As we moved things out of the unit in order to get to the desired object, I got to thinking.
We never dreamed our things would be in a storage unit for nine years. When we moved to Haverhill, we thought we would only be living in that tiny apartment on Emerson Street for a short time. It was only after our first night in there that we began to see that God had a bigger purpose in us being there than we had ever imagined.
Has God ever done that with you? Has He ever taken you somewhere, and only after getting you there told you why you are there at all? I think He does that a lot. Esther comes to mind. Moses and Joseph, too, just to name a few. I think a lot of us would never go in the first place, if we knew the whole story up front.
Marriage is like that, too. We fall in love and say, "I do." There isn't much more that matters than that moment. We think it's all about us - our marriage, our happiness, our future children, our home, our life together. We vow to love in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, and until death we do part, but we don't factor in all that really means. If we did, I don't think any of us would ever say, "I do."
Just think about all the things that can go "wrong" in a marriage. What if the Lord showed us the infidelity that lay ahead, or the hours we would sit by a sick bed with our spouse, the ailing mother-in-law we would have to bring into our home? What about the children who grow up and take after all the qualities in our spouse we've tried for years to help him lose? This is the famous "for better or for worse."
God knows what we can handle, though, and He knows when, and in what measures we can handle it.
Now, stop and think about that.
God knows what we can handle. He knows when we can handle it. He know how much we can handle.
Hm. If God knows what I can handle, and He is in control of my life, then I know that whatever I am facing isn't more than I can bear, no matter how unbearable it may feel to me at the moment. It may be a heavy load, but God didn't give it to you to carry, until He knew you could. Kinda like a personal trainer. They know how to judge your physical fitness, and know when you need to kick it up a notch. Maybe, that fierce challenge you're facing is because you've gotten a little soft, or need to work some of those faith muscles it's easy to ignore.
I don't happen to like the challenges God asks me to face sometimes. In fact, sometimes I even resent them. Yet, I have to keep correcting my perspective and reminding myself why I am here, and what that commitment I made to the Lord means. My vows to my husband meant no matter what, I was here to stay. My commitment to the Lord needs to be that sure. No matter what, Lord, I'm here to stay. I will trust You. Even if it means my books are still in a box nine years later.
One of my favorite songs is posted below. The Lord brought it to me during one of the most painful times of my life. When I hear it, it still brings me to tears, and still reminds me of who I am, Who He is, and why I am here: to glorify Him in the way He sees fit.
