The Blessing of the Pressure

 

 

 

 

 I wanted to share with you the outcome of my daughter’s “Holiday Seed”. If you remember, I had explained that she gave away our Christmas tree to someone who didn’t have a tree. She also gave it away to them early, because she wanted to “sow” a seed of giving + faith to have an early tree for herself. 

 

She had in her heart a very specific tree from a nearby store that seemed impossible for us to acquire. A couple of days ago, I woke up thinking that we needed a miracle and I was struggling to wrap my mind around how anything could happen to help. 

 

Out of the blue, a received a donation for my daughter’s tree. I knew with all of my heart that I had to get her the tree that day, but I had an inner “war” happening by doing so. 

 

It is only a week until our room payment is due and the idea of putting up a tree in a place that could be swept away and with nowhere else to go is terrifying. Yet God promised that our room was connected to an emerald lake of His rich support and even though it may “feel” unstable, we are secure in Him. 

 

It feels much like driving over a super narrow and extremely high bridge where we could easily fall off and crash to our end. However, I am only allowing myself to see our end as hopes that come to pass. That is how faith grows because hope grows into the faith that receives fulfillment. 

 

So I have had to make a deliberate choice to only think about what God promised me. I have to think only thoughts of faith and hope. This morning I woke up before the sun and it basically felt like there was an elephant sitting on my chest. 

 

I realized how far we could fall and how everything in my life is clinging to God’s promise to cover our room. He has never failed us and I have no reason not to trust Him. But that doesn’t make the fear go away when you are facing such a terrifying situation. 

 

 God keeps showing me ferns as this deadline has been approaching and as I watched the sheer joy of my daughter setting up this tree. 

 

The fern meaning from God to me is that the pressure that I am going through is a blessing in disguise. The pressure is what causes the fern to break open and release the spores to multiply and reproduce. Read the fern love letter of promise here: https://diamondsfromthedust.com/2022/11/10/it-is-time-to-accumulate/

 

It is like that with this insanely high-pressured faith test. The pressures of what I need, the deadline, the fears of all the “what if’s” that could go wrong, etc…those things are trying to press against me. 

 

But I have been choosing to press back with my hopes and my promises from God. Somehow, it is a blessing to release the fulfilled desire. 

 

We put up this crazy big beautiful tree yesterday. In the midst of such a happy moment, I had to fight all day to resist my worries about the room fees. Her ornaments and the tree skirt will be going on later today because they were ordered. 

 

Things are definitely a challenge and much more scary when you live a lifestyle as we do. When I am struck with fear about “what if we have to move” or “what if we have no place to live” then I have to shut down those thoughts and put all of my trust in Jesus to keep His vows. I have to lay back in His arms and trust His goodness and His plans to carry us through each situation. 

 

So this is the tree that my daughter fell in love with. She is planning to put diamond ornaments on the tree because her vision is having a diamond tree that looks like it is covered in real icicles and snow. 

 

I am so thankful that her “early holiday seed” was multiplied back to her like this. It was definitely a huge leap of faith and surrender to trust God to allow her to get it at this time–with so much weighing against our place. I really wanted to wait until the “coast was clear” lol.

 

I loved looking at the sheer joy and excitement on her face all day. It was a pure and timeless treasure. I will be even more thankful when this faith test is over and I can actually breathe haha. I keep thanking God for paying for our room and honoring His promise. I could never believe that His love would fail us–not after all He has already done. 

 

Love you bunches and thanks for your love as well!

 

Dannette