Jars of Clay

2 Corinthians 4:6-9

⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, “made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

So, there I stood, in front of that group of women, and poured out what God had laid on my heart. It was a message he had speaking in to my heart for the past 7 years, and now it was time to let others know of this hope He had imparted to me.

The hope of redemption. No, the promise of redemption.

What a joy, honor and privilege it was to see their faces as they responded to this message of hope. At first I was nervous, but as I spoke, I could see a connection. I could see that these words that I had prayed would be the Lord’s words and not my own were connecting on some level with these beautiful women.

What happened next?

That night, after reading a rather opinionated post on Facebook by someone very dear to me, Satan attacked. One of the things I have been rescued and redeemed from came rushing back from my past with a fury and vengeance like I had never seen and threatened to crush and destroy one of my most precious relationships.

I had a choice to make.

I could either lay down and let the enemy stomp every truth God had spoken into my life about His forgiveness, or I could rest in the peace that He provides and let Him fight for me. I chose to lean in to the God of the universe and let him hold me tight as he slayed my demons.

He is faithful.

As I picked up the phone to reach out to this sweet soul, I worried that my words would be met with rejection. I prayed that God would work in this situation, and He did. The relationship that I worried would be destroyed was not. I’m sure there may be questions to come, and even some animosity, but that’s okay.

This is what a faith walk looks like.

Even when relationships are tested, Christ-followers must learn that the most important relationship we have is with our Heavenly Father. While our relationships here on earth are to be cherished and protected, we must remember that if God is in the midst of our relationships, he will see us through the times of testing.

Our responsibility in trials is to learn the lesson.

I can honestly say, that through this experience, I have felt the peace that passes all understanding. My struggle with this thing isn’t over yet, but I know that no matter the outcome here on earth, my Heavenly Father stands ready to defend me and is my constant source of strength, healing and solace.

Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Much love,

Shari