My testimony

My testimony isn't so much a success story as it is an ongoing story of faith.

I have not "arrived" anywhere, in any sense of the word.

All of the dreams I ever had of success, and the like, have come to naught.

Yet my testimony is strong and powerful and will, I believe, inspire others to stay the course with God.

Through loss, suffering, paying a high cost to obey the Lord, obstacles, attacks, and the like, I remained true to the Lord.  This is not just something.  It is everything.

I believe there are Christians out there who have given up on God because of how their lives turned out.  God didn't do what they wanted, so they walked away.

But God isn't there as a genie.  He is there as God.  He is the One we are to look to and ask Him what He wants from us.  

If He doesn't "make all our dreams come true," what of it?  Maybe those dreams would have destroyed us.  Maybe those dreams would have taken us farther from Him instead of closer.

You see, He wants us.  He wants us more than He wants our success.  In other words, He will do whatever it takes to keep us close to Himself.  And if that means not giving us what we think we want, then so be it.

I refuse to give up on God because I know He never gives up on me.  

That is my testimony.  Pure and simple.

Though He brought about the loss of our home and caused us to be without a home of our home for three and a half years, I trusted Him.  We lived in a hotel during that time because that was His will.  It certainly was not ours.  We looked and looked for a home of our own but He closed each and every door.  He was doing a deeper work in us - a work of trust, of making Him our Home, of following Him at all costs and valuing Him above home, family, reputation, and all else.

During that time, instead of getting support from family and friends, most of them disappeared.  And those that stuck around mostly judged us for what we were doing, thinking we were insane to follow God to such an extreme.  

So I followed God with zero support or encouragement from family and friends.  Try that for three and a half years!

My testimony has turned out to be nothing at all what I thought it would be.  Mine was "supposed" to be a success story - the kind that says, "Look what God has done!"  Those kinds of stories certainly bring Him glory, no?

But each of our lives is custom-designed by God - not to "suit" us, necessarily - but to make us more into His image.  In my case, it involved losing pretty much everything and everyone that most would consider makes life worth living.  

So when the Lord blesses me, I am more than grateful.

But when the Lord takes away, I am still grateful.  

When He leads me on a path that I would rather not walk, I still stay with Him on it.

And if I never see my "dreams come true" this side of heaven, I still trust Him. I still believe that everything that happens in and around me is from His loving Hand and is absolutely for my best, no matter how it looks of feels.  No matter if it is not what I "want."  

The prayer goes, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," not "my will be done."

So what do you "will?"  Is it God's will?

Are you willing to let God take you anywhere He wants for His purposes and His dreams for your life?

If you do, you will have a constant Companion that never leaves you for one millisecond.  You will see miracles, you will experience His power and watch Him provide and work on your behalf in ways that most do not.  

What is the price?  Everything.

But what you get in return cannot me measured or bought.  And any dream you could dream could never, no never, compare with living with the peace and love of Christ in your heart in life through thick and thin.  

I believe there are even harder days ahead of us.  Even when this pandemic finally ends, I don't think for one minute that life will ever go "back to normal."  What to do then?  

If you are anticipating a "better" life after this pandemic, but things get worse instead, where will you turn?  What will you do?  Will you be able to trust God then?  

You might want to get in the habit of trusting Him more here and now so that you will be prepared for whatever might happen next.  

He is utterly trustworthy, so you will be in the best place ever.  In His loving arms.  I urge you to follow Him wherever He leads.  Let Him decide what is best for you.  And believe in Him no matter what.  

Thank You, Lord, that though life has not turned out the way I thought it would, I still trust You and believe that Your will and plan is best for me.  I know that You bring about every circumstance in my life for my best and for Your glory.  I trust You, Lord.  I love You, Lord.  Thank You for always knowing and doing what is best for me.  Your will be done, Lord, through me, to me, in me, and around me. In Jesus' Name.  Amen.