I really hope this blog post makes sense instead of being just my rambly thoughts. It's funny how often an idea makes perfect sense in my mind till I try to actually put it on paper ;)
I'm becoming really aware of this flawed thinking in my own and other believers' lives. Many of us know the prosperity gospel is wrong. "Have enough faith and you will prosper and be blessed." Yet we still think like that. Don't we? I do. . . I want you to ask yourself, am I guilty of such thinking? Or really more likely, what is my view of that prosperity? Let me try to explain. . .
I'm involved in a home based jewelry business by a nationally known company. Nowhere does this flawed thinking come into play more than I see here. "Believe and you can achieve." So I see when the business is doing well, a lot of gals will say, "GOD did this." They have a 1,000 dollar show and several bookings, boy the praises do fly heavenward. But what about the show that bombs? Or what about the person who is too sick to do shows? I'm not criticizing anything. Shoot, I think like this all the time. I'm GUILTY of this very thinking.
Here I am, for the past eight months, I've been very sick. This summer I had to step away from my business completely. Guess what? GOD DID THAT! In His sovereign ordained purposes for my life, He allowed me to be too sick to carry on my business. His grace and goodness are as much in those circumstances as in the ones that "seem" good to me. We think SO limitedly. I have this idea of prosperity: my business is doing well, my kids are healthy and happy, I'm surrounded by friends, my husband loves me. . .
But lately, I've been lonely. I've been sick. I've had to step away from my business. Funds are tight. Some days, circumstances threaten to rob me of my joy. . . And yet, God IS prospering me even in those times, even on those days. To the FULLEST MEASURE!
Am I making sense here? Take my sickness. A lot of people are praying for me to feel better, for which I'm truly thankful. So then, how easy is it, on a good day to say "God did this." But on the bad ones, when I'm stuck in bed and can barely do anything except the basics, do I ever catch myself saying, "God did this!" VERY rarely. Yet the scripture says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from
the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to
change." So if there is NO variation or shadow of change any day of the week or year, then God doesn't take a day off. His gifts are perfect to me ALL the time. EVERY day, whether I see that day as prosperous from an earthly perspective or not. In sickness, in health. In prosperity, in money problems. In days when the kids are bad, and in days when the kids are good. Because He never changes and is good ALL the time. And His idea of prospering is allowing the things that will make me more like Christ.
So I challenge this flawed (yea, even sinful) thinking in my own life, and pray it will challenge it in yours."The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."
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