I'm not sure this is a post that women will completely understand. I want to be up front and apologize for that from the start. Hopefully what I decide to post next will have a broader audience. Of course, I could be way off. Maybe some women out there will know exactly what I'm talking about or maybe I am on an island all by myself on this one. I find that when I am in a good mood and I see an uplifting picture or quote, it keeps me going. I laugh, I feel good about where I am in life. On the other hand, when I am having a bad day or going through difficult times, if I see something like that, I want to go yell at the person who posted it or sent it. I say yell because I don't want to go completely crazy, but it's probably a lot worse than that. I'm thinking that I probably want to them to hit their funny bone at minimum. I know that's horrible and probably rude, but when I am feeling down and out, I don't want a cute picture of a cat hanging on for dear life. I want something solid that will motivate me to turn it around. I want something that both recognizes that I am in an unfair position, but also points to me having the ability to turn it around. And I know that when this post began, I pointed to pictures, posts and quotes, but can I be honest? It's the same with scripture. Let's look at Proverbs 3:5-6:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Those are beautiful verses, and when I feel like I am on the right path, I get strength from this. But, when I am feeling like I am on the wrong path, this verse actually brings me down. Honestly, it brings me guilt. Sometimes when I read it, it's a reminder that I didn't listen, and I didn't seek his will.
What about Romans 15:13?
13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Again, beautiful and uplifting! But again, a reminder that I wasn't trusting him and now I am a mess!
So, if these verses are perfect when I am feeling good and they keep me going, what do I do when I am feeling discouraged, and things are difficult?
That is when I turn to two of my go to sets of verses. These two sets of verses do two things for me. They let me know that something bad is happening or has happened and they let me know that I am about ready to turn the corner, and everything is about to change. Let' first look in the book of Esther
13 Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
If you are not familiar with the book of Esther, she is the queen. But maybe not queen like you are thinking. She doesn't really have any special power, and if she wants to talk to the king, she has to wait for him to call on her. Her relative Mordecai has informed her that a law has been put out, that for one day it will be completely legal to try and kill all of the jews. She is hesitant to react and she knows that if she goes to the king and he doesn't want to see her, he has the right to kill her. Mordecai reminds her of her incredible journey that made her queen and says, maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this. For such a time as this...Such powerful words to me. When I am discouraged and things are not looking good, the people around me are starting to give up, the atmosphere has changed, and everyone's mood has soured. God put me in that situation at that exact moment, to turn everything back around. Life isn't fair, we have all been dealt a bad hand at one time or another. You can give up or you can realize that God did this, God put you in this situation. God is going to give you the words and the strength to turn this around. We got this!!
My other set of verses is in Genesis. Joseph had 10 brothers at the time that did not like him. They didn't push him on the playground or steal his ice cream cone. They sold him into slavery and told his father that he was killed by a wild beast. Now, because God works in mysterious way, he ended up second in command in the land of Egypt. He was in charge of everything during seven years of famine and Egypt was the only place that had food. So, guess who comes looking for food for their family? Yep, those same brothers who sold him. He had fun with them for a little bit and makes them jump through a few hoops since they didn't recognize him, but in the end it was time to reveal himself to them. They are very scared, but the good news is that their father is still alive so he will make sure that Joseph doesn't kill them. Then of course as the book of Genesis is ending, the father dies and the brothers get very scared again. So what did Joseph say to them? Let's look at Genesis 50:19
19 But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20 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
Verse 20 not only gives me chills, but a great sense of hope and encouragement. In life, people are going to intentionally hurt you. It isn't fair, it isn't right, but it will happen. When it does happen, you can decide to complain all day about how unfair it is, or you can ask God to use you for his intentions.
So, when I am down and out, when I am discouraged or things are difficult, I quietly whisper two things to myself, "For such a time as this" and " You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good". Those two small phrases change my whole mindset. It's not as cute as a kitten hanging in there, but it gives me strength.
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