired and from having a full, deep relationship with my husband.  I feel, now, that I can tell God anything and that I can tell my husband anything.

Are things perfect? No, the rest of the family will have a difficult time adjusting but God has proven that He is faithful. If I keep doing right and be obedient to Him, God will bless me abundantly.  I might be a slow learner on some things but knowing God's power and that He keeps His promises, I learned that very quickly. He is amazingly loving and compassionate.

God promises that if we do what is right...if we don't run away from our brokenness but give it to Him, if we don't give into Satan's lies and deceptions, if we don't fail to trust and have faith, if we give God the glory for ALL that He does, we will "reap a harvest of blessing."
"Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith." Galatians 6:7‭-‬10 NLT

People will think you are crazy as they look at the circumstances you are in.  They will think, and sometimes say, that your storm is too much to survive.  They say and they think these things because they don't TRULY know MY God!!!  I have seen God's faithfulness throughout my life and have no doubt that He gives us His best if we trust and let Him. 

Praise God!!!!

Clear History

We all search the web from time to time.  The searches lead to saved information that can be used by marketers to put irritating ads all over your internet.  Every time you go on the internet you end up bombarded with the annoying junk popping up.

The good thing is...we can do a "clear browser history" and get rid of the cookies that allow this marketers to feed their need to annoy. I like to compare these ads to those little paper cards that fall out of magazines as you are trying to read.  Are those not the most irritating things?   They fall out and cause me to lose focus on what I'm reading because I feel I have to stop and pick them up off of the floor.

Our past, our failures can be the same way.  Satan can use them to draw our focus away from God and His good plans for us.  He feeds us with lies throw these unwanted thoughts and "ads" that play in our minds.  He will tell us that our history makes us unworthy to be who God wants us to be or do what God wants us to do.

If would be great if we could hit a button to "clear browsing history" wouldn't it?  Well, we can't, necessarily, wipe the memories clear but we can let them go.  We can train ourselves to refocus on God everything Satan tries to fill us with his evil, twisted ads.  It takes work but it can happen. 

As humans, it is hard for us to forget our past failures but we don't have to live in them.  God says in Hebrews 10:17 NLT, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” God forgets our sins when we confess and repent.   He will never remember...He wipes the memory.  He doesn't have a great big book that He keeps records in if we give them to Him.  He washes the slate clean and makes us new.  He cleans our browsing history.

God doesn't let us forget our past because He wants us to learn and grow from our mistakes. We will, without a doubt, run across someone that will fail the same way.  God expects us to use that failure to help others who stumble because of the same issue.   "Stand firm against him (Satan), and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are." 1 Peter 5:9 NLT

Satan is watching our "browsing history". He knows where we have been and where the cracks in our foundation are.  He uses those "cookies" to feed us with destructive lies and nasty yuck.  We can defeat his evil schemes by giving all of the yuck to God.  Drop it off, clear the history and keep on moving.  Don't let the enemy-sneaky, evil, coward-get in the way of God's truth and promises.  God takes what was meant for evil and uses it for good.
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people." Genesis 50:20 NLT

Be my Valentine

With the great "love" holiday approaching, Valentines day, I feel it necessary to talk about my "valentine". 

I have never really cared much about February 14th and what it is to some.  I have always felt like we should show love all the time and not just on a particular day.  I know that most people do love everyday, but why is it that we feel we must wait until that very day to really express the super crazy love? Don't you think women like getting flowers more than just one day a year?

What if Jesus picked only one day of the year to love us?  That would be so sad.  I don't know about you, but I feel His love all the time.  I haven't always, but I do now.  There have been times when I thought He abandoned me.  I have felt like God just resigned and said I wasn't worth loving.  The scars of worldly, wounded love skewed my perception of God's kind of love. 

Shame on me for thinking like that.  We start to think like that when we focus on ourselves, our struggles and our own abilities.  The clutter of life gets in the way of the love that God shows us.  We measure love by the way humans love us.  I have to say, that can be a cruel thing.

In Psalm 119:103, the psalmist says this, "How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey."  He felt God speaking to him in love and adoration.  He experienced God's  wooing. 

If we take time to listen and put all the worldly stuff aside, we will hear God speaking love into us.  If we pay attention, God woos us with things that will delight us because He knows what we like.  God knows I like birds.  He constantly puts them in moments of my life to show me His love.  He uses them as distractions when I start feeling unworthy or sad. 

God loves us with flowers everyday not just February 14th.  He will serenade us with rain drops on a roof or birds singing sweet love songs.  How about the rainbows, can your earthly Valentine give you that? I think not. He amazes if we open up to His heart and stop to listen to Him.

This world doesn't have the "valentine" presents that God can offer.  A bouquet of cut flowers, a box of chocolates-these things go away quickly.  God gives something so much better and that is everlasting-Himself.  He wants to speak the words to us that are sweeter than honey.  He wants to romance us and love us like no human ever can.  I get chills just thinking about it. 

 

Pedestals of Make Believe

In the recent past, I have had three interactions with people that have made comments that bring thought to something that is interesting and sad.  I would like to say that at least two of the contacts spoke from a place of love but the other...from true hurt and deep wounds.

In August of last year, someone that I should be close to said that she never felt like she could be close to me because she was afraid she wouldn't live up to my standards.  She went on to say that I couldn't accept her for who she is.  She has deep wounds in her hurt from her childhood that put up walls, keeping us from bonding.

Another instance, I had a phone conversation with a friend that said that she thought I had it all together and never messed up.  This was after I gave testimony of mess ups in my life.  She continued with saying that I always seemed so perfect.  She thanked me for sharing and it really was a beautiful conversation.  We had really only know each other from a distance so I praise God for the bonding experience.

Recently, I received a text that pointed out a list of things that, in her mind, I had done and followed with me being on a pedestal.  She continued with tearing me done in a very obvious attempt to cover her own wounds and hurt.  She made it so real, the pain she is living with, but has walls up that will be so hard to penetrate.  God may use me there one day but I can only pray for her for now.

Why is it that people PUT you on a pedestal and then tear you down for being on said pedestal? I have never thought of myself as worthy of a pedestal but quite the opposite. But somehow these three people, with probably others, have made me into this perfection that is so far from being reality. It makes me feel like I might have put up walls and guarded myself from these ladies. Well--I have.  I have past hurts that have caused me to hide behind the hurt and pain.  That's what we do.

We are none perfect or worthy of pedestals but, sometimes get put up there by people that don't know the real person we are.  Only one of these three ladies has really tried to get to know me. The others have kept themselves at a distance.  When we try to hide behind hurt and pain, it's difficult to desire a relationship with people who, in our own minds, are on these nonexistent pedestals. 

Throughout my life I have tried to be easy to get along with and tried to love everyone, even the really difficult to love.  The Bible says, "Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves." Philippians 2:3 NLT.  I have tried to live by this but somehow get stereotyped, as a Christian, into being self-righteous.

Because people have put me on some kind of pedestal, when I do stumble, it appears to be that I was living a lie.  Are Christians, followers of Christ, immune from sin for some reason that I haven't found?  The answer would be no.  However,  we should live a life that is an example of Christ.  When we stumble we should easily recognize it and have a repentant heart. 

Having Christ in us doesn't make us perfect and free from sin.  It makes us conscious of it and repentant of it.  We will not be perfect while living on this earth. We can grow in Christ by studying His Word and having an intimate relationship with God.  Jesus died on the cross because He knew we weren't going to be perfect.  Praise God!

As others put us on these make believe pedestals, we have to remember that it is because they are comparing themselves to us. They are seeking something that they like in us but are afraid to ask where we got it.  They are valuing themselves as a lesser when they really don't have to. I would love nothing more than to share Christ and His love with these ladies or anyone else that is grasping.

God says we are none better than each other.  We are, also, none good in comparison to God. I want to urge each person that reads this to try and get to know the people that you have contact with.  Don't judge a book by its cover.  Don't judge at all.  My cover may appear put together and righteous but if you ask...I will explain how God is working in my life.  I will tell you about pain and shame that God has taken into His loving hands, making Him the only One that belongs on a pedestal.

Tis the Season

Would you go swimming in the river in winter?  Would you wear heavy jackets in summer? Would you prune the budding trees in spring?  Would green leaves, typically, grow on trees in fall?  I think the answer would be no to all of these questions if we are referring to normal places like South Carolina.  We know that certain things happen at certain times.

Just like the seasons of change happen with weather and nature, our lives have seasons.  Ecclesiastes 3 explains that "For everything there is a season."  As we go through life, God allows us to enter into different seasons.  He gives us specific times for specific things.

There will be seasons of hurting and stripping down.  There will be seasons of healing and joy.  We will experience many different seasons that God uses in our growth.  He wants us to be more like Him but we can't handle all of the change at once.  He slowly changes us, pealing layer after layer, getting us to a point before changing the season to adding layer upon layer.

I like to garden. I usually plant a vegetable garden each year.  I know that in order to make the garden grow and produce, I must till the ground, plant the seeds, water the plants and pull the weeds. All of which has it's specific timing in the process. All of those things must be done before I can harvest the crop.

God works the same way.  He has to cultivate and give us seasons in order to help us understand Him better and to help us be where we should be within His will.  He wants us to produce the best fruit so He allows us to go through the seasons.

Without God in control of our lives, the seasons of stripping can be unbearable.  He puts us or allows us to enter the "rough" seasons for growth but promises to be there to carry us through. He doesn't put you in a season that He is not willing to get you through if you depend on Him.  In fact, the hard seasons are where He expects that we will call on Him most.  When all is stripped away, He knows that there is a good chance (Hopefully) that you will depend on Him.  Even the self-imposed rough seasons are His to carry you through.

Although the hard seasons tend to make us need Him more, God wants us to want Him all the time.  Why is it that we wait for the tough seasons to call on Him? If the season is bright and cheery, going our way, we tend to neglect our relationship with God. He wants us to want Him through all seasons. 

Would you plant and spend time in the garden and walk away as it is producing the crop? No, that would make no sense.  Why would you do the hard work and walk away when it's time to harvest? So, why would you abandon your relationship with God when the good times come? That is the best time for really enjoying His presence.  It would be like fighting with your spouse and walking away from him/her when they want to kiss and make up.  Ha! Who wants to do that?!?

I have learned to really enjoy God through my current season.  Yes, it's been one of the "hard" seasons but I know that this season is necessary in order to get to the "harvest".  Oh what beauty will be in the harvest! I have felt God really loving on me and helping me through.  He has made it really clear that the harvest, from this cultivation, is going to be fabulous. 

Whatever season you are in, good, bad, ugly, find the beauty that is God.  Trust Him, fully, knowing that He has you there for your good.  He wants to cultivate you and make you more like Him.  Enjoy the rest that comes with being in the almighty care of the Mighty God.  It is a wonderful place to be no matter what season you are in.