Character Test

Aiming to humble oneself before the Lord grows Christ-like character. 

Yesterday, the Lord placed a verse on my heart. A verse, I wrote on a notecard 2 years ago. Deuteronomy 8:2 It says, "Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness, humbling you and testing you to prove your character..."

At the time of originally writing the verse, I was walking through some things to me just didn't seem right, seem fair. Who can relate? Walking through that time frame, I wrote verses on notecards. No certain verse just verses I came across. A stack of versed notecards accumulated. 

Over the Thanksgiving break this year, I pinned the notecards with clothes pins to a decorative piece in my dining room. Yesterday, while serving my family doing things around my home, I stopped at the verses. The first and only one I read was the Deuteronomy 8:2. A rush of refreshment washed over my body enlighting my soul. 

My thoughts then transferred over to a friend. Whom I know is walking through something that "just doesn't seem right". I've been praying for her while walking alongside her. 

It was in those moments, reading His words on the notecard, I put two and two together. Thinking about what I walked through and thinking about what she is walking through. He answered me in ways back then I couldn't see. I shared all of this with her. Cultivating her struggle was helping me with something I struggled with almost 2 years ago. God is good if we listen. If we anticipate His goodness.

I know he was growing my character. At the time walking through it, I knew it was happening but was like "God, I am grown. How could you grow me anymore? Just please let me be, let me be the obedient child of yours and do what you have called me to do." Let me say, "we are always growing." Isn't that awesome? I want to grow more. I want to help others grow too. 

I grew spiritually. He bumped me up a notch. Knowing I had some junk inside me, only He and I knew about (stupid pity stuff-darkness-self doubt-etc.). Stuff you just don't sit around talking to people about for reasons you just don't know how to say it, people will think your crazy, admitting it to others just isn't happening, because we don't even want to admit it to ourselves or know how to or that we need to. I know now all those funky feeling was Him awakening my soul to a deeper relationship with Him. 

So think back over the verse again. I see two major words: wilderness and humble. 

Wilderness is an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region. Think of boondocks, boonies, desert, bushland and the wilds. When I think of wilderness, I think of very unfamiliar places. Unfamiliar places can show up as a hard time: conflict, disappointment, difficulty, temptation, times of dryness, and delays. 

Humbling is to have or to show modest of one's importance. Humbling ourselves before the Lord is releasing pride, arrogance and understand our flesh is inadequate. It's a form of truly worshiping Him. Think of submissive and respectful among being strong in the Lord. This doesn't mean we are wimps or we shouldn't say things to others in those hard time because in fact we should. He could be using the time to grow others around us in the same setting on different levels. It's understanding humility in the Bible and putting it to practice; you are a winner even if you don't win. Joy and pleasure wash over us out of acts in a godly manner making for our influence greater in situations. 

Bumping those two words, wilderness and humble, together grows character. 

Understanding this allows us to response quick in God's way during character building situations. We have the choice to be more like Christ by our simple reactions. 

He wants us to be like Him.

He wants us to grow in character.

He wants to test us. 

How has He grown you?
Do you know His character?