I think we’ve all said it from time to time. In that moment of victory when we’re proud of all we’ve accomplished.
“I did it!” we say. And in the thrill of the moment, we want to dance and shout it from the rooftops!
I finished my course.
I published a book.
I got the job.
I sold my first piece of art.
I graduated from college.
I found the man of my dreams.
It’s normal to rejoice and feel joy. That’s a blessing from God. But in that moment of celebration let’s not forget the driving force that’s behind us.
I opened my Bible to the Book of Judges today where I soaked in the story of Samson. I got to reading the part where Samson killed 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. After destroying them, he threw the bone aside and called the place “Ramath Lehi” which means “The Place of Victory.”
Before he threw the bone, however, Samson said to himself, “With a donkey’s jawbone, I have made donkeys of them. With a donkey’s jawbone I have killed a thousand men!” (Judges 15:16)
With that, it was time for the Lord to remind him of the source of his power. It was time to remember the source of strength. And so, on that very same day, and in that same place of victory, God caused Samson to thirst, and (here’s the part that I love) because he was thirsty he cried out to the Lord.
With that, I’m reminded of how thankful I am for the dry spells. Thankful for those days–the difficult days–when God uses my weakness to show me the source of my strength.
Tilling the Soil
Read Judges Chapter 15.
Planting Hope
The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble. (Psalm 37:39, NIV)
Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.
She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.
It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.
Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.
Connect with Darlene:
Facebook: @timewarpwife
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Twitter: @timewarpwife
You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife