Hi friends, I’m so happy to introduce you to my sweet friend Stasia who is here to share some important words of wisdom with us today. I am blessed to know her through the blogosphere and looking forward to meeting her in real life someday! I’m so taken with many things about her, not the least of which is her God-glorifying approach to living out a season of struggle in her life right now. I’ve been in such a similar place to where she and her family are currently in and I can truly tell you, situations like Stasia’s are a gift! Situations like this give us eyes to see what’s most meaningful and important in life. They remove the blinders and allow us to see what’s been true all along. Those ‘blinders’ tend to look a whole lot like apathy and complacency and once removed, we are freed to look at life through a perspective that reaches far beyond our limited view. If you appreciate her sharing her story, please let her know in the comments! Thanks friends!
Hi y’all… I am Stasia and I blog over at Our Life on a Budget.
Sybil and I have connected via our blogs over the past few months. I can honestly say that I have been greatly encouraged by She Lives Free. So, I asked if we could do a blog swap… that way Sybil could come over and encourage some of my readers. And today I hope to encourage some of you. I wrote this last week… our family is in a bit of an “in between.” My husband’s internship ended in May. We don’t have a job yet. We have to move out in a month.
It has been one of those days… “If one more person asks me about what we are doing next year I will lose it. There will be tears and it won’t be pretty.”
How have I gotten here? Just a month ago I wrote about faith in the unknown… and now I am losing it.
Maybe I am really having to put my money where my mouth is…
I said I would have faith.
Now with no job. I mean we planned for that, for a few months at least, so maybe I wasn’t having faith, maybe it was still self-reliance. Now it is faith, and it is uncomfortable.Now with no home, we have to move out in about a month. Even when we moved to New Orleans we knew we had a place to live. Now it is faith, and it is uncomfortable.
I mean, this really makes me wonder. How many times have we been in situations where we have said “We have faith in God” when it was really just faith in our own abilities or strengths?
In our world, we hide weakness and camouflage problems.
Well, God has a different system- He is glorified in our weaknesses. Paul writes…
6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say,7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:6-10
How backwards is this in our world? Boasting of weakness so that Christ is glorified.
And Paul asked… 3 TIMES- remove this thorn, but to keep him from being conceited, from having faith in himself, it remained.
And here we remain. Bankrupt by the world’s standards. But today I claim our weaknesses for his glory. We are no longer self-sufficient (and we never really were).
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Thanks Sybil for letting me share! I would be honored if you would check the blog out and follow along! 🙂
Sharing with holleygerth.com today and Sometimes sharing with
these friends
I wish you and your family the best. There are times when it is hard to have faith that things will get better. It sounds like you are able to see past your current circumstances towards a brighter future.
So true, but Stasia is amazing like that and she depends on an amazing God! I believe a bright future she will have indeed! : )
I’m here from Holley’s link up! It was good to meet you, Stasia and to visit your blog, Sybil! Stasia, I pray that God will show Himself as more than enough in your situation. May His provision and guidance be apparent and abundant!
Thank you so much for that, Elizabeth! So appreciate you being here and your kind words of encouragement! : )
So thankful for your sweet post today! I have served Him for many years, and I have always found Him faithful. Sometimes, it seems He is oblivious to our situations, but all along, He is working all things together for our good. This WILL work out for you, dear friend. You are in His hands, and He will never let you go. One day, you will look back upon this very season of life and realize how much you grew in Him while living it and walking through it. Then this test will have turned into just one more phase of your life’s testimony…and as you tell about it, it will bless and encourage those who come after you. God bless you and show you His love in a special way!
Cheryl, thank you so very much for your kind words that were a huge encouragement to Stasia! Thanks for visiting She Lives Free!
Thank you Sybil for letting me share! These comments are such encouragement to me! 🙂
Anytime! I am so glad to hear you were encouraged by these sweet women : )
Pleased to meet you Stasia! Having faith and living in faith can be uncomfortable. However, we can be assured that God has a wonderful plan for you when you are obedient to His will.
Thank you for sharing (and for linking up to the SHINE Blog Hop).
I will pray for you and your family in this time of transition.
xoxo
You’re such a sweetheart, thanks so much for your visit and for encouraging Stasia!
Focus on all the times in the past when God has been faithful and know that He always keeps His promises – May God truly bless you and your family.