Put Your Big Girl Pants On!
- HopeLyndseyPlumb .
- Apr 15, 2017
- 3 min read
"Watch this:
God's eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love.
He's ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together"
Psalm 33:18 MSG Translation
Right now, in my life I'm definitely going through shall we say... A stretching season?! My mum is ill & in need of permanent nursing care. There's a question mark over our home & my husband's studio. I'm unsure about my job. My in law's livelihood & home is being threatened in the most violent of ways. All of this plus much more besides.
Then I have close girlfriends who are going through some of life's toughest battles, one has just suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage, another is going through a marriage breakdown & another recently & unexpectedly lost her husband, leaving her with 3 darling children to bring up alone. It is all heartbreaking.
Back when I was growing up in church & the preacher did an appeal for those that wanted to become Christians, time & again I would hear the phrase "being a Christian doesn't make you exempt from life's hardships". As a child, I didn't understand the weight of that simple phrase, but now I do. Being a Christian, having a faith in God will not guarantee that we don't go through horrible experiences. In fact Im going to stick my neck out & say that having a faith can sometimes make things seem even more foggy... Throwing up questions such as "why would God allow this to happen?" and "what possible good can come out of this?". I don't have the answers but this is what I do know...
God is beyond and outside of time - That which we are currently going through might not make sense to us but it does to Him. Plus, His track record is GOOD - Trust in that.
Speak bible truths into our various situations - I mean actually OUT LOUD. I know from experience that this changes the atmosphere, it edifys the soul. Verses such as Jeremiah 29.11; Psalm 37.4; Zephaniah 3.17; Joshua 1.9.
Ephesians 6.10-18 - make it a daily discipline to put on the full armour of God. I used to practically say it through as I got dressed in the mornings, it's a habit that has slipped but having been reminded I've recently started to do it again. We are fighting a spiritual battle against forces unseen, so let's be covered.
Gather a community of cheerleaders & pray-ers, like minded people around - I have a whatsapp group going with 2 of my closest friends. We meet to pray monthly & so inbetween meetings we have this whatsapp group that means at any time, day or night we can shoot prayer requests or encouragements over to one another.
(If you aren't socialising with friends then you should be! Don't wait around to ask to be invited. YOU be the one to arrange a meet up)
Pray for others - on Twitter & Instagram check out the hashtag #middaybabymidday. This is the brain child of Bobbie Houston. http://hillsong.com/colour/sisterhood/fightclub/ It's a call to mobilize women all across the globe to pray for world events at Midday everyday. I have a reminder on my phone that goes off at midday every single day. I then look at the Sisterhood Twitter or Instagram account for practical pointers on which to pray.
Praying for others makes us take our eyes off our own situations.
Eat well & drink plenty of water - This may seem like an odd one but I am passionate about us feeding our bodies well. I live by the 80/20 ratio. 80% of the time eat foods that will nourish & replenish your body, then 20% of the time you can live at Five Guys (or is that just me?) If we aren't feeding ourselves correctly then how can we expect to feel good from the inside out? What we eat will definitely affect the way we feel & the moods we experience.
Journal - be it in the morning or at night, whenever you can spare 10-15mins, I would encourage you to journal your prayers, thoughts & feelings. I find that it helps to sort out the jumble in my head & it also helps to look back on things & see that God really did carry me through it… I'm still here breathing & standing to tell the tale.
As Christians we are definitely not exempt from life's struggles, disappointments, hardships & suffering but it is our response to them that sets us apart.
So let's put our big girl pants & be brave!
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