Faithfulness? Obedience?

We have just returned from a BEAUTIFUL trip to Virginia, how can anyone doubt God is real when they see such beauty?

We listened to some beautiful music as we drove 600 miles north, and listened to an outstanding history tape by Steve Wilkins about Robert E Lee, which we have listened to before, but seeing as we were going to Virginia to soak in it's RICH history we thought we should listen to it again.

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Have you ever poured your whole heart and soul into doing something that you KNOW God has called you to do and yet the results seem as though you failed? THIS is how I have felt for the past couple of years, the past year especially. I have no doubt that God wanted me to be a wife and mother. I have no doubt that we are to teach our children as we walk and sit beside them, no doubt that He wanted us to homeschool.

Then things happen that were not part of the plan, that I know HE wanted me to do. For example, a rebellious teenager. The past couple of years I have been in kind of a spiritual shock, because this was not part of the plan...at least not how I was seeing it. I have asked God OVER AND OVER AND OVER..."WHY? What did we do wrong???" Not that we have done everything perfectly...far from it, but we have tried to be faithful. But I have to admit, God has purified tons of PRIDE from me, pride I did not even realize I had... I wonder how much more He needs to squeeze from me?

So back to our trip. While listening to this tape about Robert E Lee (one of our favorite men of all time), Pastor Wilkins brings up a VERY important point. This is not an exact quote but it is the jest of it. General Lee was asked after the war about loosing and his reply was (paraphrase):

'I did what I felt I was called to do to the best of my ability,
the results were up to the Lord.'

God used this to minister to my heart with such freedom and healing. I have spent so long searching for ways to fix a rebellious heart that was not mine to fix. I want to be faithful to God and part of that faithfulness is trusting HIM with the results. I'm sure Lee did not know he was going to loose the war when he started out, but he was faithful. His life is still impacting others today (like mine). I'm sure when he took his last breath here on earth that he then met God face to face and heard the words we all long to hear, "Well done, good and faithful Servant."

We must put on the full armor of God, be faithful, and stand firm, even when our circumstances look out of control, knowing that HE holds them all in his hands.

Therefore, take up the full armor of God,
so that you will be able to resist in the evil day,
and having done everything,
to stand firm.
Ephesians 6:13

Our obedience cannot depend on our current circumstances!