I sat at the computer writing up an essay for college, full up with the flu and sinus pressure…. as I quickly glanced at my hubby, my head went completely weird. The room began to spin and I thought “Oh NO!!! Not again”.
This kind of occurrence used to come frequently in the beginning of the ill-health season. The smallest things would trigger it – a quick head turn, change of temperature in a room, my neck being out of alignment…..really anything – which lead me into a place of fear and it crippled me sometimes for days and weeks.
I haven’t had a dizzy out for months, so when this happened my default was to freak out a little. So, as I lay there, eyes closed, room spinning, weakened and lethargic – I sensed God reminding me of a time when this had happened and He had spoken to me before.
He had said “It only takes a moment for things to change. Just because you feel this way in this moment, doesn’t mean it has to steal from your later on’s, or your tomorrows.”
As God encouraged me in this, I made a conscious decision that would embrace what God had spoken to me.
To not allow this one scene (in a string of scenes) from this particular day to steal from the next. It was a counter cultural idea for me at the time.
To choose to live in this moment, good or bad.
To see it for what it was, a minor setback.
A drop in the ocean, compared to all the breakthrough moments I had leading up to this one.
It felt better to focus upon how infrequent this actually happened now. Things began to shift, the thoughts were moving….
I found myself feel like praising God for what He had done in me.
How often I had great moments and days!
Wow! My mindsets were being shifted and hope was being restored to me.
Yesterday had a terrible moment, but the rest of the day was pretty good. The sun shone, my bones were warmed, a friend dropped around….it was a good day, with one hiccup.
It’s a simple message, but a true one.
Years ago I read a story of a King who asked the jeweller to make him a ring.
A ring that would encourage him to keep going when things were poor.
A ring that would help him to value the joy of the moment when things were good.
That jeweller created a ring that said something like this “This too shall pass.”
Whatever you are going through in this moment, take heart –
THIS TOO SHALL PASS….
If you are in a moment of JOY – relish it, value it, take it all in and let it refresh you.
If you find yourself in a moment of Challenge – realise that it too, will pass – the way you feel in this moment will shift at some point.
Remember the moments of Joy, knowing that they are closer than your breath and a heartbeat away from being a reality again – if you’ll allow it.
Seasons are a part of life, the bible talks about this at length, there is such wisdom in knowing this. Endeavouring to live them with God, means that the weight of these heavy circumstances doesn’t need to lay completely upon me alone – and that in itself is a delight to my soul and circumstance.
Ecclesiastes 3 New Living Translation (NLT)
A Time for Everything
3 For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6 A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
Father,
Thankyou that I don’t need to fear the moments sent to upset, destroy or shake us, because you are with me.
Remind me in these times what you have done previously and what you plan to do now.
In-still in me a hope that never dies.
Help me to embrace these moments and allow you to redeem them.
I long to look back upon the hard moments in life and see your handiwork throughout them….well….I already have – so please continue in this way…..
Father, I want to value the joyful times more readily,
Show me how to value this moment in time well.
Thankyou that without the hardship, the lighter moments might seem heavier than they actually are, because I’d have nothing with which to compare them with.
Thankyou that the challenges help to grow me, to create opportunities for me to trust you with whatever comes….I long to be unshakeable!
I don’t want for life’s drama to rattle me so much, that I miss the next opportunity for joy.
Help me to let things bounce off.
Help me to be true to you and myself alone in responding to hardship times.
Help me to in that moment, trust you instead of fearing the probably not’s, of life.
Thankyou that this too shall pass.
Thankyou that with you, we are not slaves to circumstance, but we are masters of our response to it – and therefore FULLY FREE!!!!
You are a great God, who astounds me with your comfort and kindness. You spoke words of wisdom, that have helped me to step out of a possible pit situation and I find myself today – quite simply
