[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Photo by dusk-photography [/caption] "I am committed this school year. I am going to write a Bible verse on my chalkboard every week to inspire my children. I believe this will start our year off right." I made this commitment three years ago. The first verse I wrote was I Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Little did I know, the written chalkboard verse was a lesson for me. A week after writing the verse, I was tested with the questions. Was my faith strong enough? Could I really be thankful in all circumstances? We had a huge thunderstorm at our house. The lightning was fierce like I had never seen before. My husband and I were about to fall asleep when we heard a huge boom. We knew the lightning had hit something close to us. As our home alarm was set off, we started to investigate. I called the alarm company while my husband went outside and saw the lightning had hit our roof and our house was on fire. We quickly grabbed our girls and our dogs and left everything behind. I remember being in a state of shock as I watched our home burn. The next six months out of our home would be filled with many challenges. I admit I was not so thankful for these circumstances. Yes, I was thankful that my family was safe, but I am sad to say I had a couple of meltdowns in the process. I felt misplaced, chaotic, overwhelmed and weary. [tweetthis twitter_handles="@wayfmradio"]Relentless grip on my comfort & my things had to be loosened so I could enjoy the blessings around me.[/tweetthis] In the following months, God would refine the rough places in my heart that needed to be smoothed. I came to the realization that my relentless grip on my comfort and my things had to be loosened, so I could enjoy the blessings I have around me. God was sifting my perspective, my idols and my pride.

Renewing my Perspective

My world needed to be disrupted and my faith needed to be deepened. I am a busy girl, too busy. But there is nothing like a fire to stop you in your tracks. You have little control over anything. My faith deepened during this time and I learned my God was much bigger then any fire. I remind myself with II Corinthians 4:18 “So we fix our eyes on not what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Removing my Idols

Initially, if you were to ask I would tell you things and comfort don’t matter much to me. I learned this was false. Things had a deeper hold on me than I could have imagined. Being without my home and my things was not easy, but I was reminded my faith, family and my friends are the most important. Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Receiving Help from Others

I never knew until many back-to-back trials how hard it is to receive help from others. Sure I like to help others, but to receive help was not so easy for this performance, have it all together girl. I will never forget the words of a precious mentor and friend as she brought me dinner, “Don’t take away my blessing, let me help you.” I now understand how God had prepared me for the hard road by surrounding me by mentors and friends who I had been in a Bible Study with. These girls blessed me to no end during difficult times. God untangled my pride and I now receive with open arms. James 4:6 “God opposes the pride but gives grace to the humble.” I am so thankful for the life lesson on the chalkboard. The verse continued to stay on my board for two years as a reminder how God had brought me through the fire. Since that time, I can reflect on God’s goodness and blessings in the fire. I can see how God rescued me, changed my heart and grew my faith. [ts_fab authorid="127" tabs="bio,latest_posts"] ©2015 by Lacie Young. All Rights Reserved.