Life Under Construction

By: Amy Beth Williams

Life under construction:  Experiencing life’s delays, detours and ditches.

For the past several months, I have had the unpleasant experience of road construction right outside my apartment building. Between the jackhammers, bulldozers and orange cones, I am ready for it to be over!

As much as an annoyance this entire project is to me, I have come to realize that my life isn’t much different. God oftentimes has us “under construction” in whatever area He sees fit. First there are the detours. You know, those times when your plan A turned into plan B, turned into Plan Y? It’s when we think we know best and God proves otherwise (and by the way, He is always right). Detours are often necessary for God to test our hearts, grow our faith and to remind us to surrender control and leave the driving to God. We can’t get to our desired destination without His wisdom and guidance.

Secondly, there are the delays. Just when you think the destination is right around the corner, another two months pass, then a year and before you know it, you start to believe God has forgotten you. Waiting is HARD. There is nothing more difficult than waiting on a promise from God without any outward encouragement. The temptation is to take a shortcut but we learned from Abraham and Sarah that it’s better to wait on God than to create a proverbial Ishmael.  Trust His timing. He knows best!

And then there are the ditches. Those places in life where we get stuck and there seems to be no way out. No matter what we do or how hard we try, we feel shipwrecked. I know from my own life, there are many times when the very pit I prayed my way out of was the very place that God was preparing me for the blessing. Just like Joseph, we need to trust that God is in our seemingly helpless situations and is just waiting for us to surrender control so that His glory can be displayed in our lives. There is a purpose even in the ditches of life.

There are few other things about construction I have noticed:

1. It never seems to have an end.

2. Eventually, it does end.

3.  It’s always for a purpose, even when we can’t see it at the time.

We have to remember even when, especially when, God is working on us. Let Him have His way – He knows how to get you to the other side safely. Remember: the orange cones are only temporary!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.” Proverbs 3:5

A Lesson from the Bamboo Tree

By Amy Beth Williams

I was just talking to a friend about how the ordinary days of seeing absolutely nothing are so much more common than the truly “seeing God at work” days. The challenge is to hold on when nothing outwardly changes, knowing that he is working behind the scenes and for us to still rejoice despite what we see – or don’t see. So here’s a mini sermon after doing a little research on how bamboo trees and how we can relate spiritually…

In the first 4years after a bamboo is planted, nothing can be seen but a small blade. It would be easy and logical to assume that every day that passes, nothing is happening and it’s pointless to believe it will. But EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING! What we don’t see is that all the growth is taking place underground building miles of an intricate root system that is so complex and sophisticated that it will support and sustain the massive growth that is predestined for the plant. If you try to pull the tiny blade out of the ground, it’s impossible because the roots grow so deep and they become incredibly strong that it won’t budge. After the root system is complete, the tree can grow up to 90 feet in a year! This compared to other fast growing trees that only reach 2.5 feet per year.

In another article about bamboo trees, I read “You CANNOT shortcut the amount of time it takes a species to establish it’s rhizome (root) system” as it will destroy the sustainability of the plant. How often I want to shortcut the waiting, not realizing that I am destroying the foundation of His blessing. It’s amazing how similarly God works in our own lives. As long as we can stand in a place of belief that God is working and growing us below ground and our only job is to water it, nurture it and not grow discouraged or lose heart when we see nothing change. In that place, we can look above ground at that little tiny sprout and still know it holds everything God promised and no one can yank it out of the ground. Let us not grow weary in waiting but let us thank God for establishing a root system that will uphold His great calling in our lives.

“God is not slow in keeping His promises as some understand slowness.” 2 Peter 3:9

“Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24

Faith Vs. Fear

I am not sure about you, but I struggle with vacillating between faith and fear more often than I would care to admit. It’s easy to have faith in God when everything is going “my way” but when life starts to turn sideways, its easy for my faith to go along with it.  In an instant, i can  quickly forget all the years of God’s faithfulness in my life when trials befall me. Can you relate? It’s remarkable how we can rationalize that this problem or trial is  harder for God to overcome than the last so we fall into a perpetual state of worry and fear. Worry is having faith in the lies of the enemy instead of the promises of God. Fear is crippling and disabling in every way. Those of us who tend to have overactive, creative minds are even more susceptible. The enemy uses or God-given imaginations against as we play out unreal scenarios in our minds that soon become truth to us. Our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual state follow suit. Suddenly our world is spinning and our faith is flimsy all because we believe a lie or a sum of lies. I used to think that everything I thought was truth because I was a Christian but that is far from the case. The enemy has declared a full-fledged war on our minds. If he can control our minds, he can control our thoughts, emotions and eventually our actions. He is not omniscient so he doesn’t know what we are thinking but he knows our trigger points and can deduct what’s working by how we respond to his lies. When he sees we are taking the bait he continues to feed the fears and use circumstances to create even more evidence that his lies are true.

I went through a particularly dark season in my early 20s when a vitamin toxicity caused me to have great panic and fear. I was convinced I was dying. I would hear someone talk about a health problem and I suddenly had all the symptoms. I had diagnosed myself with every possible disease and I was nearly paralyzed by the fear. I would never wish It on anyone but I had a new empathy and compassion for people who struggle with depression and for that reason I am grateful God allowed me to go through it. In my darkest days, I  cried out to God and I began soaking myself in scripture. I wrote out a stack of index cards with verses to memorize to keep my mind saturated with truth and found breakthrough. It’s a powerful tool to overcome fear and allow the  truth to become bigger than the lies.

Following that season, I started paying closer attention to my decision-making and now I always ask myself if I am making this decision out of faith or fear. I encourage you to do the same and begin the daily habit this year of memorizing God’s promises if you don’t already do so. And ask God each day to be the blessed controller of your thoughts and stay discerning and vigilant about what you are dwelling on. Over time, you will begin to see God break the old  destructive thought patterns and begin to transform and renew your mind so that His peace can rule your heart and mind.

Philippians 4:6

“Be anxious for nothing but in everything, in prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known until God. And the peace of God that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Give Thanks Before the Blessing

By Amy Beth Williams

 

A good friend of mine is a celebrity chef- an amazing one at that! We met on a TV show last year and became instant friends. She recently launched her very own restaurant on a new cruise ship and I got to see her before her month-long voyage.  I wondered why she offered an apology as she handed me a wrapped birthday gift. I opened it to find a picture of what she ordered for me and hadn’t arrived in time for her trip. I was just as content with the photo as I was with the actual gift because I knew it was coming and I was more than willing to wait for it. I love the anticipation of good things in life, don’t we all?

A month  passed and I got to see my friend last week. She handed me my gift and I unwrapped it excitedly. It was exactly what the picture had shown but even better in person. One comment she made made an imprint on my heart. She quipped “you are the only person I know who would send a “thank you” note before even getting the present.” It didn’t even occur to me not to write a thank you card because I knew she was good for her word and in due time, it would be a tangible actualization of what she had promised. 

Then the conviction hit my heart. How often does God make a personal promise to us and instead of thanking him for it in advance, we often obsess about how it’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen, and even IF it’s going to happen at all? How dare I even doubt for a second that the God of the universe is faithful to His promises?

One of my favorite scriptures is in Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man that He should lie not the son of man that He should change His mind. Does he speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?   I The Lord have spoken and I will do it.” I hold onto that scripture with both hands because my circumstances often times contradict what He has promised me. When we begin to lean on our own understanding, we become less convinced that He will fulfill His promises, especially when more time  has passed and nothing changes. Waiting is hard, isn’t it? Society is obsessed with instant gratification and I am the worst of all offenders. I am a bona-fide efficiency fanatic. I hate waiting in lines, on runways, in traffic and sadly, waiting on God’s timing. For that reason, it shouldn’t surprise me that it is the exactly the area God wants to work on in my life, and that is evidence of my ten years of waiting on two particular promises that have yet to come to pass. I have finally come to a place of surrender but it has nearly taken me this long to do so. We like control. We like knowing what’s coming and when it’s coming but only God is omniscient and in control.  When we try to take control of any part of our lives, we are essentially trying to be God and we know that never ends well.  So here’s  the takeaway coming from a professional waiter: when God gives you a wrapped gift and all you find inside is a promise, give thanks! He is good for His word and the picture He gives won’t do justice to the actual fulfillment of the gift. So as we wait, let’s remember that if we can trust an imperfect human, how much more should we trust the one who died for us? “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” Psalm 37:7

“The spices were better in Egypt…”

 

 

 

By Amy Williams

I was recently reading a popular fashion magazine over Thanksgiving weekend and I was surprised to find a multi page feature on young women executives in Hollywood thriving in a “boys club” industry. I was intrigued by the list and thought I might know some of the women and read through the article. Page after page, it highlighted women in esteemed, impressive positions with heavyweight titles at various Hollywood studios. Out of nowhere, I was hit with a palpable sadness realizing I was once one of those women on the rise just over a year ago. Maybe I wouldn’t have been featured in the magazine but I felt the pain of everything that was lost. Tears welled but refused to fall. I recalled in that unexpected emotional reaction how much passion, drive and purpose centered around my career for so many years. But it wasn’t the place I was meant to stay. The environment became so toxic and the stress levels so off the charts that I had no choice but to resign. I have learned that when God tells you to go, it’s best to go. It’s better to be in the valley with God than without Him on a mountain top.

I couldn’t help but think of the Israelites. Not long after being set free from generations of captivity and seeing God do miracle after miracle, they began complaining about God’s provision. They quickly became ungrateful and embittered to the point they actually said they were better off in Egypt because the spices were better. Seriously!? Slavery sounded like a better option to them than freedom? How ridiculous. And yet, we seem to often choose our own prison over God’s provision because we mistake the prison for certainty and safety. What a lie from the enemy! Whatever God has called you to step out in, trust Him even when His silence seems deafening. God doesn’t take us into the desert so he can see what we are made of. He already knows. Instead, He allows us to see the color of our hearts when the illusion of control is stripped away and all we have left is Him. It sounds like a consolation prize but in reality, it’s the best place to be for at the end of ourselves we find the beginning of His strength. Perhaps I am not amongst the elite Hollywood executive list, but I am loved by a Father who rescued me from prison. He has taken me out of Egypt and now he is taking the Egypt out of me. I am determined to not go in circles for forty years before getting to the Promise Land but to allow Him to do His work in and through me. Allow him to do the same and you will see Him part your Red Seas.


Hebrews 5:6 Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote,
God is there, ready to help;
I’m fearless no matter what.
Who or what can get to me?

From the Pit to the Prison

(by Julie Lucia)

Have you ever been waiting for God to do something miraculous to get you through and out of a trial only to enter into a new trial?
It happened to David, Joseph, and Moses. They each were delivered from one trial and then suddenly had another waiting for them.

I think of those who go through a terrible illness, God delivers them from it and as they rejoice in healing they get their medical bill in the mail! Now they are in debt.

My husband had a really good job and without warning he didn’t. We had planned on building a new home that year. We had finally got rid of our credit cards and the headache that went with them. We had an emergency fund, income going into retirement and saving every month for our children’s college and then within a year it was all gone. We went from planning to survival mode.
I had just started my first year as a Realtor and so I wasn’t making anything to supplement our income. So we waited. For the first three months we sat in shock feeling the betrayal of it all as we tried to grasp the situation. We believed then that God had a better plan. We knew that my husband would get a better job somewhere he was appreciated and where he hopefully would make more money. God would come through for us, he was going to make good out this awful trial. By six months we watched a new wave of closed doors on job opportunities, we witnessed friends and family lose their jobs and gain new ones, go on vacations, get promotions, and buy new furniture. We had started to lose the excitement of looking ahead and moving forward but we still had a hope that God would make everything right again. And then nine months came. We had two unemployment checks left and an empty bank account. Our prayers became desperate pleas. My husband was offered a job with a significant cut in pay and that meant I had to quit realty and find a full time job to make up the loss. So the trial turned from the pit into prison. We had to settle for jobs that could just get us by and I had to forget being a part time stay-at-home mom. Not our hopes and dreams.
We went through an emotional and financial crisis. Yes, we persevered, but why does it feel as if we went from one trial to another? I have to believe this is not the final say, that this is only temporary and God has something better for us to accomplish. These nine months and beyond have not gone unnoticed by God or have been wasted. He is still making good out of this long exasperating trial.

It is heartbreaking to go through extended trials, even when they morph into something new. We are blessed in so many ways and we know this and we should continually remind ourselves of it. We should all strive to be more like Joseph. Joseph went from a cistern, to a slave, to a prison. What an amazing young man who still loved and trusted God beyond all circumstances! Be thankful and work diligently for the Lord while we wait in our prison for God to give us breakthrough.

It has taken me a long time to even feel like writing about our experience, the pain has been so raw and deep. We don’t know why we have to go through long trials of suffering, but we must know that God is preparing us for something greater.

Unemployment takes your breath away. It literally can steal all joy from you if you focus on the future. Take it from me, take one day at a time, pray often, seek others who have been through it, and take a deep breath. You are not alone and you are not a failure. You will get through it. It is only temporary. Don’t read unemployment statistics, read the bible. Change your focus from the situation to God. This is a great time to exercise, reevaluate your dreams and goals, and of course to spend time with God. Talk to Him about what He wants for your life and rest in Him as you wait for His glory to unfold.

Deuteronomy 7:19: You saw with our own eyes the great trials, the signs and the wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the Lord your God brought you out.

Making Something Good Out of Something So Bad.

 

(by Julie Lucia)

 

 

Before my first child was born, I had a miscarriage.  Unwillingly, I remember every detail.  I remember waking up in the morning before work in terrible pain. I remember going to the doctor’s office and her shaking her head in acknowledgment that what we had feared had come true.  The monitor showed no signs of life.  My husband had to take me to the emergency room where I was told to sit because there were no rooms for me.  Eventually I got into a room, I was forgotten.  My husband didn’t know where I was and the staff told me I had to wait for one of the doctor’s on another floor to come and help me.  So I waited.  I screamed in bloody pain, for no medicine was given for the pain because they thought a doctor would come to administer them.  I sat in that cold room for 45 minutes.  And the only thing I could think was, “why have you left me, God?”  It was my only thought.  I felt such despair, I felt alone and in excruciating pain.  And then I remembered Jesus on the cross.  And he had no pain relievers either.  Through sweat and tears, I asked God to please make something good come out of this terrible situation.

A doctor finally came and gave me medicine and apologized for the wait, “there were so many babies born they couldn’t get one of my doctor’s to come down.”  (Seriously, that is what he said.) My husband did manage to finally find me with my mother in tow.  I wasn’t alone after all, and I wasn’t alone in that room, God was with me.    How do I know?

Several weeks later I gave my doctor’s office a piece of constructive criticism.  I had left there with no information, I thought I was never going to have children and I didn’t know anyone who had gone through the same thing.  I gave them a list of websites and told them how important it would have been if I had something to take home when I left with an empty womb. I needed to know there was still hope for me to bare children, really, that there was still hope and I am sure I am not the only one that would feel that way.  Months later, I ran into someone who had my doctors and also had a miscarriage.  I spoke with her about my experience to encourage her.  I was about to give her a list of websites, but she said she didn’t need them, when she went into the office they had given her a large packet of information on miscarriages.  Imagine my surprise that my horrific ordeal had helped other women after me. I felt as if God had wanted me to know, “Julie, you were not alone, I heard you, I hurt with you, and I have healed you.”

Sometimes bad things happen to us and the heartache afterward can be more intensely painful than the actual event.  The disappointment and disillusionment can suffocate us if we let it. I encourage you today, to let go of the pain of loss and asked God to heal you, to strengthen you and give you peace about the circumstance.  Ask him to make something good come out of something so bad. Because what I have learned, He always has a bigger and better plan.

Think about those who have had twins afterward or saved a child from a third world country through adoption. So don’t be bitter or jealous of others, and don’t give up.  Believe that God has a specific path for you, especially made just for you.

Jeremiah 29:11 – 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 hope and a future.”

Pit of Despair

(by Julie Lucia)

Have you ever been walking happily on a familiar road?  The comfort of knowing the surrounding buildings that you pass, the pavement under your feet feels more like a couch cushion than sharp gravel, and every encounter you enter is like well-worn jeans, nothing you can’t handle.  Yes, the small annoyance happen, but its something easily forgotten when you wake from a dreamless night of sleep.  You take a big deep breath every morning, thankful for another day of what?  Who knows, because God has planned your day and you know it’s going to be great. You might even smile at the thought.  And then you take your rehearsed walk on the same refreshing path and this time you fall into a deep ravine.

It is too dark to see how far down you fell or how high up you need to climb to lift yourself out.  You struggle trying to find a ledge to grasp onto, but you suddenly are aware there is none.  You holler for help, but no one seems to hear you.  You cry in defeat, you pray fervently, and eventually give up.   And so you wait.  You first wait patiently, someone will come, you convince yourself.  But no one does.  You yell in anger, you cry in defeat, you pray, but it gets you no where.  You wonder why, how, and if God has let this happen.  And where is He now?  Doesn’t he see me here alone in the dark, helpless.  And then you start the cycle over again, you wait patiently, then you cry in defeat, you pray fervently and you yell in anger.

Have you ever felt this way?  I know I have.   Whatever your circumstance is, your own pit of despair, its not over.  God is not leaving you there to rot.  He will bring you out of the darkness.  It will get better.  What you are going through, the way you feel right now, it’s only temporary.  This trial is only for a season. For some of us, it could last a few weeks, and some of us, well, a year or two.  But there is a purpose in it. Ask God to show you what it is you can learn in your trial, that this will not be a wasteful season.  And that no matter how hard the trial is, that there is a divine purpose.  That He can bring good out of something that seems so completely awful.  He will do this.  He promises. So, take a deep breath and believe.

What is your pit of despair trial?  Let’s us know.  Amy and I would love to add you to our prayer list!

Ecclesiastes 11:5 –  As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.  

The 3 Postcards…

By: Amy Beth Williams
When God answers prayer, it’s not usually how we expect or when we expect it, but it’s always perfectly timed and perfectly placed. I also love that He specializes in the impossible as it’s the only basis for a miracle.

When I was living in Tampa and working in the NFL right out of college, I had this dream of working in Hollywood that I carried with me since I was in middle school. I had no idea how I would ever get there or if I ever would, but I stepped out in faith and began sending resumes to various studios and production companies, despite hearing that it was “impossible” to get any job in the industry without connections. I felt incredibly confident in prayer that I would be moving to LA and continued to take the steps to get a job. I used my brother’s address (who lived an hour south) as a secondary address to show I had family in California and I was serious about the move. I had a headhunter who lined up several interviews for me with companies (not studios) just to get something, so I booked a trip for a week. When I got there, I found out ALL of them had fallen through for one reason or another. I left the trip incredibly disappointed and confused, wondering if I misheard God. Several months passed and I got a call from Paramount Studios who expressed interest in me. I booked a flight and came out with my hope restored. But when I got there, the HR person (who ended up being an amazing friend) told me I was overqualified and canceled the interview. He told me he would look for the “perfect” fit and encouraged me to believe that I was an ideal candidate and he would fight for me. But I left in tears. Another broken road to a dead end interview.

I returned to my job in Tampa, which was a second assistant to the owners. I figured He must have a purpose for me where I was and became close with my coworker who was not a Christian. We began to have deep discussions about faith and God and I had the opportunity to lead her to The Lord. Not long after, she gave her notice when her husband got a job out of town. Suddenly I was the new Executive Assistant, the youngest in the entire NFL and along with that came a significant raise. I concluded that I was meant to stay where I was but my heart still longed for the dream deep inside me. Within a month. I was shocked to get another call from Paramount saying they found the job for me. I was scared to hope but when I drove through the Paramount gates the second time, I had this undeniable, overwhelming sense that it was going to be my new home. The interview went well as far as I could tell and I left with an even stronger desire to be there. Within a few weeks, I received the phone call that would change my life forever: I got the marketing job at Paramount Television. It surpassed my greatest hope and dreams! In that moment I realized, had I gotten the job when I wanted it, they would not have matched my new salary and I wouldn’t have had a chance to witness to my coworker.

When I got to Los Angeles, my brother showed me 3 postcards from Paramount that arrived to his address for me during my 6-month job search. I flipped them over and they were all rejection postcards. Not one but 3! He told me he held onto them as to not discourage me in the process since I felt so strongly that God was going to open the door here. I still have the postcards framed as a reminder that God is working even when, especially when, we don’t see it. Never doubt in the dark what God shows you in the light. Even in the delay, trust His purposes are for your good and they will be revealed in due time.
“

All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose,” Romans 8:28

YOUR expectations of ME are fulfilled. Oh, how about now? Or now? Or now?

(by Julie Lucia)

When I was in high school, a boy handed me a note with my name scribbled across it, connected to a large arrow that pointing its way to his rendition of a dog. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my first “dog” picture that I had received. A girl in middle school had written it over my yearbook picture.  Middle school was awful, but by the time I got to high school, I realized that these people were severely disturbed to offer such opinions.  I remember bringing the note home to my mom and with my best friend, we laughed at his attempt to demean me.  I had felt confident enough by then in who I was and who I was becoming. The boy did later apologize for it.  (By handing me another note, of all things!)

It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties when I had the unfortunate experience of meeting someone who did not like me at all.  No matter what I did, or what I said, I was never good enough for her.  She told me awful, hurtful things.  I didn’t cook right, my nails weren’t polished, I was even told that I was different because I didn’t care about my appearance.  (Yes, she should be ashamed of herself.) But, after many years later and lots of therapy (just kidding), I realized that it was she that was insecure and felt threatened by a 21 year old who was dating her son.  I had always been happy with who I am until I tried to mold myself into her expectations.  Needless to say, the relationship didn’t work out. What good came out of this?  After 20 years later you can guess who influenced my villain in Happenstance!

I have had to deal with others’ unrealistic expectations of me through my work and even my close relationships.  I had one boss who everyday threatened to let me go.  Everyday! Can you imagine going to work everyday hearing that?  It wasn’t until I was laid off from that job, did I really thank the good Lord that I was out of there!  I remember crying the night before and then extremely joyful when I awoke the next day.  I felt such freedom!

Remember that you will never fulfill everyone’s expectations of you. There are too many, they are too high and too unrealistic.  They are what others hold you to, not what God holds you to.  Some people will always be my biggest critic, it just the way they are.  Whether I work or am unemployed, don’t write like Hemmingway, don’t have the most updated possessions, or my kids’ dinner consists of Chef Boyardee.  It’s all so ridiculous!  I am special for me. I am who God created me to be.  This is what you get, the minivan, Tracphone, mom of three, self-published author.  And if it makes someone happy when I fail, then how great is it that I could make someone smile today.

Romans 14:7-8 – For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord.