Be Still And Know I am God ~ Day 1 of 30 Days to Being Thankful Challenge

Today's Challenge is to:

Dig deep into your trials or storms and find the blessings that God has in disguise just for you. Write them down and look to them often when you feel like He is not there. Seek Him, Trust Him and know that He has already been through what we have been through and has His best for us.

There have been many instances in my life when God has taken things that had the outward appearance of trouble or trials and turned them into blessings in disguise. In fact, one could say that 2008 was a year of such instances.

I can still remember the night that I turned into a screaming harridan for no reason whatsoever. I had been fine, then, BAM! Major mood swing. I can recall it with crystal clarity, that standing there, almost like I was trapped inside my head yelling at this stranger to be quiet and stop harrassing my family. When it was over, I stood there, aghast. What was happening to me? After apologizing to my precious family and crying on my husband's shoulder I remember telling him that we couldn't go through the next 15-20 years like this (it was like peri-menopause).

You've heard the expression, be careful what you wish for? Well...

The very next evening I ended up in the ER with abdomen pain. After waiting what seemed like forever to see a nurse they gave me a pain pill and sent me for tests (CAT scans and a BUNCH of ultrasounds). It was not long at all that a very concerned doctor rushed into the room. I had a massive tumor that had killed my ovary (hence the menopausal-like symptoms) and they were concerned that it might be cancerous. After consulting with an oncologist, I was admitted with surgery scheduled for the following Monday. To make a long story short (I know, too late), the tumor had grown even more from that night the ultrasounds were taken. I had to have a total radical hysterectomy and ended up being cut from navel to bone. Test results came back and praise God, it wasn't cancer.

That could be enough to seem like a trial, but the true trial came afterwards, during the healing process. You know what I'm talking about. When you are well enough to hate sitting still and feeling like you should be taking care of your family, not the other way around. This hit me at about the third week.

I remember crying to God about why this happened to me? Why had the tumor come up out of nowhere and grown so quickly? Cried because I wasn't healing as fast as I thought I should (though really, it was right on schedule) and I wasn't able to do more than shuffle back and forth when I could get up and walk. Yet, sitting there, I felt fine.

It was during one of those episodes, late at night when everyone had settled in and our home was filled with silence that I heard an answer.

"Be Still And Know I am God."

Remembering that verse from my childhood, I quickly looked it up (well, as quickly as I could shuffle to the computer). Psalm 46:10 (KJV) "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

I learned that while He had been trying to get my attention, I had been too busy, running around like a crazy woman trying to do it all on my own, not wanting to "bother" anyone--even God--with the things on my heart. It was only then, when I could do nothing but sit and be still that I could get to hear what He was trying to tell me. From that moment on, it was easier to sit still and heal while also drawing near to Him and receiving the love and forgiveness and instruction from Him through prayer and His Word.

2008 may have not been a great year for us on the outside, but had I not had to heal from the drastic surgery, I would never had found some measure of peace I hadn't realized was missing. I would never have found out what God had been laying on my heart. It changed me dramatically. Yes, sometimes I forget and sometimes I will even ignore it, but it's not long before my soul remembers that precious time. I had known this before, but God used what could have been a serious trial to teach me a deeper understanding of Him and His love.

I encourage you, no matter what your situation, to be still and know God. The rewards are way more than we could ever deserve and you will never view "blessings in disguise" the same way again.

For more posts about today's topic, visit
Becoming a Strong Woman of God