The Honey Bee Press October - December 2013

Honey Bee Press A newsletter brought to you by the Women on the Wall in loving memory of Annette “Honey” Grant Volume 3, Issue 1 October—December 2013 Following God’s Will—by Tonia Williams Inside this issue: Featured Article: Facing My Fear 2 Featured Article: Be the Standard 3 Honey’s Reading Corner A Note from Our Founder 4 Featured Articles: Balancing Act 5-6 Too Much Stuff I, too, Have a Dream Encouraging the Singles 7-8 Marital Bliss 8-9 Financial Fitness 10 Honey’s Health Corner 11 Do You Want to Know Him 12 Events ? If you would like your event featured in our newsletter, email us at [email protected] We would love to hear from you. Are you being blessed by the newsletter? Is there a topic you would like addressed? Following God’s Will…this topic is one that rocks my world on a daily basis, but I felt that writing about it would be so easy. I mean, following God’s will should be the desire of every Christian, right? I was about as right as two pair of left shoes. This was a hard topic that bruised my toes and my heart; it reminds me again of the grace and mercy of God. While writing this, I also found some answers for myself and hopefully something for you as well. I trust God with my life, we all do. But on a daily basis we say, “God, I trust you to make a way out of no way; and I trust you for love and mercy and for the joy and peace that surpasses all understanding… but surrendering my will for Your will…Let me get back to you on that one.” It’s often hard to accept God’s will for our lives because we think that whatever we are going through is a situation that we can handle. We think that God’s will can’t be right in this situation. “Lord, I know what’s best. I want that job, that house, and oh yeah that man.” We want and seek to delegate God to one corner of our many cornered lives. His will is ok for some things, but He can’t begin to know how we feel and need these other situations to go just as we have planned them. “Lord, I know you are God and all, but I have to be married by 25, have my master’s degree by 30, first and second children born before I turn 35, and well on my way to being that career girl with it all.” What happens when God’s will isn’t that you marry or that you marry and end up divorced, raising two children on your own? What happens when your plans don’t line up with God’s plans for your life? So does following God’s will mean we should just roll over and accept whatever comes our way? No. Following God’s will doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have hopes and dreams, but that we line up our hearts and minds to let God be God. Knowing that He knows best and that He has a plan and a purpose for us. He sees the things that our frail human eyes can’t begin to see. Jeremiah 29:11 states, “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” To me this means that God does have a plan for my life and whatever He has in store for me is a million times better than what I could have ever hoped, dreamed, or imagined. A wise woman once told me it’s about our posture as we accept God’s will that makes the difference. Will we rant and scream like angry two year olds because we were denied what we want? Or, do we say “God, I don’t know what you are doing right now, I feel vulnerable and scared, but I’m going to put my little hand in your great big hand and trust you to help me.” (Thanks Grandma!!!) The victory comes in accepting His will. I remember when my sister found “the perfect” house. It would have been a dream come true for her new family. The day they were to sign the papers, the owners changed their minds and decided not to sell the house. My sister was devastated by this loss. She cried and prayed and was inconsolable for days. Finally she changed her prayer from “Why Lord?” to “Yes, Lord; Thy will be done.” Now, the house she was so sad about was about 20-40 years old and she would have needed to purchase all new appliances and make major repairs. A week later her agent called and said “I think I have found the perfect house for you.” This house was brand spanking new, had new appliances, a bigger and better yard, and the asking price was much lower than the first house. Wow, if she had fought for her will and her way she would have been saddled with a rundown home and not the brand new home that God’s will brought her way. Does it always happen that simply and easily? No, sometimes we have to wait a bit and let God’s plan come to light in His perfect timing. I think this would be a great next article, waiting on God….. Oh no! There goes my toes again. Image courtesy of Marcus / FreeDigitalPhotos.net We would like to stand with you in prayer. There is so much power in agreement and prayer. The enemy tries to make us feel like we are alone in this journey when in fact there are many of us that are going through the same thing. The Women on the Wall believe that “sisters need sisters.” We need each other to survive. In the kingdom, when one of us suffers, we all suffer. We want you feel the weight of the prayer pushing you forth in your calling. Send us your prayer requests and know that we will lift you up. No prayer request is too small or too big. Email us at [email protected].