Monday, July 7, 2008

Biblical Character Look-a-Likes?

Hey friends,
Here is a question for you: "Which biblical character do you think you are most like?"

I am most like Jacob. My husband Mike has teased me for years that the reason God gave me a limp at birth was because He knew I would wrestle with Him about everything! It is true. I do wrestle with God. Like Jacob, I also obey but only after I am sure that God will bless me. God is convicting me of that more and more. I have an over-active good girl gland (not like Jacob) so that in the end I will always obey. But my obedience comes from it is the right thing to obey God rather than from pure faith and trust. I wrestle with saying "No," or "Are you sure God," even doubting sometimes that it is even Him speaking to me. I even wrestled so much one time that I asked Him to say it out loud, and He did! He used the words and mouth of a perfect stranger to say words the person could not have possibly known. Needless to say, I obeyed quickly that time and with the most faith I have ever had. I left my home and family to do mission work for 2 years 3,000 miles away, with my only contact a name and decription: a black haired woman with a blond haired little boy about 8 years old! It was a great experience!
What I am learning now is that being a Jacob and wrestling with God is not true faith. Jacob had to be convienced and blessed before he would obey and go meet his brother Esau. But that was not faith. To be convinced of the outcome before obeying is not faith! Faith is obeying regardless of the outcome! It is trusting God with the outcome. I so want it to turn out right. I want things to go God's way. I want it to reflect well on me too. (PRIDE!) But the truth is I'm not in charge of the outcome. The outcome is God's problem/responsibility. If it turns out great and He is glorified, it is by His hand and glory not mine. On the other hand if it turns out badly (in my eyes) it is also for and by His Glory. He gets glory either way because the results are up to Him! Like the prophets of old, I may never see the glorious results in my lifetime. But like these dear prophets, my faith should be that even though I don't see it, I know God will complete it!
So dear friends pray for me as I slip off the garments of Jacob and try on the garments of faith like Mary and say "May it be just as You have said."

9 comments:

Tammy said...

Hi Pamela,
Congrats on winning!

It was neat to see someone in the blog world who I knew.If you don't remember,I was in Wendy Pope's beginner speaking class two years ago.

I remember how you spoke about your desire of wearing pink high heels but only believed that it would happen in heaven. But aren't you glad that God's plans aren't always our?

Tammy

PS: Love the name of your blog,how perfect!

Luanne said...

Congratulations.

Very nice post and a good food for thought question to us all.

Luanne

Pinkshoelady said...

Thank you ladies so much for your nice comments.
I do remenber you Tammy!
I am so new to this and it is nice to know that God is working.
Please come visit me again!
Who knows I may show up at your door also!

bling-bling-4-Him said...

Great site. Love it. Very encouraging and inspiring. You go girl!

Bling for the King said...

Congrats on winning the *$! I loved your post and can identify with the pride vs faith issue as well. Isn't God so patient with us!

Lysa TerKeurst said...

I want to say David... but without the whole affair, murder and naked dancing thing.

I just want to be a girl after God's own heart.

Hey... can you e-mail Holly with your mailing address so I can get your certificate mailed off?

Holly@Proverbs31.org

Thanks! Lysa

Kelly said...

I love Lysa's answer ("without the naked dancing" LOL!).

I wish I could be Solomon and ask for wisdom, but I think I'm probably like Jonah and will be eaten by a big fish before I finally obey.

Or maybe I'm just Chatty Kelly, child of God and work in progress.

LeeBird3 said...

Hmmm...

I'm somewhat like Peter in that I put my foot in my mouth a lot, but eventually come out with something good to say if I let God do it!

One of the pastors at my church hugged me Sunday and said, "Hey there Job." (We've had a lot of deaths in our family in the last six months.) I knew what he meant, but seriously...I hope I will always be able to say, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, but blessed be the name of the Lord."

Joyfulsister said...

Hi Pamela,

I enjoyed this post, For me I see a lil of David, on the part where he was a man after God's heart. I am a woman after God's heart, and this is what I strive after daily, through the good and through the bad. I enjoyed my visit and keep writing from your heart for it reaches the hearts of many, some you will never know you've touched because they might not always leave a comment, but you have left the prints of Jesus upon their hearts. Aloha Lorie