Actions vs. Consequences

I was reading about a terribly sad story and it really got me thinking. There was a couple that had two children and really wanted another. After 10 years of trying, the decided to do IVF (invetro-fertilization). Basically, several eggs were harvested from the mom, fertilized in a test tube and then implanted into the mom. Several eggs developed into embryos so the couple decided to freeze some and implant some. They were overjoyed to welcome a baby girl into their family from that first implantation. I can only imagine the joy! As time went on, the decided to go ahead and implant the remaining frozen embryos. (thawed out of course!) Another success! The mom was expecting! As of right now, she has about two weeks to go in this pregnancy. Sounds great right? Well, a few weeks ago, the couple received a call from the infertility clinic. By accident, the wrong embryos had been implanted into her. She was not carrying her own child (no mention of where her actual embryos ended up. That is unsettling in and of itself). As if that news was not jarring enough...the couple has to give the baby to the biological parents after it is born.
Just as I could not imagine the joy of conceiving after so long, I could not imagine the anguish they felt after hearing they had to give this baby up. Now, there is so much in that story that gets my wheels turning but this is the point that came to mind. We get to freely choose our actions. Every action we take is from our free will which is God given. Right? Right. But...we do NOT get to choose the consequences. I am not saying that the IVF was wrong or against God's word. I have some very dear friends that did that and it really is all wonderful. Praise God I was able to have three children the usual way. But, it begs the question, if we are trusting God, if we really know him to be in control and will do for us what is in our best interest, then logic says that we will have the children he ordains. IF we take that decision into our own hands, he is still the one who creates that life but we have taken control of the situation. The outcome, the consequences of our moving outside of God's plan for us, kind of changes things. We never know what the consequences will be. We can be sure that (according to scripture) "all things work together for good" but we don't know what is going to occur in our lives in order for God to kind of....do his thing...to get all things working for good. Know what I mean? Now, I don't think any of that situation or ANY situation is a surprise to God but I do think that he simply wants us to stay in his will 'cause he knows what is best for us. He has a plan!
The next question is....how do I know what his will is? The best answer I can think of is the more I get to know God, the more confident I am that I am operating in his will. Selah

It's been a long, long time!

Ok...I have broken the #1 rule of blogging. I have not posted a new blog for so long. That is a no-no. Being a mom of three children, toss in summer vacation, throw in a menagerie of animals...the result.....no blogging til fall time! So much has happened in the past few months. So much excitement because I have been feeling the presents of God so strongly...can't get away from Him actually. Mom's Support Group is back in full swing and this blog is loosely following what is presented there. The topic of worry/worrying has been on my heart. So, as it goes, this is what I did some scripture study on. Then chat about what I discovered with my mom's at Mom's Group. This is what it looks like in my life...
My youngest child (age 6) was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome this summer. Think about that for a moment. A parent only has to think on that for a quick second to get all churned up inside. All I could think about was...."My heart is so sad. My girl, my beautiful baby girl is going to be the weird girl!" Then I thought, " no one will like her, she will now be a loner which is so different from what her personality is." Then of course I thought this..." no one will marry her, she will never know what it is like to be in love, she will never have children, her life will be empty....blah, blah, blah." Then, I of course I went to this place- "what did I do to cause this. What didn't I do?" Now, keep in mind, all these thoughts went through my head in about, oh, 3 seconds. Yeah. You know what I am talking about. As mom's we take one thing, one simple little thing...and boom! The rest of eternity is played out in our head. The result, we are mentally exhausted. We have not spoken a word, it has only taken us less than five minutes to get this way, AND we still have laundry to do! I am confident that anyone reading this knows exactly what I am talking about. Then, only by the grace of God, I come back down to reality. My everyday has God right in the middle. (this was not the case for years, even though I considered myself a Christian) I have learned so much about what God has to say to us about our everyday lives. He has a lot to say about worry. A wonderful place to start is in Matthew chapter 6. Good stuff! I encourage everyone to read it but here is what I get out of it. Worry is something we all do. It would not even be mentioned in the bible if no one dealt with it. Some are plagued by worry, but most suffer with it for a while and move on. Often we just move on to the new thing to worry about. HOWEVER...if you find yourself worrying, you are no better than a pagan or a heathen. (don't get feisty...those are God's words, not mine) A pagan, a heathen ( a person who does NOT believe in God and only cares for the things that make him/her feel good) operates in life thinking that there is no God that cares for them, does not believe the words God has given are true. BUT as believers, scripture says don't worry. The God who gave us life will not just let us go. He did not give us life just to let us twist in the wind. Even when not so great things happen, God is still in control and he has a plan. His plan always takes what occurs and uses it for good! Always! (Romans 8:28). With this, we can be assured that something good WILL be the outcome from all things. Kind of a broad statement but I so believe it. I have seen it time and time again in my own life! The word also points out (Matt. 6 still) that God cares for the sparrow. He takes care of them. They don't worry about food, shelter, etc. If God cares for a little ol' birdy, why would He not care for you. Following that thought, if you believe He cares for you deeply, then anything that comes up in your life is covered. Right? Yes. Sounds logical. The next thing is often....yeah, but. Well, no buts allowed. The word worry, brought back to Greek, which is what language the New Testament was written in, means divided mind. When we worry, it means our minds are divided. One side says, things will be fine. God is with me. My head knows that. The OTHER side says, "oh boy, oh boy...I need to do something! What can I do , what should I do. Not sure WHAT to do. I am not completely believing that God IS in control. After all, is He going to come down and take care of this situation?" See the division? It is there and it takes over. I know I have been long winded about this but I feel it so intensely. Worry is useless. It does not add one single thing to any of our lives. As a matter of fact the only thing is does is steal the joy from today! (Matt. 6) The best thing to do when this human feeling creeps in....lean on what God says. In order to lean on it you have to know it. Here are some other verses that I have come to know and taken so much comfort in...

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. Jeremiah 29:11

Philippians 4:6,7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (love this version! The Message Bible)

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

This might be my favorite one. To me, this kind of looks like "hindsight is 20/20". Deuteronomy 31:8 says "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” How cool is that! If God is before us....he has 20/20 hindsight! He knows, he's got it covered!!

So, if you find yourself worrying (about work, your house, the bills, your friends, your family, your church, your kids, your kids friends, the weather, illnesses, riding in a plane, the stain you noticed on your shirt! ANY kind of worry) ....think on these verses. God has much to show us. He wants us to understand, I mean really understand, that He is in control. He was our own best interest in mind and He is right there along side us. Got to love that!