Camouflaged Blessings

Camouflaged Blessings

My son loves to wear camouflage.

He’s never been hunting a day in his life, but he dreams that someday he will go. Recently, he told his daddy he wishes they could go moose hunting in Alaska. (I mean, why not start big?)

We’re city people so when my boy wears his camo, it’s more for fashion than functionality. He loves the style, and I love him for it. For many people, though, camouflage has very practical purposes, providing the element of disguise and preventing the person from being seen.

As I type these words, we’re several weeks into a statewide lockdown due to the spread of the coronavirus. My husband has been off work for the past three weeks. And as a family, we’re each dealing with various emotions and grieving significant disappointments.

For us, this is a time of weakness.

We can’t predict what tomorrow holds. Any semblance of control has been stripped away. We trust that God will give us our daily bread (Matthew 6:11), but if I’m being honest, I like the idea of monthly bread better. I prefer a stocked pantry and a sufficient bank account.

I don’t like this emotional roller coaster of the what-ifs that so often invade my mind. Yet repeatedly during these days, God impresses on my heart that it’s good to be in need.

These are camouflaged blessings, these weaknesses which remind us we need God.

Paul understood this reality when he declared, [God] said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT).

Uncertain days are rich with opportunities for God to show up. A life outside our control reminds us of the good God who’s always in control.  Let’s embrace the eternity hidden in these days and point our kids to the God who still works miracles.

Here are some practical tips:

• Pray for awareness

Several months ago, before the Coronavirus became a pandemic, I asked our kids how they’ve seen God answer prayer. Pondering the silence that met my question, I realized how infrequently we pray about specific needs. We pray generally for missionaries and for salvation for the lost. But when we need something, we often look for ways to meet it ourselves. I began asking God to make us aware of our needs so we can see Him working as our provider.

Prayerfully take inventory of your needs—physical, emotional, and spiritual. Make a list or write down each item individually on index cards.

• Talk to God about each need

Using that list or those index cards, pray as a family about each item. Ask for His perspective and for the Holy Spirit’s guidance as you pray.

• Anticipate His provision

Remind yourself of His promises. Here are a few of my favorites:

“And my God shall meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19, NIV.)

“…Your Father already knows your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need.” (Luke 12:30-31, NLT).

“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion…” (2 Corinthians 9:11, NIV).

Write down your favorite verses and display them around the house for encouragement. Choose to worship Him as you wait—singing your favorite praise songs, thanking Him for the blessings He’s already given, remembering what you know to be true of Him.• Reach out to others in need

There’s great joy in serving other people as a family, even when we have our own needs. Ask God to point out ways He wants to use you to invest in the lives of others. Pray for those needs and serve however in whatever ways He leads.

Our greatest needs are often camouflaged blessings, setting the stage for God to work powerfully on our behalf. Let’s seize these opportunities to grow closer to Him as a family. Let’s remind ourselves of His trustworthiness and walk by faith in these uncertain times.

When I’m not Enough…My Source and Supply

When I’m not Enough…My Source and Supply

by Meredith Mills @DazzledByTheSon

I can’t. 

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When I’m not enough – strong enough, experienced enough, grown-up enough…

The job is too big. I feel too small. 

The pain is too deep. The broken pieces too many.

I’m not strong enough. Smart enough. Experienced enough…

Have emotions like these every hijacked your heart? It happens to me all. the. time.

Like when the pot’s boiling over, the child’s calling from the bathroom, the phone’s ringing and my hands are in soapy water.

Or when the day looms daunting ahead, and I just want to pull the covers up and go back to sleep.

Or when I go to a writers’ conference and start comparing myself to real writers.

Or when a loved one’s heart is breaking and I want to fix it, heal it, make all the hurt go away.

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Life is complicated and messy and rarely turns out how I plan

Life is complicated and messy and it rarely turns out how I plan. Sometimes I feel inadequate for this life God has given me.

That’s why I find the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 so very encouraging (Mark 6:34-44).

Jesus and His disciples needed to get away. Their days were so full of need-meeting that they hadn’t even had time to eat. It was definitely time for a break. But when they arrived at their planned retreat, a large crowd of needy people were waiting.

Jesus’ compassionate heart shifted gears. He spent the day loving on those who came to Him. But by the end of the day, His disciples were done. They came to Him with their plan – “Send the people away so they can eat.”

Jesus’ response astounds me. “You give them something to eat.”

Ummm….come again? We must have misheard Him. Did He say for us to feed them? Doesn’t He know that we can’t feed all these people? Is He that out of touch with “reality”? 

I find myself wondering, why would Jesus tell His followers to do something impossible?

But did He? Was their assignment really impossible?

Actually, He told them exactly what He was about to do – with their hands. They would give those people something to eat.

It seemed impossible, though, because they instinctively looked to their own resources. If they relied on what they had, they would be stuck with just that. Jesus’ plan, however, was bigger than the disciples and their resources.

He told them to take inventory and come talk to Him about it. They brought a mere five loaves and two measly fish to Jesus and watched as He blessed what they gave Him. Then He put into their hands what they needed to feed every one of those people.

But not all at once. He gave them a little and they gave it away. When they used it all up, Jesus gave them more. And they did it again. And again. And again, until every person was fed.

And that is how we do the impossible, too. 

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Broken and small, but enough in His hands.

We offer ourselves to Jesus – all our strengths and weaknesses, experiences and memories, joys and sorrows…all we have and all we are. He takes what we give Him, broken or small as it may be. Then He uses our hands, our hearts, to feed the hungry souls around us and to live out His call on our lives.

He gives us wisdom for decisions we must make.

He provides strength to do more than we’re capable of on our own.

He forms endurance in us through the struggles we face.

He tunes our hearts to His so He can love the world through us.

He does this over and over again, as we keep coming back to Him for more – more intimacy, more grace, more strength, ultimately, more of Him.

For God Himself is both our Source and our Supply. He has already given us everything we need for godly living. (Check out 2 Cor 3:5 and 2 Pet 1:3.)

What about you? How have you seen Him multiply your “loaves and fish” so you can live beyond yourself? Please join in the conversation – I’d love to learn from your journey!

Related posts:

Redefining Success, Part One

Redefining Success, Part Two