Take this day as an opportunity to catch up on your reading, pray, and rest in the presence of the Lord.
Focusing on the first part of verse 4, ask the Holy Spirit for the freedom to weep and to laugh in every season of your life.
Ecclesiastes 3:1,4:
There is an occasion for everything,
and a time for every activity under heaven:
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance
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68 thoughts on "Grace Day"
God works in ways we simply can’t understand at times. I had been dating this man whom I thought was right with God and I truly thought we would be married once I graduated college. He had amazing qualities and was always willing to help anyone. Because I was so in love with him, I overlooked a lot of some warning signs God was showing me. I didn’t want to believe or even think that we wouldn’t spend forever together. I loved him with every fiber of my being, and if it weren’t for my effort, our relationship wouldn’t have been the way it was. This past weekend God revealed to me that he wasn’t being faithful. I wanted to forgive him and move on, but he found the first opportunity to break up with me. I can’t begin to explain the heartbreak I experienced. I got cheated on, lied to and then dumped..via text. I look back at our relationship and wonder how someone I loved could have ever turned out to be the opposite of what I thought. Through all of this though, God has been my ultimate comforter. God knew me too well and knew I would have stayed with this person and probably would’ve endured greater pain or suffering from loving someone more than I loved them. Through the pain, I am comforted that God is saving me for someone He has planned for me who will be more than I could ever imagine. I am trusting God with every aspect of this situation. Although it’s not easy now, joy comes in the morning. I have peace knowing I don’t need to try to understand the situation or figure it out, but that God has something greater in store. I have greater peace knowing He loves me enough to ensure my utmost happiness in the future. It’s an amazing feeling to know we are priceless and so cherished in God’s eyes and that we truly are His children.
Dear Haley,
This happened to me too and I was mad at God. But He knew so much more than me! If I had not had the experiences I had with this first man I would have never recognized my soulmate when He brought him into my life. God does know best! My husband and I have been together since 1974! And we celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary tomorrow!! God will get you through this and just wait until you meet the man He has planned for you!
Haley, it’s been about a year since you posted and I hope you are healing from all of this! What you described is exactly what I experienced in college and was dumped right before Spring Break of my senior year. It was literal agony for months and I still sometimes remember how badly the betrayal felt. It’s been 9 years now. I have a wonderful, faithful husband and 2 beautiful children. I pray that God brings you a man that will love you properly!
At times I feel guilty for any emotion other than happy. Not JOY but just generic, wordly “happy”. I love that our Heavenly Father tells us we can have a season for all emotions & created us to feel them all! Love this study!
Sometimes I feel like I need permission to even feel certain emotions, let alone express them. I grew up hiding how I truly felt about things and have buried both pain and joy for too long. Thankfully God isn’t done working on me yet! Through Holy Spirit’s help and prompting, God is helping me be more open with my emotions so I can truly know (feel/experience) mourning and dancing, weeping and laughing, sorrow and joy. Praise God for the work He is doing!
I am reading the book Fearless by Max Lucado and just finished a chapter that talks about how our lives have seasons and change. Change is a necessary part of Gods strategy. To use us to change the world he alters our assignments. Tragedy that he allows makes no sense in this life but will make much more sense when we have eternal prospective. He reminds us as Paul wrote, “These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all our troubles seem like nothing” (2 Cor. 4:17 CEV).
Love this! Thank you!
Yeah, I’ve been thinking a lot about this too! There’s richness to be had in our sorrow when we press in to Him. “Happy” has been my goal for so long. Releasing that to Him and trusting Him with joy and sorrow is so freeing and builds my faith in Him.
God shows up in awesome ways. Yesterday, after working out I went and sat in the steam room. It was only one other gentlemen and me. He started up a conversation. I was hot and not in the mood for small talk. Well, he started telling me his testimony in a round about way. I took out my headphones and started asking questions. He was going through a season in his life where he had hit rock bottom, alcoholic, and lost his family, including his two girls ages 5 and 7. I asked him how he overcame his “pit.” He told me that he had been taking his anger out on God, and blaming everything on him, he said he didn’t know God but just knew he was doing this to him. While he was working out one day he ran into a preacher in the steam room. One thing led to another and he went to his church and became a Christian. He has completely overcome addiction, been sober for a year, received a second chance from his family and is now leading his family as a Christian man. After this conversation and LOTS of heat exhaustion, I thought to myself, why did God want me to hear this? I feel as though it is an account of someone going through seasons, but also grieving and dancing. There are so many ways we grieve in our lifetime and Christ brought that to me to think of how I am grieving about some small issues but know I can overcome them with Jesus. Obedience and a heart to listen to His words. Just thought I would share this neat story.
Thanks for sharing.
A time and season for everything… My little family and I are about to embark on a new season. About 4 months ago we moved from FL to SC. first time I have moved away from my family. This week we have moved everything into our new house God has blessed us with. ontop of this my father-law do to health and financial reason will be moving in with us…. My husband and him but heads a lot. we have a 15m old daughter and are talking about number 2 soon. This is a very over whelming season. God is growing me even if I’m kicking and screaming half the time. I can already see fruit from it and also the tough challenges ahead, mourning and dancing.
Katie, I pray the time with your father-in-law will be rich with new growth. May your heart & mind be strengthened and full of His peace in all the changes. I pray you never regret your child’s deepened relationship with her grandpa. May your father-in-law’s heart be softened by the love of his granddaughter. May your daughter be a foundational start for a new relationship between two fathers. May your husband flourish in a reconciled relationship with his father, which would also grow & strengthen his spiritual leading in your family.
thank you!
I am removing myself from a chaotic relationship which God has given me so many warnings already. My Jesus is pulling me out of the mud because when you are scared to act or speak not to offend the person in the relationship in fear that it will cause friction or you if you have to stop bible study because he wants you to go to happy hour then it’s time to run….. Me the child of God who knows that God has me here for a purpose can not return to an abusive relationship with a man who drinks vodka with Gatorade (4-5 glasses) every day. I settled for the 54 yr man whom I met at the local supermarket because in a vulnerable time he was the first invite to dinner and I was curious about me opening my heart to someone other than the fit description off my dream man list. Now after 3 months of forcing the relationship I realized this is not who God wants for me. He is not the man of God he is not walking with God and he has no intention of marriage. So now that I am drawing the line, I will go back to giving all my time to my Christ my God almighty. Lord please forgive me for I have sin I cry at you feet and rest in your grace and mercy. Lord may your Holy Spirit engulf my soul and protect me from what is not of you. I speak life joy truth light freedom rest love and forgiveness. May God guide me in this day and that I may understand His Word for redirection and correction in my life. I ask this in your name my King, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.
Tamara, God has a perfect plan for you! I am praying that God will give you His peace and the strength to wait on His perfect will for you!
I agree with the other poster God has a plan for you! Follow him and you won’t go wrong.
Hold on to God’s hand and he will walk you through this.
I will pray for you during this time in your life. I rushed into relationships, married out of guilty feelings, divorced to escape the emotional roller coasters, and have ended up alone but not lonely. Peace with God is the underlying emotion that carries me through life’s seasons.
A time for everything. What a profound thought that our God has everything in order in the chaos we see around us these days.
Thank you for that reminder!