Column Post by Glenda Harbinson
Today my daddy called me an almost perfect daughter. I know I’m not even close to perfect but I needed that sentiment after this difficult week. Considering how profoundly an earthly man could impact my heart, I began pondering the things God says to me in His Word—His love letter to us, His precious daughters.
While our earthly fathers can only stand by and support us with words and prayers as we walk through trials, our Heavenly Father is right there with us! In Isaiah 43:2 He promises:
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
God walks with us through every moment of our lives. There will be times when we won’t see how any glimmer of good can come of certain situations, but we can trust God fully. I recently asked God to increase my faith. Through difficult days, He did just that.
In 1 Peter 1:7, another promise:
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Trials are not enemies to fear or flee. They refine us. They strengthen our faith. It is through hardship that we become more Christ-like. Being molded can be painful. A potter isn’t gentle with the clay; he does what he must do to soften and mold it, preparing it to become something beautiful. Our Heavenly Father loves us and wishes to turn us into vessels for the Master’s use—beautiful creations willing to use our struggles to reach others.
He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. (2 Cor. 1:4)
Living a life of obedience to Christ is neither simple nor easy. It takes commitment, Faith, and the realization that God IS faithful and His promises are true.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us! (Romans 8:35 – 37)
Through Christ’s strength we can conquer all trials sent our way. We can come to God as our father, our Abba Daddy, for strength and He will see us through.
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P.S. We’d love to know your thoughts; be sure to share in the comments section below. This month we will draw TEN winners from our commenters and the winners will receive one of these two books, Hope for a Hurting Heart or To Let You Know I Care by our featured author this month, Cheryl Karpen.
Glenda is a homeschooling mom of four in New Brunswick, Canada. She also fosters one teen and provides respite care and tutoring for another. She and her paramedic husband Mark have been married for 24 years. Glenda’s writings often reflect her personal experience parenting and teaching children with developmental and learning differences, as well as a particular empathy for moms with chronic illness. She blogs at http://pwsmommy.homeschooljournal.net/ and can be reached by emailing glenda.harbinson@gmail.com
Read more encouraging stories from brave-hearted women here. Be sure to grab your free copy of inspirational quotes and writing prompts while you’re there. (Look over on the right hand side!)
