Kelly Phillips, Pacific Region President, November 2010
As I write this, I am sitting in the Hyatt Regency in Dallas. I’M AT CONFERENCE!!! And it is so completely amazing! If you were not one of the fortunate 1,334 precious women of God who were blessed to attend conference, then please allow me to share a little bit with you. God is awesome! God is great! He alone is worthy of our praise! And He has a plan for YOUR life!
I came to conference especially anxious to hear God speak to me because I’m in a season of discouragement right now. I want to give up. Everywhere I turn, there are hard things. Our speaker, Priscilla Shirer, spoke last night and expounded on Genesis 28:10-17. (You should probably stop and read that now!) She explained that like Jacob, sometimes when we get to the hard places in life, we are tempted to look at the stones around us and just go to sleep. That is truly what I have wanted to do. I have been tempted to sleep walk through this season of my life; to be physically present but mentally and emotionally “checked out.” Have you ever done that?
As Priscilla spoke last night, she explained that “there’s good stuff in the hard stuff.” She explained that in the Hebrew text, “certain places” are sacred places. They are places that God has been before. And they are places where we grow the most. They are the places that God brings us to so that we can become more like Him. “Certain places” are the places where we receive the biggest blessings. When she stated that, it was like a fog lifted. This entire conference has been such an encouragement to my weary self.
If, like me, you are in a hard place, a place where you would just like to move on to the next thing, can I encourage you to STOP! Don’t miss the blessing! God has brought you to this place, at this time, for this season – for HIS purposes. You are a one of a kind masterpiece and He is working on you! God has a purpose for whatever it is that you are going through. I know it is difficult now, but as James said in James 1: 2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” I know that I want to “lack nothing.” How about you?
