Is God Awesome or What?!!!

I was listening to one of the homeschool workshop cds that Kisha gave me and the speaker was talking about how God uses people who are our opposites to "take off our rough edges." He used the example of having a child who is a "neat freak" and one who is messy. (He used the word "slob"). He said invariably these two will end up having to be roomies. Which has happened in our family. You can figure out who.

The reason that God in His infinite wisdom gave me too completely opposite boys is so that they could help each other, to "grow" in each other: patience, forbearance, kindness, the "neat freak" needs to be more laid back, NOT TOO much, and the "slob" needs to be neater. He said that it points out in Proverbs 27:17 that "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." He also pointed out that when iron strikes iron, sparks fly, as is often the case between my boys. His point being that God loves us, but He isn't going to leave us in the condition He found us. He is doing a work in us and until we "get it", He will continue place people or events in our lives to mold us into the people He wants us to become. Hopefully, my boys will "get it" whatever "it" is that God is trying to teach them before they are as old as I am. But as I thought about this even more and in a broader sense, something else occurred to me....

Since none of my kids could be considered "easy" to raise, what is God trying to teach me that I didn't learn when I was younger. HMMM, there are so many things that come to mind, but two that stick out the most prominently are self -control and anger management. And, here's the amazing thing that tells me that I'm onto something, that God is really trying to accomplish something in our lives. In MY life, specifically.

I sat down here tonight to look at the Titus2345 blog and found this completely "unrelated" story, but it had this verse in it from James 1:2-4 quoted from The Message: Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

If that wasn't God "sent" I don't know what is. So, stay tuned as I "stay tuned" to what else God will graciously show me through His Word. And I will reveal all that He reveals to me. Maybe it could help you.

Thank You God, for being Sovereign, and Omniscient, and for loving me enough to guide me through this perilous sea called parenting. Help me, I pray, to be a willing, obedient student of Your Word, so that I can learn all that You are trying teach me and so that You can mold be into the person You desire for me to become.