WE WON!!!

You might be wondering "who won?" or "what did they win?" Well, I am about to tell you. You see, this amazing victory was not brought about by cheating, or by compromise. It wasn't "handed over" to me. Nobody just "let" me win. I didn't even have to take steroids to gain this victory. No, this was a battle that was hard fought. I went into it all armored up and ready to do whatever was needed to gain ground. I intended to win beyond a shadow of doubt. No need for instant replays around here. No need for the judges to sit back and watch the video to make a determination. No, just blood, sweat and tears for me.

So, what did I win? A spiritual victory. You see, about a month ago, I asked my Father to really teach me about faith. You know, the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith kind of faith. I wanted my faith to grow. I wanted to be able to trust no matter what the circumstances appeared to be. Over this past week, the struggle was apparent as I was asked by God to give up those things that I was holding so close to my heart. Those sorts of things that years ago I had promised to let Him have control over. He called me on it. He cashed in, so to speak. So, I let go. I knew that He loved me and that He would do the very best for me. I happened upon James 2 and found out that my deeds combined with my faith, made my faith complete. Complete. That was the victory. My faith, tried by fire and purgings, was made complete. You can't argue with that.

Does that mean that all of my earthly struggles are over? Definitely not. Does that mean I will have to face no more personal heart ache? Again, not. But did I gain something eternal? Something that has more value than anything else this world can offer.

OH, YEAH!

Elizabeth