Ready or Not

I love playing Hide and Seek. I always have the best hiding spots, and I’m very good at finding people in unconventional places. Its funny how in my adult life, I still find myself hiding and seeking. I am always seeking to better myself and those around me, yet under the guise of being a wife and mother I tend to lose myself in my “to do” list. My dreams and goals are hidden under piles of laundry and doctor visits. I have to make a conscious effort to be me. I have to be deliberate in taking “me” time. Ready or Not here I come. It’s a declaration. It’s motivation. It’s a reminder that I am still in there. I still have wants and desires that I want to pursue. Ready or Not here I come. It’s a war cry. I am going to show up and be all that God has called me to be. Ready or Not here I come. I am telling my obstacles and distractions that I’m back in the game. Don’t believe me just watch!

Blessed Beyond Measure

Exceedingly above. Running over. These are the words used to describe what our expectation of God's ability to bless us should look like in our lives. We should be examples of “blessed beyond measure.” What does that really mean? Does it mean we will not encounter any issues? Does it mean we won’t experience hardship? No. Actually, when I think of some of the most blessed individuals in the bible, they endured the most. Job lost everything. David lived on the run, his child died, and his house was a hot mess. Elijah was tormented by Jezebel. Why would we expect any less? Our blessings are directly tied to our ability to endure hardship. It sounds oxymoronic, but God’s word said he would use the foolish things to confound the wise. People with the greatest testimonies have endured the greatest tests. No matter what you are going through, count it all joy. You are blessed beyond measure.

The Test

I mentioned in my last post that we typically have a test before we have a testimony. We sometimes get caught up in the test and can’t see our way out of it. We are overwhelmed by our problems because we don’t see the solution. We see the obstacles, but don’t see our way around them. Sometimes, the test is really just a matter of perspective. I’m not saying your problems aren’t real. I’m not saying that the consequences aren’t difficult. What I am saying is there is a way out. There is a testimony on the other side, if you pass the test.

Testimony

Growing up in a Southern Baptist church, I always looked forward to testimony service. It was the one time besides announcements and “the welcome” that the members got the mic. Depending on who got the mic, determined how entertaining the service would be that day. You never knew what people were going to thank God for doing, or even give credit to God for doing in their lives. As I grew older, I began to recognize the importance of sharing my testimony. It really wasn't me as much as it was to encourage those who hadn't made it to the testimony stage yet. They were just being tested. Every opportunity you are given to share what God has done in your life, do so. You never know how your testimony can bless someone else.

I need you

God does not let you graduate until you maximize the blessing, learn the lesson, and pass the test. My husband and I often say that we could not have reconnected any earlier than we did because we we're not ready. We had not learned all the lessons from past relationships. We had not mastered our singledom, nor had we learned from our brokenness. Isn't it funny how God can use our pain to bless us?
 
What do you mean? Well, most of us don't truly learn who God is until we need him. We don't know he's a healer, until we are sick. We don't know he's a deliverer, until we need deliverance. We don't know he's a savior, until we need saving. The same can be same about our mates. I'm not talking boyfriends or significant others. I'm talking about those who are in covenant relationships. We don't know how much we love and appreciate our mates until our marriages are tested. We don't know how much we can endure until we are forced to endure it.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that marriage is about need. God said that it was not good for man to be alone so he sent him a helpmeet. Before I got married, I didn't need a man. I just wanted one. I didn't understand that I was a stubborn, fiercely independent woman, who was a Stone in name and theory. Yet by the grace of God, I recognize that I needed to be loved. I needed to be protected. Just like my husband needed me. He needed his rib. He needed a helpmeet. We need each other. Marriage is vulnerability by design.

Today, I celebrate my husband's life. I am so proud to be his wife. I do not take it lightly that God chose me to be his wife, the one with whom he will spend the rest of his life. I love you. I want you. I need you. Happy Birthday Babe.