As I listened to a new song, “The Story I’ll Tell”, I realized something beautiful…I’ve really learned to center myself in the Calm of the storm. All these years, all these challenges we’ve faced. It seems daunting if I look at it all, but if I didn’t, I would be missing the beauty. So much beauty in the story of the Hurst Huddle.
From our unlikely meeting, to hearing God tell me we should go ahead and get married right away and not wait. Noah being miraculously given over to me for adoption. Babies being born, two with chords around their necks, yet still delivered safely at home. Chris getting a miracle job years ago, that I had sowed so many prayers into. Seeing God heal. Watching God fiercely protect our marriage, our union. Him using our marriage to bring healing to both of our hearts from wounds of the past. Many encounters with God in our home. Watching our whole family prophesy over each other on many occasions. Seeing our children sob as they speak prophetically over each of us. Being willing to move multiple times, because following God is our number one priority. Seeing God make a way for us when we could see none, so many times. Walking through all the challenges of parenting and feeling like we would never make it through it. Feeling completely inadequate to raise our kids, and now seeing light at the end of the tunnel. They are wonderful children. Each one of them.
Every day the enemy tries to taunt me with thoughts of, “Where are you going to go from here? How will you ever get out of debt or even pay what you owe this month?” He comes in the night to steal my sleep with anxiety. Thoughts of, “What about your kids? They are only going to see you struggle, never break through.” He’s always there holding a bag of lies, but I’ve learned something amazing. First, I’ve learned to roll over and go back to sleep with praise in my heart. But also, when he comes with his lies and what if’s, I say, “I truly don’t know where we are going, but I know one thing, God has never left us. So why would He now?” That true statement comes into my heart like a flood of peace and resets my soul, giving me right focus again.
Another important thing I’ve learned is to not limit God with my understanding. He CAN do anything. So now, instead of directing Him with my prayers, I ask Him to be creative over us and make things happen. I pray for creative miracles over our relationships, work and finances every day. It’s brought me such peace to stop trying to figure it out, and instead to embrace the fullness that each day brings and to honestly live it like I don’t know if we have a tomorrow or not. Because guess what? We aren’t guaranteed a tomorrow. One day I will run out of tomorrows and I don’t want to stand before God as the one who hid all his talents, so he didn’t risk losing them. I want to be the one who spent and wisely invested all he was given and increased what he had and then received more from God. That’s who I want to be.
I can’t spend my life in heaven. I can only spend the time I’m given, on this side of heaven. Every day I look forward to being in heaven. All I want is to be right next to God and to gaze upon Him forever, I truly do. But I don’t want to get to heaven and Him ask me why I wasted so much of my time on earth. There are souls that need saving, lives that need His Presence. There are people who need to see me living out my testimony. My kids need to see me praise, worship and trust. My husband deserves a wife who lives life to the full and leaves nothing behind. My God deserves all that I have. Jesus’ sacrifice deserves my whole commitment. I don’t want to arrive in heaven with change in my pocket. I want to spend it all here on earth.
Prayer Moment: God, here I am again. I stand before You with my hands open. I am ready to receive my portion for this day. God, give me wisdom as I spend today. Lead me where I need to go. Protect me from the enemy. Let my every breath be a testimony of Your love and provision. I am Yours completely. In Jesus’ name, amen.
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master’, he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness. The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master’, he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness! Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So, you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gathered where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned, I would have received it back with interest. ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw the worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:14-30
365 Days in the Presence 