I wanted to blog about some of the insights that I gleaned this weekend.
1. In this life we will have trouble! Of course, the Bible teaches that; but as I listened to each of these godly women (and one man) share their life stories, I was astounded to hear of the struggles and trials they've experienced along the way. The first speaker we heard was Patsy Clairmont, a spunky, godly grandmother and gifted speaker and author who had been a high school drop out and runaway as a teenager and an agoraphobic as a young adult. The second speaker we heard was Andy Andrews who was a comedic, energetic, if slightly scattered, man and was also a gifted Christian speaker and writer. At the age of 19, he lost both of his parents and became homeless, living under a pier and in people's garages. We heard Sandi Patty (you know her) speak of her struggle with her weight and of a time in her life where she had such a sever anxiety attack that she was taken to the ER and discovered that she didn't feel like she was good enough or that there was enough of her to go around. We heard Brenda Warner (Kurt Warner's wife) speak of her struggles with trust as her first husband was unfaithful and left her to care for their unborn child (she was 8 months pregnant) and their blind, brain-damaged toddler. Over and over again, the message was the same - God got me through! God was my strength! His grace was sufficient for me! He can and WILL do it for you, too!
2. You never know what someone else is going through. As I listened to all of these stories of struggle, I was overwhelmed by the thought that we ALL have struggles. We all face storms. You never know what the person next to you is going through - whether it's a difficult life experience or a specific struggle with sin. I was reminded of a day not too long ago when I was going through a very difficult experience. I encountered a particularly rude individual, and I was particularly rude in return. As I was fuming over the encounter, I kept thinking, "If she only knew what I was going through right now!!!" Couldn't we all say that? I will definitely keep this in mind when dealing with outsiders, and I will be more diligent about truly asking and caring how my friends are doing!
3. "When we've seen God be faithful in the past, we can know and trust that He will be faithful in the future. God is our enough." - Sandi Patty
4. Exodus 14:14 - "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." WOW! Love that one! Commit this one to memory. Write it on your bathroom mirror. This is a verse I've read time and time again and never really noticed. I will cling to this one when I'm going through the inevitable storms of life.
5. God cares enough about us and the little details in our lives that He even knows the number of hairs on our heads when that's something we don't even consider or care about. If He's that interested in the hairs on our heads, how much more does He care about our struggles, fears, temptations, feelings of inadequacy, etc?
There's so much more that God showed me through this weekend. Some of it has escaped my memory for the time being. I should have taken notes when I got home each night, but I was busy spending time with my family. Other insights are just simple truths that are still growing into a "Word from Him" in my heart and mind. They're ones that I'll need to reflect on and pray about for a while before I know exactly what God is teaching me through them. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these insights and that if you ever have the opportunity, you attend a Women of Faith conference. You'll be glad you did! :)
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Location:Wisdom from Women of Faith
Enjoyed our time together. You always seem to amaze me!
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