Go, and fail... kind of

Tonight, I was reading Ezekiel, and in chapter 2, I came upon this, and I was amazed (verses 7-10):

"You must give them my messages whether they listen or not. But they won't listen, for they are completely rebellious!  Son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not join them in being a rebel. Open your mouth, and eat what I give you."

Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and it held a scroll.  He unrolled it, and I saw that both sides were covered with funeral songs, other words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom.

What a send-off.  Ezekiel had just been told that he was going to be sent to speak to the Israelites  for God Himself, and the message was not going to be a happy one.  He was told ahead of time that they were not going to listen happily or change or receive him at all, but they in fact, would be more rebellious.  Oh, and, the last verse includes "pronouncements of doom," to top it off.

I am not sure what I would do if I were in his position.  What if God told me, "Sarah, I want you to go on the news, make sure all of the United States hears you, and then I will speak through you.  The whole country is in disarray and I'm not happy with them.  They are not really going to welcome this, and they will continue to do everything you and I tell them not to do.  Make sure that you stand out, that you don't become anything like them, and that you do everything I tell you to.  And, just so you know, there will be war, and pain, and terrible things to come.  I just thought I would give you a heads up."  I think that if God gave me this commission, I would feel the need to make some sort of contract before I jumped right in.  But not Ezekiel.  Actually, there are 46 more chapters of him doing exactly what God tells him to.

I know that God wants to use every one of us in a specific way.  For me, I know that it has something to do with communication, writing, and hopefully with outreach.  Everyone has a different calling and purpose, and different people God has for them to reach.  There are so many possibilities.  But what if we knew that we wouldn't be received, we wouldn't see any results come of our life's calling, and we were going to encounter really tough life situations the whole way.  That seems pretty heavy.

However, there is a good side.  Sometimes, it took thousands of years for God to fulfill His promises or for things that were prophesied to come to pass.  But, that is the cool part.  God does work in and through all things, and when He orchestrates something, it's just a blessing to be a part of it.  Can you really imagine the other side of what Ezekiel must have felt?  He had to be terrified and unsure, but he must have been freaking out in a good way, too!  God had just talked to him, and told him that there was a mission for his life specifically, and that God was going to use him to talk to a whole nation.  That is really amazing.

In the end, we can rest assured that Christ has ultimately won the victory, we can have peace when we are under His plan and in His will, and the joy that comes from following Him, and knowing we play an important part in His plan, will eventually heal any pain or rejection we feel in the course of our lives.  And actually, those bad things are supposed to be seen as good because it allows us to be used by God!  How backwards to us, but how much better!

Alright, so I know this was long, and for anyone who read the whole thing, thanks.  I know that sometimes I ramble, but I can't help it!  I keep learning!

Landmarks

So, for the 8 total months that we will have been engaged, I have had some landmarks that I have looked forward to that have had to happen before we get married in October! So far, there have been quite a few that we've hit!  I just realized it yesterday and wanted to make a list so that I could really see it.

Landmarks that have already passed:

1. School ending in May


2. Our birthdays in May and July


3. Chelsie's wedding in July


4. Baillie's wedding in August


5. 2 of my bridal showers


6. Leasing the apartment


7. Painting the apartment (very cute colors, may I add!)

Landmarks I'm still waiting on:

1. Billy moving into the apartment officially


2. School starting


3. Cami's wedding


4. Starting my job in the Writing Center at CSU


5. My last bridal shower


6. Billy's man-party (basically a hangout for the guys while they bring gift-cards for Billy)


7. Fall small groups for Genesis


8. Mid-terms


9. Rehearsal Dinner/Bachelorette Party

I can't believe there are only 2 months left!  Honestly, what I'm looking forward to most is being married!  I'm sure the wedding will be wonderful, but I can't wait to be Billy's wife!

The Wives of these Men

When I was younger, say, 14 or 15, I remember reading 1 Timothy 2 and writing it all down in my journal.  I read all about what God had required of an Elder and of a Deacon in the church, and I decided to make that my checklist of characteristics that I wanted to find in my husband.  I can honestly say that, although Billy isn't perfect, he definitely has the quality of character and the integrity that was required of these men.  I definitely am blessed to have such an amazing man to marry.

However, tonight, as I was re-reading the chapter, I noticed the one verse that talks about the wives of these men.  It has four qualities that it points out, so I take that those must be very important, considering they were the only ones mentioned.  Here is the verse (11):

Similarly, the wives must be of good character, not gossips, but temperate, faithful in everything.

I decided to look at all four things and dissect them a bit.

1. They must be of good character:  This might seem pretty straightforward, but I think it's really important.  We require and ask for integrity from our men, but we must have integrity in the same measure!  I want people to trust and know me to be a godly woman and wife, just as much as i expect that kind of a husband from Billy.


2. They must not be gossips:  This is such a struggle for women.  As a rule, we hold more words in our mouths, just waiting to come out, than men.  Also, we are often more detailed, perceptive, and analytical... not to mention emotional.  If we do not specifically watch our words and take special care not to gossip, it can come so easily.  In fact, it's our second nature to gossip... it doesn't make it right, but it does make it something to look out for.


3. They must be temperate:  I don't know about all of the other women out there, but I would not say that "temperate" is a word I would use to describe how I naturally am.  I am emotional, extreme, up-and-down, and I can change my mind or my feelings in 5 seconds.  However, this verse tells me that no longer is there the excuse that, "It's just that time of the month," or, "I just don't feel like it," going to cut it anymore.  Nope!  We are being called to consistency, which I know, for me, can only come through God.  I'm a pretty inconsistent lady sometimes.


4. They must be faithful in all things:  Faithful wives, faithful mothers, faithful followers, faithful Christians, faithful prayers, faithful friends, faithful forgivers... That's right, faithful in ALL things, even the hard stuff.  I know that sometimes, I just want to give up, but not only is it a command, but it's a fruit of the Spirit.  Faithfulness, something that comes out of God inside of us.

Now, I don't really mean to say that these things only apply to women, and I'm sure that Paul didn't mean that either.  It is only that these are things that we have to watch out for, especially.  And because I'm praying for Billy to be that kind of man, I want to be this kind of a wife!