The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/numbers/13.htm

How much faith do you have in God?

Do you trust God more than you trust your own instincts, or thoughts, or emotions?

Numbers 13 is a story about faith.

God instructed Moses to take 12 Israelites, one from each tribe, and sent them to spy on the land of Canaan, the land that God had promised to give to them.

And when they arrived, they scouted the land, and it was just as God had promised them. Fruit was in abundance, and they cut down a cluster of grapes that was so large, they had to put it on a pole and two men carried it. And it truly was the promised land.

When they returned to camp, they described the land, that it was just as God had promised. A land of milk and honey.

But…

Ten of them said the land was full of giants, and they would not be able to overtake them. But two, Joshua (listed as Hoshea in the chapter) and Caleb had faith in God that with God, they could do anything. And Caleb was so excited, he wanted to go right then and overtake the land.

And as we will see in future studies, God did lead them into the promised land, and they did prevail (for the most part).

I wish I had the faith of Joshua and Caleb. I try, but it is hard. I’m stubborn. I’m like the other ten, so God usually just throws me into situations I don’t want to be in, and it is much later that I realize it was a blessing of God.

As a personal testimony, an organization in my town asked my wife to become the legal guardian of a special needs adult male. He is fairly high functioning, not an invalid by any means, but I was opposed to it. My wife did it anyway.

Afterwards, he was no longer able to live independently because he was unable to control his behaviors, and was threatened with eviction from his apartment. So my wife brought him home to live with us. And I really didn’t want that. It was selfishness that caused me to feel this way; my wife had two children from a previous marriage, so we never had time to be “alone”, and I was looking forward to the day the kids were grown and gone so we could just be alone to enjoy each other. And I knew that this man, would never “grow up and leave”.

Once again, my wife did it despite my objectives.

Long story short, I now know that was a blessing from God. My wife passed away at a young age due to heart valve problems. I was left along with two former special needs foster daughters, both who have seizures, and one who is a Type 1 diabetic. They are a challenge to care for, that goes without saying.

I worked hard for 46 years before I retired, one of the jobs as a fireman which is rough on the body. I am now running towards 70 years of age (I pray I make it), I’m tired, and I hurt.

This man, that I objected to his residing with us, has now been a great blessing. He helps tremendously around the house with chores that lightens the load on me.

I take care of the girls, and the Type 1 diabetic often keeps me up all night monitoring her blood sugars and either giving injections or giving snacks, depending on which way she goes. I cook and do dishes, but he pretty much does the laundry and the rest of the house cleaning that frankly, I’m just unable to keep up.

Yes, I’m capable of taking care of the house, but if I did, I would not have the energy and endurance to care for the girls. And not to be boastful, but the Type 1 diabetic is so fragile, it would take a long time for anyone to learn how to manage her. She is certainly not a textbook diabetic. Her diabetic pediatrician once told my wife that the girl would not make it through her teens, that she would succumb to her illness before she reached the age of 20. This year, she turns 31.

Despite my protests about bringing this man into our home, God literally had to throw me into it, saying “My will, not yours”, and it indeed has been a blessing. Yes, he still has behavior problems I must contend with, but I certainly would not be able to do what I do without him.

And not only that, but they have given me purpose in life. Had I been alone after my wife’s passing, there is no telling where I would be now. I could have easily became an alcoholic, and the chances that I would still be alive today are questionable.

I used to say (tongue-in-cheek) that it was God’s will that He put me in this position to save these guys, but after much reflection, I now believe he put these guys in this position to save me.

Regardless, God knew best. It was His will that all this came together, His will that this gentleman came to live with us. And despite my faith, just like the Israelites had no faith that they were able to overtake the “giants”, God dragged me into it, and He ends up dragging the Israelites into it as well.

God knows best.

God loves us.

God wants what’s best for us.

Gods Will will be done.

Have faith, and praise God!