Silver Linings

 Don't you ever hear about there being a silver lining in the rain clouds?

That's how walking with FAITH in God is for me. That even though its storming, he always provides the silver lining in the storm. By walking with him each day and while he is guiding you, he shows you your purpose in what seems to be the greatest hurt and pain of your life. 

Ill give you some examples of how this has been shown in my life. Some i have already talked about but they are worth repeating.

The biggest one being using my test for my testimony with others going through similar situations or even situations that bring about great pain and grief. 

I was able to use my walk with God to meet the needs of someone that is very close to both me and my husband that is also going through this to allow them to see how good GOD really is. To give them faith and encouragement to lean on our Heavenly Father during this time. Had I not been prepared for this I wouldn't have been able to let GOD be the words to me to say to them.

Today when I didn't wanna get up and go anywhere. I didn't feel good and I wasn't going to go to church. But i did. I got up and got dressed and left to head to third service. I stopped at a gas station and I have said before I was going to ask people I come into contact with if they need prayer. So i asked the lady there if there was anything she needed prayer for. Immediately met with a yes!!! I told her a bit of my testimony and told her I would pray over the things she asked of me. I went directly to the car and sat there and poured my heart out to GOD to help her in only the way he knew how. And when I was on my way back from church I decided to stop to give her my information. She had left and another cashier was there so I asked her too. Had i not been willing to get up and go and also step out in faith and hope even thought i could have been rejected or laughed at then I would have never been able to witness. 

Tonight, my parents have had issues with water leaks for a while now. I have been sleeping in the downstairs bedroom aka the junk room lol. I came home about 130 and noticed there was some what i thought was dog pee on the floor. I figured Buster had peed in there and laid down a towel. I went to lay down because i was exhausted and still wasn't feeling well about 3 thinking I would get up to go to this thanksgiving thing. I woke up at 430 and just didn't feel well so i went back to sleep. My mom came home to drop off my dad as he's also sick and I was woken up about 6 from something. I went to get up and noticed that the towel was soaking wet. I was like well that's not pee! So i started looking around and eventually told my dad they had a leak. Which was not exactly fun in of itself because he doesn't feel good and he had to get up and check. Sure enough there was a leak from behind the bathroom counter. Had i not been here and been in that downstairs bedroom they could have had a much worse case scenario before they had found it. 

This is all GOD. Not me. I take no credit for anything. I give him all the praise and glory for allowing me to be prepared and be where I need to be in this time of test. It not only has allowed me to witness but its allowed me to be where I needed to be to prevent a more costly issue. 

God is always with you. Always. He has never abandoned you or turned from you- its us that turn from him and try to do life without him. And that's a very costly mistake we are making. Each day we ignore his love and his open arms is another day we grow deeper inside ourselves with doubt, anger,fear, depression, issues within our lives, our marriages, our families. And then when it gets to a price we can't afford to pay, only then do we turn to God. Usually to cry out why have you allowed this to happen???? Why have you allowed me to suffer???? Why have YOU done this Lord??? But he hasn't done anything he's been waiting all this time trying to show us the way and we have rejected him and his ways. 

So before you continue on the path alone, why don't you sit down and start praising him for the things he is doing every day and ask him what you need to do for HIM. What you need to see, hear, profess, address for HIM. Give it all to him to be the the silver lining in your clouds. 

Stephanie Jones