Green Thumb for Ministers' Wives (that doesn't sound bad...actually applies to me!)
This workshop will help you as a minister's wife to cultivate a ministry that grows God's way. It is a practical "how-to" on staying rooted, growing spiritually healthy women, encouraging others around you, and weeding out the ministry killers. (That's the part that slapped me silly...)
Ministry Killers...wonder what the speaker will talk about...hmmm... I think I met a few ministry killers as I went about my day today. (Might have to just revisit this topic in a month and fill you in on how the expert explained the subject.)
You see, the day HIT me with lots of rude comments, comparisons, manipulation, and outright wrong information. And, no...I was not the common denominator. One upon another after another meant to completely take me off of the path God had laid out for me...to enjoy the last day of my blessings school year...to rejoice in their academic accomplishments over the past year...to be available to share His love with others. Instead of being able to enjoy the day, I was emotionally paralyzed by the meanness of the people I encountered. Instead of being able to view their remarks as a state of where they each were at in their own lives, I took their words to heart and was very, very hurt...and ultimately unable to see the needs of anyone else around me.
The stock of today WAS NOT God's plan for me. God does not plan for evil to come into my life. He did not make those people talk to me like that. Their evil words, thoughtless comparisons, and manipulation was the result of sin in their lives. Unfortunately, I have to deal with the consequences of their sin because I live on this spinning ball with them.
God has a good plan for me...
"For I know the plans I have for you,"
declares the Lord,
"plans to prosper you
and not to harm you,
plans to give you a hope and a future.
Then you will call upon me
and come
and pray to me,
and I will listen to you.
You will seek me and find me
when you seek Me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:11-13
But as good as God's plan for me is, His enemy Satan, has an evil plan for my life...
Be self-controlled and alert.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like
a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
I Peter 5:18
That enemy will use anything he can to get me off the track God has me on...including people and their words, comments, and misinformation...to devour me. But I have to remember, as Paul stated so wonderfully in Ephesians, to see beyond the person in front of me to the motive of evil intent, not necessarily from them at all...
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, (people who we see and hear)
but against the rulers,
against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12
God is Sovereign. He has also given me free-will to choose to follow Him or to make choices that are nothing like living after Him. He does ALLOW me to be tested and to face difficult people and circumstances to grow me in my faith. But more than anything, He stands beside me and does not leave me.
Today, He was right beside me when I was dealing with all of those people who have no idea how the totality of their words affected me. He knows, and He holds out His arms of understanding to me to be my comfort...and to help me to focus beyond the people and words and ultimately to Him.
Ministry Killers...Meet my Weed-Eater!
**************************************
Lord, my Comfort and Deliverer...
Thank you for walking through the pain of the day
with Your daughter.
Thank you for helping me to see past meanness meant
to sideline me...to see You
and know that I don't need to focus on
words that don't come from You
but on Your promises
and the hope
I have in You alone.
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