Back From the Woodshed

My dad’s infamous garden ‘shack’ where he spent much of his time. After he died, I had a friend paint it for me. Hanging now in my home, every time I look at the picture, it lovingly reminds me of him.

I’m back!

I missed all of you.  Reading your posts and interacting with comments.  I did not plan this reprieve from blogging.  Rather unexpectedly, God tapped me on the shoulder, and asked that I temporarily separate from all the online voices (social networking, blogging, etc) to hear His voice more distinctly.   There were things I needed to know.

I was in for some surprises.

Hoping simply for a time of refreshing in His presence, I was unprepared for why the Lord pulled me aside.  He used the time to reveal some areas of sin I was harboring.  Areas in my heart He exposed that needed purging.

We all struggle daily with sin issues, but the things that God fingered were sins that my pride refused to acknowledge.  Two mainly:

Grudges ~ towards certain people.  One by one, He brought their faces to my mind.  I would try to bring up the issues, but His response to each was for me to cut the cords of bitterness and forgive.  To set them free.

Disappointment ~ of allowing sorrow to accumulate in my soul.  Over prayer needs not working out how or when I wanted.  God’s way of exposing this one was by how poorly I handled a situation this weekend.  He then took me to that gentle woodshed of correction and showed me that I must avoid disappointment by clinging to His promises and running to Him at the first hint of it surfacing.

God worked in other ways during my brief time apart, and I am so grateful that He pulled me aside to hear His voice more clearly.  I wish that it didn’t take such extreme measures to grow me.  However, these times of separation and correction always end on an uplifting note.

God never corrects to condemn; rather, He convicts and cleanses to draw us closer.  The doorway in and out of His disciplining woodshed is framed with love.

For whom the LORD loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
Proverbs 3:12

I look forward to hearing from you again and reading your wonderful posts!  Thanks for your patience in my absence.
Sue

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