a woman’s perspective
PASTOR RHODA
TURNER
What Are You Pushing Through?
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13. We can do anything because God has strengthened us to do it. My mother’s favorite scripture is the scripture listed below, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians5:18.
I remember it just like it was yesterday. What is the "it"? The "it" is labor and delivery. A 20+ year memory readily accessible. I was in the labor and delivery room preparing to give birth to my first born daughter. Within that experience were a whole lot of emotions. I was excited about being a mom as well as petrified about the labor and delivery sections that I couldn’t avoid. I was in about the 12th hour of the entire process, and I had to use the restroom. I vaguely remember going into the restroom and asking my husband to come in there. When he arrived in the room, he found me in the midst of attempting to pull off all that tape so that I could remove my IV’s. He shouted out "stop" at me, to which I ignored him. Not knowing what else to do, he called my sister into the room, where they were able to stop me. He asked what I was doing and I told him that I was preparing to go home! Now, I hadn’t even delivered my daughter yet. However, I had made up in my mind that I was over THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE! Instead of bailing on my original plan, I decided to abandon my new plan instead. I stayed and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl that gives me so much joy. Seeing and experiencing difficult situations have a way of making us want to give up when situations get rough or difficult. It’s easy to give up and walk away. It’s hard to stay in the midst of a situation when things are difficult. If we look through the Word of God it shows us Scriptures that we can use when things get rough. 32 October 2021
We may not always understand the "why" of why things happen, but the 23rd division of Psalms sums up how we should endure the journey of our life's situation. The enemy wants us to give up and not push through. He’s rewarded by our failure because in his mind he has won when we give up. Instead of giving up we surrender to His rest. We allow ourselves to be led by still waters, and He will restore our souls. There's an abundance of promises in this one chapter that becomes the blueprint of how to get through the tough times. I’m so appreciative to know that God was with me 20+ years ago in that labor and delivery room, and that He has been with me every day before that and every day since that. I’m not turning away from God; I'm going to go through the labor and the pain, because the reward is so much greater than what I’ve been through. So whatever you are pushing through, I would encourage you to not quit, don’t stop, don’t give up and keep pushing. You can do it! Pastor Rhoda Turner Christian Faith Fellowship Church Chandler, AZ www.cffaz.org
