August 7, 2013

#KingdomWoman... The Power of Her Faith

A lesson of faith I learned a long time ago is that when you're in distress, call on Jesus' name. He will hear you and He will answer your prayer. It may be cliche for some people to say 'He may not come when you want Him, but He'll be there right on time', but for me, it's been a reality.

You see, I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I wasn't raised by two parents, I didn't live in a nice home with a backyard and a pool, I didn't attend a traditional four year or ivy league college, and I've never earned a six figure income. My personal life has seen a series of ups and downs. I was raised by a single mom who did the best she could working two and sometimes three jobs just to make ends meet. At 16, I became a teen mom and for a short time lived in a home for pregnant teens. At 18, I went to junior college, with the intention of transferring to a 4-year university. However, I got pregnant at 20, then married at 21, and with two sons in tow, moved away from my family. At 28, I was separated, on my way to divorce, and pregnant again... Not knowing whether the marriage was going to recover, I got an abortion and never told a soul. I moved back near my family and lived as a single mom until the age of 38 when I remarried and became a blended family. There have been times when I've been broker than a joke and near homelessness. I've sat in the corner eating bread so my kids could fill their stomachs. But in everything, I give thanks.  The one thing that has been steady, even in my 'backsliding days', was a strong sense of faith. Faith has been ingrained in me since the day I was born. Faith that God is there in the good times, the bad times, and even in the shonuff ugly times! Even that mustard seed faith has gotten me through some really hard times! I always had faith that things would be better one day.

No matter what happened in my life, I held fast to Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalm 27:1. These are my faith verses that I've engraved on my heart to remember that God is in control of my every move and every direction of my life. I have the option to choose whether I trust Him or not. I choose to trust!

When I didn't have enough gas in my car to get me where I needed to go, I thanked God because I knew He was protecting me from dangers seen and unseen. When the cupboards were down to the barest, the Lord provided. For example, in faith, trusting and believing God would come through, one day I went to the grocery store with my four kids trying to get the bare necessities with the last little money I had available. As I was walking into the store, I was praying, 'Lord, I need more than this, because what I have just won't do for my needs right now. You promised you would take care of our needs and my kids are looking to me right now. They need to know You are who You say You are right now. Please help me'. Before I stepped into the store, I saw a familiar face near the entrance. The Lord sent an angel named Rev Henry Mass to tell me to fill up my cart and he took care of the bill and gave me money for gas to get to work. Hallelujah! I didn't specifically tell Rev Mass what I needed but those needs were met. God blessed my family through him that day and my kids know The Lord can come through when you call on His name.

Now, it doesn't always happen that way. There are certainly times when God's answer is 'no' or He's silent, but that doesn't lessen my faith because I've seen faith in action so many times in my life that I can't thank God enough! I can never doubt that He's always up to something good even when the circumstances say otherwise.

Looking back over my life, I can see where the hand of God moved and protected me and our family. The thing I'm most thankful for is that all my children know the Lord. My oldest son, through ups and downs, still holds onto his faith that the days ahead are destined to be better than the days past. My middle son chose to marry his long time girlfriend instead of shacking up before marriage. The generational curse of teen pregnancy was broken with my daughter and she now proudly serves in the U.S. Airforce and contemplates marriage one day. My youngest son reads his devotional daily and begs me to participate in church activities and programs. And, although I had no direct influence over my bonus kids, I'm proud to say that I know they know the Lord by the talks we have the opportunity to have. God is faithful! He's faithful even when we're not!

Read Jeremiah 29:11 for yourself. One day your world could be turned topsy turvy and you need to trust that what's happening is for your good. No matter what your status in life, whether you're living high off the hog or low in a pigstye, you have to have faith. There is power in your faith when you are passionate about what God is passionate about.


5 comments:

The Benchwarmer said...

This was a good post

I am Ruth, Proverbs 31 Woman said...

Thanks for your support, honey. I appreciate it and it means a lot to me! :-)

T. Dutton said...

Enjoyed reading your post.

I am Ruth, Proverbs 31 Woman said...

Thanks, Sis. I've visited yours, too. Will leave a comment shortly!

Anonymous said...

This is an amazing story of faith and trusting God! I am moved to tears to see just how good God is! I look forward to reading more from you! God bless!