Don’t let Satan (make a blowing noise) it out!

Psalms 126:2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”

Nehemiah 8:10.…The joy of the Lord is your strength!

We have spent a couple of weeks being reminded to let our lights shine….brightly. So, what about the dark days that are bound to come?

I tried so hard to avoid sharing a “depressing” devotion, but I couldn’t get away from it. (Rest assured, when Adam returns, he will bring his humor). I live a blessed life, no doubt about it! I was raised in a loving, Christian home. I have 2 loving, supportive families. I have been surrounded by wonderful church families. I am blessed to be married to an amazing husband and have 2 healthy, beautiful children. I have a great job and fantastic co-workers. I have also had a fair amount of grief thrown in the mix. When I was 22, my mother died with cancer. Life as I knew it would never be the same. She was my best friend, mentor, spiritual advisor, etc. Little did I know, 18 months later, I would lose my Daddy to sudden heart failure. The storm rolled in and settled in my life. I have been a Christian since I was 6. It was not until this point in my life that the very foundations of my faith were tested. I was angry at God, I was disappointed in Him, I was devastated! My light did very little shining….in fact, it was gone. Did I backslide? No. Did I regret ever living my life for Jesus? No. Did I let Satan blow out my light …….YES! I was miserable. Everyone around me knew it. I HAD NO JOY!!

I was in college when Daddy passed away. So, I finished college….by the grace of God and the support of my amazing sister and brother and their families. Throughout my grieving process, I learned that no matter how disappointed in God that I was, HE was more present in my life than I could ever imagine. He wrapped those loving arms around me, and pulled me through. My faith was tested and made strong through this process. I know I serve a Savior that is touched by my grief and wants me to live in His JOY. A joy that only comes from having a TRUE relationship with Him.

Skip down the road about 7 years later. Another massive storm rolls through…this time hitting me and Adam. We had tried for over a year to have a baby. We finally got pregnant and then I miscarried at 12 weeks. 6 months later, we were pregnant again….once again, we lost that baby. Satan thought he could play this game again….no sir buddy! We were devastated to say the least. This time, I knew that the Lord had His own plan for my life, whether I liked it or not. Instead of letting Satan steal my joy, I turned IMMEDIATELY to the Lord. I turned on a praise and worship CD, lay down on our couch, and started crying. I refused to ask the Why Lord? question this time. I just let his presence surround me as I worked through the grief. Why? Because, when Satan can steal your JOY, he makes you ineffective in being a witness for JESUS. Who wants to listen to a depressed Christian? He knows that if he cannot get you to turn away from God, he will just incapacitate you in your ability to shine. Adam always says, “God has done so much for me that if He never does anything else for me again, I will still serve Him.”

The Lord has turned our mourning into JOY. (Jeremiah 31:13). Our house is full of LIFE! Is Satan going to try to steal that from us….I’m sure he will. (John 10:10) We pray continually for God’s protection over our family. I am going to live the life that God has given us to the fullest!

I know….. you know….this is not always an easy thing to do. So what happens when the storm rolls in? Usually the power goes out. No power….no light. We head for the flashlight! A external light source. Sometimes the storms that roll into our lives are so overwhelming that we have to rely on that external source. Proverbs 18:10 says that “the Lord is our Strong Tower, the righteous run into it and are safe.” Let God’s power become a beacon of Hope when your next storm rolls in. Let the dark world around you look at you and say, “how can she hold up so well when all this stuff is happening to her?” Then, pull out that flashlight, and LET IT SHINE, LET IT SHINE, LET IT SHINE!!

Shine On!

Tonya