Faithful…..

"Thus far, the Lord has helped us.” 
1 Samuel 7:12

I have a jar of stones that sits on my table in the living room. Most people when they see them probably think they are just there for decoration. But to me, they have very special and specific meaning.

My husband, Mark and I have been married for 26 years now. About 15 years ago, I was just thinking back over our life, and realized that every year since the year we met, there had been an event. Some of those events were celebrations…  

The day we met 
The day we were married 
The birth of our children 
The purchase of our first home

Some of those events were trials…  

The loss of a job 
The loss of a home

And some of them were extremely painful...

Moving half-way across the country away from family and friends
The loss of a baby 
Lost relationships

But, as I looked back over them, I realized God had been faithful all along. Even when we were faithless, ready to give it all up…He was always there and walked with us through each celebration and trial.

So, I began to keep track…I have a written list of the last 26 years; all the milestones that I could think of. Some were life-changing – being miraculously and instantaneously delivered from depression; others were somewhat trivial, but heart-wrenching – having my one and only daughter cut off one side of her long curly hair at age 3. (She’ll never forgive me for mentioning that!) But, they were milestones, none the less.

One day, I was reading 1 Samuel 7…Samuel has just led the Israelites in repentance for their idol worship, and then the Lord forgave them and gave them the Philistines at Mizpah. "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far has the Lord helped us’”. 1 Samuel 7:12

It suddenly hit me that I had so many occasions to look back and say, "So far….God has brought us so far!”.

I went to Michael’s and bought a bag of rocks! I don’t necessarily have 26…one for each year of marriage. Or even one for each event that I have listed. But they are there as a reminder of God’s faithfulness. Thus far….God has helped us. And His word promises that He will continue to do so.

So now, when trials come or circumstances seem to overwhelm me, I can look at that jar of rocks and be reminded of His faithfulness to me.

"I will never leave you or forsake you.”
Joshua 1:5  

Faithful...