TMI?

If you're reading this then you already know a little something about me. If not, here it is: I am divorced, and not of my choice. I love my kids. I am trying to rid myself of sinful and damaging influences that have cost me much, and I'm instead trying to fill myself with the Spirit of God. I am at risk of having my children move 700 miles away from me. My job is difficult and stressful, to say the least. I post it on my Facebook page, I'll discuss it with my closer friends at work, mention it in Sunday School and Bible Study, and I write about it in this blog.

Some might consider it "too much information." There are those who think that personal things should remain personal. I'm not one of those. In fact, I believe just the opposite. Especially for Christians. The details are not always appropriate for sharing, but the general circumstances are. I believe it's not only appropriate but necessary for us to share with one another what's going on in our lives -- particularly the difficulties, trials, and subsequent emotions. There are multiple reasons for this.

1. If we don't know, we can't pray.
There are few things that are more frustrating than hearing of a couple that is divorcing, when no one had any real knowledge that they had significant troubles. Had we been told, we could have been praying. Had we been praying, things may have been different. The situation may not have changed, but the their ability to deal with the situation from a Godly perspective, rather than a human perspective, could.
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16

2. If we don't know, we can't minister.
None of us have been through a situation that is unique. With the knowledge of what people are going through, we can minister to those needs. Those of us who have been through same or similar circumstances can relate. Our experiences our practically worthless if kept to ourselves. What are parts of the Old and New Testament but the revelation of what others went through, experienced and learned? By sharing our experiences, we can make each other stronger, in the same way that a teacher teaches and makes his or her students smarter.

3. If we don't know, we can't see God at work.
Abraham. Isaac. Joseph. Abraham. David. Paul. What do all these men have in common? They all went through great trials. They had their failures. They had their issues. They had their difficulties. And we know all about it. We read stories about them when we're young children, and we study them as adults. We see how God used them and their circumstances to further His plan and bring glory to Him. We see how they fit into the larger picture that is God's plan. Think of what we would have missed without the knowledge of the lives and experiences of these men.

You may think, "I'm no Moses, or Abraham" or whomever. And you're not. Neither am I. We are each our own person just as they each were their own person. We each have our own contributions to make to the Christian walk of others. To the lives of others. And our failures, shortcomings and struggles are a key element of who we are. It's what we learn from and grow from. And others can learn and grow from them as well. To keep our experiences to ourselves -- good or bad ones -- is to deprive others of the opportunity to see how God has worked in our lives despite or through those circumstances.
"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

It is my hope in sharing my struggles and experiences with you all that you will see God at work in my life -- for I believe He is. I hope that you will draw encouragement as/when you go through similar experiences and/or emotions. I hope that you will see that my ability to get through these messes comes not from me, but from God. I hope that you will see that my hope is not in me or others, or in luck or chance, but in the sovereign God who created all things and has a perfect plan for my life and yours. And I hope you will have the courage and humility to do the same. Not so that we receive any glory or praise, but that it all fall upon God from whom all good things come.