Encouraged

This past week has been quite a challenge.  One week ago, we discovered that our original blog was secretly being read by someone whom we trusted, a friend and someone in leadership within the church we were attending.  This person was then passing along our posts to others in the church, all are people who are in leadership in that church.  Needless to say we were shocked that our blog was being used in this manner.

I've learned this week, that there will always be those that disagree with our views and what we write here in blogland.  I've also learned that I have no control over the way that people may react to posts.  I do have control over how I react, and that's what this post is really about.  When we found out what was happening we immediately pulled the old blog and profile info down, and formally revoked membership from that church.  Before pulling it down though, sinful nature over took me, and I posted what was going on.  That certainly was not handled in a Godly manner, but in a very human reactive manner. Had I taken the time to pray about the situation, my reaction would have been much different.

Also I've learned this week that in addition to real life people in our lives who may sneak into our blogs to dissect, there are blogs dedicated to dissecting other blogs, in particular conservative Christians.  We have a challenge, a test, a trial to continue blogging in a way that is pleasing to God, we need to turn the other cheek and pray for those who choose to use our blogs as something else.  The goal of these folks who are dissecting blog posts is to fuel the fire of anger.  Can I say that I will not act out in an angry manner over someone using this blog for evil?  I wish I could say that, but I cannot.  I can only pray and hope that the experience of the last week does remind me to, stop and pray before reacting.

Hubby does the lesson plan for the children each week. He selects a verse for each day for handwriting.  One of the girls handed me her paper for correction this morning, with the following verse, it comes from the 7th chapter of Ecclesiastes, a section titled "Wisdom and goodness upheld" {I had already begun this post}  God is truly good! I encourage you to read Ecclesiastes 7; it almost seems as if  Solomon had seen or been part of a situation of betrayal {my interpretation, I'm not theologically trained}.  

"I applied mine heart to know, and the search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:"  Ecclesiastes 7:25