Trusting His mind, transforming mine

Posted by LauraL | 0 comments

If there is one thing I have learned recently, it’s that God has NOT changed His mind about me.

Not His plans, His purpose, His calling for my life. None of it has changed. Before the foundations of the world, He had a plan for my life, just like He does for you, a specific purpose for me alone that no one else can fulfill. The enemy would like me to think that because of poor choices on my part, or other people, that His plan has been altered somehow. He would like us to think that divorce, death, or financial crisis has the power to change His mind, that now I must settle for Plan B so to speak. That is a lie that we must not allow ourselves to embrace!!

As a single homeschooling mother of three beautiful daughters, I must make my decisions based on the Word of God alone, not our culture or even well meaning friends or family.

We must be passionate about teaching and training our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We must be committed to raising them to know God intimately!

I have learned to trust Him for my very life and that of my children. There have been seasons when I cried out to Him to rescue me, knowing that our very life depended on it. He has been faithful, without fail, every time. When the doctors had no answers, He was our Healer. When I had no ability to pay my bills, He alone was our Provider. When I felt too weary to homeschool, He was my Faithful Friend, my Strength, and my Wisdom. When I needed a parent myself to turn to, He was my Father, my Comforter. He is my All in All….my Everything. It is in Him that I trust. And it is this trust, this relationship with the Lord that I must model for my children.

I had cancer as a 12 year old child. Now, 25 years later, although in complete remission, a side effect has surfaced and my vocal chords have stopped working. In February of this year I found myself in an ambulance on the way to the ER gasping for air, fighting for my life. The options were to intubate or have a trachea inserted. I had my only brother called, who at that time lived on the West Coast. After he talked to the surgeon, we opted for the trachea. It would give us an advantage when the time came for subsequent surgeries. It was supposed to be a pretty simple and straight forward procedure. It was just supposed to be a few days in the hospital. What transpired was 9 days in the hospital, most of which was spent in ICU. It was a horrific experience.

Since that time I’ve had several more surgeries in an effort to create a new airway. Although the surgeries have been largely successful, my body has not healed the way we need it to. The new airway has partially closed up during the healing process. Then it has to opened up again surgically. The last surgery was in August. I was thrilled with the outcome. I was able to go on bike rides with the girls. I was able to exercise for the first time in a long time. I could do the stairs in our home without gasping for air. It was marvelous! But then slowly it became harder and harder to breath again. So, there is now another surgery scheduled for the very near future. I am confident though, that God will have His way in all of this and that His faithfulness will be evident to all!

We are in our 7th year of homeschooling this year. We have experienced our share of challenges and unexpected twists and turns. But that’s the beauty of homeschooling, right? We can be flexible!! A wise woman once told me, “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not break!” I am determined to raise my children to know God intimately. And my circumstances are temporal, fleeting moments that are always subject to change. But he Lord…He never changes. He’s the same yesterday, today and forever. And His plan for me hasn’t changed either. My God-given destiny as a mother and daughter of the King has not changed simply because my circumstances have changed. God has not changed His mind! It is “I” that must change MY mind! I must transform my way of thinking to be more like His!

We pray about our day, our schedule, and our commitments. I stay open to His leading. I watch closely over the hearts of my children. I’m learning to spend my time wisely, investing in those things of eternal value. And as I learn to trust Him more every day, I find that I can, in fact, do what He’s called me to do! I can raise maidens of virtue that glorify the Lord. I can homeschool successfully! We have learned some hard life lessons this year. But what the enemy meant for death and destruction, God has turned around to benefit us. Our relationships are stronger. We are a stronger, more unified team. Learning is at an all time high!

So as we stand on the promises of God expecting to see His salvation, we continue to do all that we know to do. We look forward with great anticipation to what God is going to do in our lives. For with my God, All things are possible to him who believes!

Laura is in her 7th year as a single homeschool mom to 3 beautiful daughters. Currently they are in the 7th, 6th, and 3rd grades. She enjoys growing and learning along with her children in this journey of life and discipleship at home. She hopes to bring encouragement and hope to women who find themselves in difficult situations. You are invited to follow her homeschooling adventures at www.pillarsinherfathershouse.blogspot.com.