Thanksgiving is Thursday! I'm so grateful this year for our many blessings. Our children are all gainfully employed, and we are going to have another grandchild in three weeks. How blessed are we!
The joy of the Lord is my strength! John 16:22 says that "no one will take away your joy." God is still God, and God is still good has become my mantra. I know that whatever happens in life, I have a choice about how I react to it. Recently, my oldest daughter Teresa lost her job. It was an unjust situation, and I was worried about how things would work out. A baby was coming into that family, and she was the sole provider. I just prayed every day about it. I tried to remain hopeful and even joyful, but it was challenging. I am happy to report that she regained her job with the promise of back pay. I am so proud that she didn't give away her power when she lost her job. She contacted corporate, and after an investigation, they realized that she had lost her position unfairly and restored it to her. Wow! Talk about an answer to prayer.
I am pleased to say that for the most part, during this trying time, I kept my inner peace and confidence that things were going to work out for good. I did what I could to alleviate the situation, including an offer to let her and my granddaughter move in with us. I knew in the long run, though, that I could not control the situation. Only God is in control. As long as I am a child of the Most High, everything is going to be OK. As long as I stay on the high road, God will fight my battles for me if I allow Him to do so. In Luke 10:5-6, Jesus told His disciples to speak peace over people and "if they don't receive it, then the peace you're offering will come back to you." No matter how much I wanted to fight Teresa's battles for her and how upset and frustrated I was over her job loss, the only thing I could really do is pray and try to stay peaceful and calm.
I was concerned that Teresa was too meek and mild to fight a big corporation, but I was wrong. She documented what occurred and presented her case and won. It brought new meaning to the verse, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). Joel Osteen wrote about this in his new book when he said, "Meekness is not weakness. It's strength under control." I was proud of Teresa for not giving away her power and for standing up for herself. She showed strength under control. She met the challenge with the right attitude.
This kind of thing gives me faith and brings me joy. It restores my inner peace and gives me a sense of well-being. I guess the whole point of this message is to stay in the Light, no matter what happens. Have faith and be grateful. Most of all, leave your concerns with God and don't give away your power or your joy.
Love and Light,
Patty
