In Other Words ~ "All is Well"

I'm excited to have the opportunity to host this week's In "Other" Words! We we would love to hear your thoughts on this week's quote. To join us, after you have posted on your blog, come back here and add your permalink (the link to your In "Other" Words post, not the main page of your blog, please :)) to Mr. Linky below. If you don't have a blog, you can leave your thoughts in the comments here. For more information about In "Other" Words, please visit Loni at Writing Canvas.

“Believer . . .

banish your fears;

cast out all doubts;

lift up the happy head;

clap the exulting hands;

rejoice;

give thanks.

Your heavenly Father cannot set you in wrong place.

Your loving Savior cannot lead you in wrong paths.

All is well.”

~ Henry Law

"All is well."

But is all well?

It certainly doesn't seem like it at times. In fact, it often seems as though things are as far from "well" as they can get.

The past few years have been filled with circumstances that seem very "unwell", for us and so many others we know. Not just sad things, but truly tragic, horrific things...things that rank up there as people's worst nightmares, only these aren't nightmares, they are "real life".

During these times, I have seen, over and over, people rejoicing and giving thanks~albeit often through tears~for God's sovereignty and goodness. I have seen, over and over, people acknowledging that although the circumstances they are facing are horrific, God is in control, and all is well. I have seen people choosing to "cast out all doubt", and have learned the importance of making that choice myself...although it is still sometimes a daily or even hourly struggle. During the circumstances our family has faced in the past few years, I have learned more deeply and certainly than ever before that "Your heavenly Father cannot set you in wrong place. Your loving Savior cannot lead you in wrong paths." Through the most difficult events in our lives, God's goodness and love have become more sure to me than ever.

We recently watched the movie "Last Flight Out" by Billy Graham's World Wide Pictures. (Excellent movie, by the way!) In the movie, the agnostic pilot who has gone to South America to rescue his former fiancee, who is now a missionary in a village that has been taken over by dangerous drug lords, asks Mateo, a missionary doctor in the village, why he would stay in such a dangerous place, especially since he could be living a life of ease as a physician in the States. Mateo replies, “My safety is of no concern. There is no better place to be than in the center of God’s will.”

That has been one of the prime lessons God has taught me in the past few years. "There is no better place to be than in the center of God's will." No matter how dark, how tragic, or how truly evil that place seems to be, if God has put us there, there is no mistake, He is good, His ways are perfect, and all is well.

In "Other" Words...Living Intentionally

Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion.

You must set yourself on fire.

~Arnold H. Glasow

Karen chose this week's In "Other" Words quote, and added this note: When I saw this quote I not only thought of success but it made me think of our Christian life and our relationship with others as well. They too are not the result of a spontaneous combustion and that is what I would like to write on with this quote.

When I read this week's quote and Karen's note on it, the first thing that came to mind was a phrase I seem to be bumping into a lot lately: living intentionally. It's a phrase I've been pondering often in recent weeks. Part of that has due to being in "school planning mode", which morphs into "life planning mode" because our "school" and "life" are so intertwined. As I've evaluated where we are in various areas of our lives, where we want to be (and where God wants us to be), and how to get there, I've realized that I must get much more intentional about our living, or none of it will ever happen.

Intentional living has also been on my mind and heart a great deal recently due to the tragedy our church family has experienced. Sudden, unexpected death, especially of a young person, has a way of stopping us in our tracks, causing us to realize how brief and uncertain life is and making us evaluate what is really important.

God has convicted me over the past few weeks of my need to live more intentionally in every area.

I must be intentional in my relationship with the Lord. We are called to pursue holiness (1 Peter 1:15-16), to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33), and to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind (Luke 10:27), etc. If I am not intentional about Bible Study, prayer, and Scripture memory, they are not going to happen.

I must be intentional in my relationships with my family. Being the wife and mother that God has called me to be and that my family needs is not going to just "happen". I must be intentional in those areas as well. (Ouch!)

I need to be intentional in relationships with others. Just recently this one hit hard. I had had a particular friend on my mind for weeks...even longer...and would think several times a week "I need to call her" or "I should send her a note". I even sat down and wrote a note one morning, but never got it mailed. I discovered later that this friend had been going through a very difficult time and had really needed encouragement. The fact that she had been on my heart and that I had been missing her wasn't of much help to her when she didn't *know* that. I realized God had been prompting me to get in touch with her, and I had just "not gotten around to it." I need to be much more intentional about stopping when I am prompted and obeying...right then--not waiting until I "get around to it." I wouldn't accept that from my children...why do I expect God to accept it from me?

I need to be intentional in ministry. This one has been nagging at me for a while now. It is so easy to agree to teach a class or take a position or fill a need just because there is an empty spot, without truly being called to that task. Not only are we then doing something we are not called or equipped to do at that point, but we are also possibly standing in the way of someone else who *is* called to that particular role. And we may also be missing out on what God is actually calling us to do in the meantime. We need to be intentional about seeking out what He is calling us to do and doing it...and not doing anything else.

I need to be intentional in *every* area. Of course, the paradox with that is that *just* being intentional will get me nowhere. We can't truly "set ourselves on fire". That fire must come from God in the Holy Spirit. I may really desire to live an intentional life, but as Paul said, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. " (Romans 7:15) Living intentionally is not easy. But...through Him "I can do all things"...including live intentionally. (Phil. 4:13).

"Success"...in any area...isn't just going to happen. We aren't going to become mature Christians, Godly spouses and parents, or encouraging friends by chance. We have to let Him "set the fire", and seek His wisdom to live intentionally every day.

In "Other" Words...Tuesday's Quote

I'm so excited to be guest hosting (hostessing? hmmm...) next week's In "Other" Words. I can't wait to read others' thoughts on Tuesday's quote, and I hope that some of you who haven't participated in In "Other" Words before will jump in and share your thoughts, too!

Tuesday's quote is a recent favorite of mine from C. S. Lewis:

“We’re not necessarily

doubting

that God will do the best for us;

we are wondering how

painful

the best will turn out to be.”
~ C.S. Lewis

To participate in In "Other" Words, share your thoughts about the quote on your blog on Tuesday, and come back here to leave the link to your post. Then visit other IOW participants for their take on the quote. You do not have to have participated before to post...and if you don't have a blog and would like to share, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments on Tuesday's In "Other" Words post.

Many thanks to Loni at Writing Canvas for giving me the opportunity to guest hostess and for organizing In "Other" Words each week! Visit her blog for more information on In "Other" Words, and while you are there, be sure to check out her give-away for the book Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner (as well as her review of the book!) I loved last week's quote from the book, and can't wait to read the whole thing.