Trusting God When Times are Hard (Part 2 of 2)

Maybe instead of lamenting your mess.

You just need to own your message that God knows what it's doing well.

We have more wisdom to share for you today from Crystal Evans Hearst on Focus on the Family. Thanks for joining us your host spoke as president and Dr. Jim Daly and I'm John Fuller, John Crystal has been sharing encouragement for anyone who is experiencing a difficult time, and her starting point can be found in Ephesians 210, which states that we are God's workmanship and crystals explaining what that really means for our everyday lives crystals a blog or podcast or homeschooling mom and a very young grandmother.

She is the author of a book called she's still there, rescuing the girl in you, and she's the daughter of our good friend Dr. Tony Evans and once she gets going. I think you'll recognize her dad's speaking style. She's got it and she can preach and join is now for a front row seat at the Myrtle Beach convention center for crystals message at a women of joy conference on today's episode of Focus on the Family. My grandmother, who had so close for her children and also for other people to make money to send her children to camp ease When they were young. She was a great seamstress wasn't a living, something that she does did on the side to make extra money and I sent her the six grade. Will you help me learn how to so I was graduating from the sixth grade and wanted to make my dress and all. I didn't realize that when you sell.

You don't just without the fabric and put it on the machine to painstakingly pin the fabric to a pattern and be very careful about how you cut it out so it takes a lot of patience because of the stages that you have to go through to before you get to the thing you have to cut it out you to be pretty careful about how you cut because how you cut will determine how easy it is to so the pieces together that everything lines up with was aligning a lot in all that great. By the time we got to the end of the cutting grandma. Can you just finish it.

I want to learn how to so I forgot about that we started homeschooling my oldest daughter was very creative, very artsy wanted to take a quilting class quilt with you. Well you cut out a lot little basis, so I got most of the pieces cut out most of the front sewn together by the time she had her quilt binding backing and all.

I just barely had the front of my done guy was so happy that the class was already know what to do and I just said okay I'll finish my quit later, I folded up that top of the quilt and put it up in the closet.

I'd forgotten that selling is not the thing.

I'm so glad that my daughter has gone on to be a wonderful seamstress. I figured you skipped a generation and one Christmas she actually finished my quilt for me.

Put the padding input the binding up with the backing in handed it to me when Krista said here you go mom about that when she got married and had this great idea to make her memory quilt so great that you can take printable fabric all the hot even the cousin than the friend in all the women that have been in her life all these years to give her words of wisdom or Scriptures are, that would encourage her in her marriage as she went on in her married life. And so I collected all the quote I printed them all out. Got the fabric, all situated and I realize I had to put together so I called the lady in our church who actually had made vehicle when I got married I love that cool that you make me so much as a baby, I'm so glad love making that quilt for US admits that is one of my daughter. This memory quilt for her wedding for her bridal shower. Would you help me done all the work to print out all the quotes in Scriptures and all that on the individual sheets and I would love it is helping put together. She said I would love to help you do that. She said when do you need it while it was a Tuesday, I said by Friday. She said well I don't think I could finish it by Friday. What I might be able to do is just so the squares together so at least you have something to share with her. I said I'll take it.

So Saturday morning the bridal shower came and you know this is a hot mess and if you've ever seen the back of a quilt.

You know the threads go everywhere okay so any time you're selling what you see on the front is not necessarily the beauty represented on the back on the backside. It the sign that you would just try to get things done on the front side. It's the sign that you actually wanted to present a finished product. So I wanted to show her I didn't want people to see the messy back so I asked my sister Priscilla to hold one side of the quilt while the other side of the quilt and edges are frayed. I didn't want anybody to see that we kind of rolled the top and rolled beside in the got some binder clips from the office supply store. I just stuck it together. We opened up the quilt. Every woman in the room said so beautiful, how lovely. What a great gift.

I was trying to make sure that they didn't see the mess on the backside. I did give that front facing quote back to Ms. Fay. She did put it together and I want to tell you that it is a beautiful quilt that my daughter loves to this day when I presented to her the day of her bridal shower. She was just as excited about more excited that day.

The day I gave her the finished product. Why one because she didn't see the back and to because if she had see the back, she wouldn't have cared what if, in the middle of our lives is got is piecing us together with our experiences and our various personalities. What if we know the backside is messy.

What if we know individually the backside of our story, we know where we've been.

We know what we've done, we know what we've been through and we pray that nobody sees the messy back tell you something when you really believe that you are his workmanship when you really believe in Psalm 139 you are created your mother's womb and got Billy before anybody else saw you stitched you together with a beautiful intention for your life when you really believe that you'll stop writing because you understand that messy you are his workmanship got you where he puts me apologize for the messy back what because I know he's doing the work in me that Philippians 16 said the work that he started to me.

So why are you hiding if you believe that that is true you are you are his workmanship.

We like to hide though we don't want anybody to know what happened where we've been, what we've been through we don't want anybody to know what's happening right now all day something when you what God is asking you to show up.

You are shortcutting your life. There's someone out there in the world in your world who needs to know that they don't have it all together that God can still use them. There's someone out there in the world who goes to your place of work or go see her charge needs to know what you've been through so that they know that God can get them through there someone that needs to know that God can comfort them. The way he is comforted you during the dark season. If you shop all the time all put together. They don't know what you what you are put together is just the way God wants you to be right now. What if you trusted in the perspective that God is always up to something good in your life that it's true. In Romans 828 when God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him that it's true. If you believe that how would you show up in your life. I want you to know that you are not an accident or an afterthought.

You are here for purpose-Valerie Burton says God made no mistakes when you are created you are uniquely designed for success in your purpose he made you alive and I need you to recognize that perspective on your life, even messy is okay. I went to Bible study for years. I would love to say that I went to Bible study for years because I was just so hungry for the word of God. I was but that was my first motivation. My first motivation was was a Bible study for young moms and they would keep my kids could somebody just say amen you going to keep them for 303 hours two hours a Bible study in one hour for fellowship.

I will stay for all the fellowship you will be the staple thank God then Jesus but I went to this Bible study and every table had a mentoring mom at the beginning of every year.

Mentoring mom would get up all the moms they would line up and they would share their name they would share how long they've been married how many kids they had in the last argument that they had and so every year a woman would talk since you say my name is Patty and I've been married for 30 years I have three children. The last argument that we had was him not mowing the grass on a regular basis and then one year there was a lady named Jade and she said my name is J husband I been married for 37 years. We have three children in the last argument that we had was about his socks on the floor. Fast forward to the next year Jade got up again because she was still a mentoring mom when it came to be her turn. She said my name is Jade, my husband, I would've been married for 38 years. This year he passed away. We have two children and honestly I would give anything to have an argument about his socks on the floor perspective. Sometimes the mess is actually good. Sometimes the mess you'll look back years from now and realize that that was the good old days. Sometimes the best thing that you're running from is actually where your experiences in life that you will treasure actually happening. Maybe instead of lamenting your mess. You just need to own your mess and say God knows what he's doing.

So I'm getting engage.

I'm gonna trust him and him to keep the perspective that I'm his workmanship, and even though this is messy. He's working on me. You are his. You are his workmanship. You were created in Christ Jesus. Galatians 220 says I been crucified with Christ and I no longer live Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me. I was totally immersed and engaged in the wedding of Harry and Megan. I got up early in the morning to make sure I could see all the little funny hats and all the women coming to the wedding and the Who's Who. I had two screens going. I had one goings.

I can watch the wedding festivities and I had another screen go because I was googling away Megan Markel Megan Markel want to know more about Megan Markel. I was amazed at some of the old photos of her because there are certain things that were not part of the new Megan Markel little things like nail polish many times an old photo she had dark nail polish on like the black or the dark purple. Definitely a couple times I saw a red the new Megan Markel wasn't wearing red because royalty doesn't wear red. Did you know that you look at their fingernails are always nude natural blood. She colors she was an actress. She gave him her whole situation. She worked her whole life to be an actress had a steady job on a show since I believe in gave that up while because Harry loved her and she said and Harry loves me and says that I am royalty that will act like royalty, believe that I'm royalty a just the way I dress just the way I look at just the way I walk just where I go adjust where I work because Harry loves me question I want to ask you is you actually believe that your love by Christ Jesus that you're in Christ Jesus, that he is covering you and because he's covering you with his blood and offers you the gift of salvation because of his sacrifice on the cross. Bible says if any man will leave on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He will be saying that means you are covered your part of God's family. We are part of God's family. You are royalty are you acting like your royalty because you believe that you are in Christ Jesus. Are you acting like your loved. Are you willing to change things about your life where you live, change where you work. Change how you dress change how you think and look at how people referred to her after the changes princes make. What changed who loved her, and the fact that she believed she was loved. Here's the thing you know she can change back in a couple ways, but the reality is she still operating under the banner of Harry's love Henry was just see how Harry looked at her smitten and when I tell you that God is smitten by you. He made you in his image, and when he looks at you. Not only does he see a wonderful creation because there's never been nor has there ever been someone like you, nor the ever be someone just like you. Fingerprints are different pattern on your tongue says your unique the pattern on the back of your retina member Tom Cruise and Mission impossible. It would scan his eyes. It's true there are physical things about you that no one else has, nor will they ever same is true of your soul, your personality, your experiences, your gifts, or abilities or interest or passions. There is no one like you.

And when God looks at you.

He says look at her. She is one-of-a-kind and you are love so deeply and so ferociously so much a God who created only one of you and if you actually believe your love. How does that change how you see your life that change the lens through which you see what happens in your every day. Listen, I really mean it. There is no one like you. I am barely dressed today because my sister make sure I look decent every time I leave the house.

I'm so glad she has the gift of shopping because I don't.

I believe in black.

I believe in yoga and T-shirts. I believe that when God created elastic waist with drawstring. He was think about me specifically, she enjoys it.

It's a passion for her. There's nobody like you lady one time payment to me. She says I got it.

I know I got my purpose.

It just dawned on me what you were talking, I finally know my purpose is to every Sunday I make brownies at church every Sunday and I thought all this time that this is just some random thing I do, I now realize I love it so much I do every week. Nobody has asked me. I'll bring brownies or muffins cake or cupcakes and I bring them, thereby causing the brownie lady what I read this thing the guys put in my heart to do. He made me like that.

He gave me to give up the enjoyment of baking and when I bring it out of the house that I want to get it all put on the back table or chart. What I have been doing in obeying my gifting, my calling doing what I'm passionate about is setting the table for fellowship because all the people gather around the table about the brownie about me. My passion for my local church and letting God decide what he does with believe in the beauty of who you are because of who you are and the beautiful thing about you is that you were created to do something good every Monday my house we have oatmeal every Tuesday we have smoothies and some kind of bread on Wednesdays. Every Wednesday we have scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon make it in the oven.

I realize I could make it in the oven and not kill myself, died of grief like this is wonderful put in the oven.

It's awesome. On Thursdays we have hot cereal on Fridays. We had pancakes. I do this because I don't want them asked me every morning. What's for breakfast. You know what's for breakfast. It's Monday, so on Thursday mornings.

I actually don't. That's my least enjoyable breakfast. I we make cream of wheat or cream of rice. The reason we make on one of the others.

I grew up on cream of rice. I don't enjoy it because of your heat milk up to the temperature needs to be for the cream of rice or cream of wheat to cook yet to stand there and stir it so I just stand there make invigorates to make sure that the milk doesn't boil that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

The reason why I do this is because, after it gets hot just starts to boil and then I put in the cream of rice or cream of wheat and stir it until I can feel that the thickness and the consistencies changing a bit letting me know that the expansion of those granules are happening in the right at the right time. I pour into individual goals setting them up so that I can after that put a pat of butter right on the topic of that's what the box I'm supposed to do but a pat of butter on the top when the kids walked to the kitchen and they see that it's cream of rice or cream of wheat day, they say, will you see made the good they love it, but I had to stand there and stir.

The Bible says in first Timothy stir up the gift that is in you and that second Timothy 16 first Timothy says do not neglect the gift in you. But here's the thing about what God wants to develop in you the good work that he wants you to do the good stuff.

But here's the problem we all we don't like sometimes standing there to stir.

We don't want to show up and be committed in that ministry we don't necessarily want to show up and stand that job. Sometimes we want to we just are sick of the person were married to stand there and start with people who are enjoying the good stuff. We want to know how they did it well and sometimes they just stood there and stirred the thing it wasn't time that was celebrated was in town.

They enjoyed it was a time that they were excited about it but they knew they believe that something on the other end of the story was going to be good to. They stood there and they put in the time they put in the time on the job that when the time in their education. The time to study God's word, but in the time to take care of the body we the other side of the good work God wants to do and you requires you in the season that you're in to stand there and start just to be faithful where you are to do the thing that's not exciting to do that thing is not celebrated to do the thing that you may not even enjoy but you're just trying to be faith where you are. Just try to be faithful so that he can use you.

You don't even know what the good works are that God has planned for you totally, but I can guarantee you that often when we see the good stuff and other people's lives. There's a season of their lives were they just stood there and started being faithful where they were planted.

We all have a starting point at the blood of the land that I realize that our starting points are the same in Christ. But then we have to go down the road and often along the road some things in our lives spill. I understand that it's messy understand that you don't like it. I understand that it wasn't planned.

I understand that you really don't understand why God would even allow this, but let me remind you of this. Regardless of what happened. You are his workmanship, you are created and covered by Christ Jesus.

You are still here, there is still something for you to do so. When light goes awry like doesn't look the way you wanted to look when it's painful when you're discouraged. I want you to keep in mind that you are still here in the seatbelt represented by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross for your me that you are covered. You are say you are what the doctor say you get to live forever more kids are doing and going as it does not mean that God cannot redeem the time… Can recover the locus install and I can bring back many times over.

I need you to keep perspective as long as you're here moving on the freeway of your life and there's no more for you to do so is okay to cry over lament over it be a little frustrated that can handle that. There's nothing you can say to him that he hasn't heard somebody else say going to be honest because he knows what you're thinking and feeling. Anyway, but then I need you to say, but what's the right perspective. Thank God that I'm yours. Thank you Jesus I belong to you. Thank you so much that you may be like no one else. Thank you so much that I am covered in Christ Jesus you are covering me no matter what is happening in my life, you're causing all things to work together for the good my blood and your glory. And then thank you for the good work that you give me to do.

Help me to see it to be faithful to do it and then I trust you to keep me going along the road where I start what you start the snow.

I ran a marathon once one time. That's it. I ran to the finish line. And then I kept running, Cracker Barrel, and that was the end of that. But let me tell you this. I'm not a runner. I've never been like a runner in my life like it's not a thing that I've always done what I decided to run a marathon. You want to know where I started. I walked out of my front door and went for a walk once a walk and walked longer than I ran a little bit and I built up to the 26.2 marathon start with one step one step you were seeing a person of faith. And you wondered how did they get there. How did they believe in God, why did God show up in their lives like that. I can guarantee you that a person in your life of great faith that you admired started with one step is a walk of faith.

Walking one step at a time so that means no matter where you are, you have to worry about the marathon you have to worry about the half marathon about the long distance is what you need to do is get up from your chair right now and decide to take one step and believe that God is, he says in his work will order your steps guide you to the family were supposed to go as he is guiding you and directing you something in your life happen that you don't expect you to look up with graciousness and gratitude in your eyes and say I wish I was happening in my life right now. I trust you no matter what you perspective is all I need today for Jesus.

I just thank you for your word and thinking that were yours, I think you that you and I thank you that you hit the brakes on Calvary.

None of us would have to live apart from you eternally and would like close up on us. Would you forever remind us that we always get to keep in mind that we are alive. What would you have everything on earth. And even when were not, would you remind us that we get to live forever with you the key right perspective Jesus name we pray, and that's what will happen in this presentation from the women of joy conference featuring Crystal Evans hurst while she is a dynamo and what an encouraging message and it's true that we can handle the ups and downs of life better when we have the right perspective God's perspective. A great way to find that insight is through reading your Bible on a daily basis to soak your mind in God's thoughts. You can try one year Bible. It gives you short daily readings from the Old Testament, the New Testament, plus the Psalms and Proverbs.

I've done that invest about 15 minutes a day and you'll be able to read the entire Bible in one year.

You didn't know you're doing that and we love being able to exchange ideas as we read in and we are going through the Bible in your it's a great program and if you're new to the faith.

Or if you're on the fence about the claims of Christ. Let me encourage you to reach out to us. We have a free booklet called coming home that explains what the Christian life is all about your copy when you visit our website or give us a call if you'd like to talk about it. We are here to help enter numbers 800 K in the word family we can find coming home booklet and other resources swelled the link in the show notes and let me encourage you to donate to Focus on the Family as we do our best to introduce people to Jesus Christ and help them build a great marriage and be godly, effective parents, that's our mission here and when you make a donation of any amount will send your copy of the book by Crystal Evans hurst called.

She still there, rescuing the girl in you. It offers great insights on how to be the woman God designed you to be. Even if you had some detours in your life so far. Get your copy from Focus on the Family where the proceeds go right back in the ministry you just give us a call. Here are numbers 800 K in the word family 800-232-6459 or follow the link in the episode notes to donate to the work of Focus on the Family.

When you do so request Crystal's book as well and when you get that from us will include a free audio download of her entire presentation next time. Dr. Randy Schrader shares simple habits to improve your marriage if there's one word that points out the difference between a happy marriage in an unhappy marriage is plain happy couples playing in time, on behalf of Jim Daly of the entire team. Thanks for listening today to this Focus on the Family podcast take a moment sure this episode with a friend in reading in your podcast that you would please thanks John for inviting you back. As we once more help your family thrive in Christ, your marriage resources your ventures and Odyssey stories constant and there are thousands of stories just like from Focus on the Family's legacy community folks to leave a legacy gift through their well, trust or other estate planning tool you help have godly family. Use your resources to help families for generations to come.

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