Cultivating Faithfulness

Over the summer I had the opportunity to visit a friend in Missouri. She lives in a beautiful place, full of lush green grass, majestic trees and smiling faces. While we were there, us ladies went to the local winery. This land was filled with skilled landscaping, and a handsome deck overlooking the valley. It was just the sort of rest I needed, a break from the rough patch my family was in, and far away from the coarse dirt where I live.  I can only image the amount of work and hours of labor it took to create and to maintain this serene landing. I was thinking of this small town while focusing on Psalm 37:3 last week each day as I went about my normal, somewhat sporadic, routine. 

"Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness."

The things I learned from reading this verse, writing it down each night, and meditating on it throughout the day, are more than I could write in one post. a short post anyway...  

My life right now is not where I thought it would be a year ago. 12 months ago my husband had a good job and we had a goal we were working towards. By the end of January 2016, he had been laid off due to a reduction of force, and our life changed dramatically. We were not completely caught off guard, as our community has been facing a rapid decline for a while, so we had a back up plan. A few changes in our lifestyle, and we were fine...for a few months anyway. As the seasons changed from winter to spring to summer, we were starting to feel the tightening in our home. Just in the nick of time my husband landed a job! Thank God! I went to work creating a new plan that would get us back on track in no time at all. Just two and half months into this job, he was fired. What!

This can't be possible, to lose two jobs in one year. So out went the plan, again. 

Not much has changed since that dreadful day in November, but we are still here. I have been trying to switch my focus to what I have, not what we need. A small, yet effective part of throwing out the plan and refocusing, has been a weekly memory verse. But it has become so much more than that. I think about the verse, put it on my fridge, read it over and over, and study it. 

"Trust in the Lord"

God has shown me that it is not my job to plan the future. It is my job to trust His plan for my future, and the future of my family.  It is imperative to believe the God of the universe, the creator of my family and myself, had a plan when He put us here. It is easy to say "I trust God" when you have the money in the bank and a plan with potential to work out. When these two things are lacking, and there seems to be no way to get to that point, that is when truly trusting God comes into play. 

 "and do good"

Another layer to this verse is "do good."  Laying aside my plans and ideas was not so easy for me to do. I begrudgingly tossed my planning notebook aside but did not off my complaints. Waking up each day was getting harder and harder. I found us all sleeping in a little more each day. Along with the heavy sleep cycle my family was caught in, the chores and home tasks began to slide away. At one point, I looked around my house and saw chaos. It hit me that God is not a God of chaos, He has a plan. Things not going my way did not give me the privilege to throw a fit like a small child. I had to change my cycle and begin to do good. 

"Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness"

Until something changes in my circumstance, I am where I am. We no longer have a solid executable plan to buy a bigger house so my four children don't have to share a single bed

room. We will continue to drive an older vehicle with minor issues. While I look forward to the day when my dreams come to fruition, I can be here and now and still be faithful to where God has placed me. Today is just as important as the future, if not more. Choices made today will direct the path I go down tomorrow. I can be faithful in my small house and take extra care with my vehicle. For a short time, I found it hard to dream, to look ahead with anticipation, but now I can see my family in a new home, a newer vehicle and still serving God with all the faithfulness we are cultivating today. 

God is teaching me to worship in my home, not just at church. That reading the Bible is vital to me existence, and memory verses are not just for Sunday school. 

I pray this encourages you to move ahead even if that means being content staying where God has you now. 

Stephanie