As a Christian I have questioned myself, asking, is my preparing for a disaster or bad times as a lack of trust and faith in Christ? After all, he has promised that He will protect me and be my fortress in times of trouble.
But I will sing about your strength, my God, and I will celebrate because of your love. You are my fortress, my place of protection in times of trouble. Psalm 59:16 (CEV)
At the same time, I also believe that He has provided my needs in the form of intelligence and a good job.
What is a time of trouble? To be honest it is different for each of us. Last year, a time of trouble was for those who lived in Moore, Oklahoma with a devastating tornado. For a good friend of mine, a time of trouble is being diagnosed with the lifelong disease of multiple sclerosis. A time of trouble could be needing to care for your elderly parents without the financial or medical means, or it could be the loss of your job. My neighbor has been without a roof for over two months, due to a bad contractor who removed the roof and then left the job, no shingles and a layer of tar paper during the rainy season, that was his time of trouble. You see each of us has different challenges at different levels of degrees and different times in our lives life.
So, is it a lack of faith or trust in God to prepare a bit for a time of trouble when times are good? No, I don’t think it is. In fact, I think it is honoring Christ to let him know that you are using the sources He has provided in the most responsible way possible. I believe it would be disrespectful to just blow any extra money you have on selfish things before insuring that you, your family and friends are taken care of as much as possible in case of a time of trouble.
Money is just part of it. God has blessed me with good health; however, one thing I struggle with is keeping my body in good physical condition. Remember my neighbor that I mentioned earlier? I went over and helped him pick up the shingles that his contractor just left on the ground. It wasn’t heavy work, a few shingles at a time, but, it was a lot of binding over and standing up. The next day I felt it…I realize that I need to get in better physical shape and just mowing my lawn isn’t going to do it.
Many people say “oh, I can’t prepare, I don’t make enough money”. To which I say, bah! We all have money for what we want. Some people smoke, some drink beer or have a Starbucks every day, some eat candy, some go out to fast food every day for lunch. Start today to discipline yourself a bit. Cut back on just one thing and with that extra cash, buy an extra can of soap or chili, buy some medical supplies or cleaning supplies. Get off the couch and start exercising, walk around the block four times twice a day. Get the gaming console out of your kid’s hands and take them with you…imagine the one-on-one time you can have with your kids and/or husband if you are walking together rather than brain dead in front of a TV.
Ladies, there are times when we must take the lead, be the shepherdess of the family not the sheep. It won’t be easy, there will be push back, but this is where you must be strong, share your plan and draw a line in the sand. It is so much easier to prepare for and be the shepherdess during good times so when there is a time of trouble you are ready and those around you know you can be counted on. This is not to say that we are taking control away from your man…however, he works all day, and you may too, but, and I say this with no disrespect, men sometimes need to be directed and guided. For those who are like me, that don’t have a special man in the house anymore, it is even more important to take the lead and get things done now, during good times.
Preparing for times of trouble is not a lack of faith in God, but rather, an indication to Him of thanks for all He has given you….remember, all that we have isn’t ours….it is HIS, how we use it is up to us.
21 Dec 2013
0 CommentsTime Of Trouble
At the same time, I also believe that He has provided my needs in the form of intelligence and a good job.
What is a time of trouble? To be honest it is different for each of us. Last year, a time of trouble was for those who lived in Moore, Oklahoma with a devastating tornado. For a good friend of mine, a time of trouble is being diagnosed with the lifelong disease of multiple sclerosis. A time of trouble could be needing to care for your elderly parents without the financial or medical means, or it could be the loss of your job. My neighbor has been without a roof for over two months, due to a bad contractor who removed the roof and then left the job, no shingles and a layer of tar paper during the rainy season, that was his time of trouble. You see each of us has different challenges at different levels of degrees and different times in our lives life.
So, is it a lack of faith or trust in God to prepare a bit for a time of trouble when times are good? No, I don’t think it is. In fact, I think it is honoring Christ to let him know that you are using the sources He has provided in the most responsible way possible. I believe it would be disrespectful to just blow any extra money you have on selfish things before insuring that you, your family and friends are taken care of as much as possible in case of a time of trouble.
Money is just part of it. God has blessed me with good health; however, one thing I struggle with is keeping my body in good physical condition. Remember my neighbor that I mentioned earlier? I went over and helped him pick up the shingles that his contractor just left on the ground. It wasn’t heavy work, a few shingles at a time, but, it was a lot of binding over and standing up. The next day I felt it…I realize that I need to get in better physical shape and just mowing my lawn isn’t going to do it.
Many people say “oh, I can’t prepare, I don’t make enough money”. To which I say, bah! We all have money for what we want. Some people smoke, some drink beer or have a Starbucks every day, some eat candy, some go out to fast food every day for lunch. Start today to discipline yourself a bit. Cut back on just one thing and with that extra cash, buy an extra can of soap or chili, buy some medical supplies or cleaning supplies. Get off the couch and start exercising, walk around the block four times twice a day. Get the gaming console out of your kid’s hands and take them with you…imagine the one-on-one time you can have with your kids and/or husband if you are walking together rather than brain dead in front of a TV.
Ladies, there are times when we must take the lead, be the shepherdess of the family not the sheep. It won’t be easy, there will be push back, but this is where you must be strong, share your plan and draw a line in the sand. It is so much easier to prepare for and be the shepherdess during good times so when there is a time of trouble you are ready and those around you know you can be counted on. This is not to say that we are taking control away from your man…however, he works all day, and you may too, but, and I say this with no disrespect, men sometimes need to be directed and guided. For those who are like me, that don’t have a special man in the house anymore, it is even more important to take the lead and get things done now, during good times.
Preparing for times of trouble is not a lack of faith in God, but rather, an indication to Him of thanks for all He has given you….remember, all that we have isn’t ours….it is HIS, how we use it is up to us.