Stewardship

Discouraged but pressing on

by Janice S Ramkissoon 
09/22/15
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“I have found David son of Jesse, a man after My own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.” –Acts 13:22

David is the man who inspired most of the pieces I wrote or shared on adultery. His life helped me to understand, in part, the father I never met. While many pointed the finger whilst casting stones at such individuals, I had a desire to provide teaching and encouragement so broken lives could be mended and homes restored.

'Who was David?

David was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons. David obeyed his father and carried out his family responsibilities. During his life, he was a shepherd, musician, poet, soldier, and king. He wasn’t perfect—he sinned and made mistakes—but he repented—and he trusted and believed in God—which is why the Bible describes him as a “man after God’s own heart.” David was the greatest king of Israel and a part of Jesus’ family.' --Superbook Kids (2015).

From David's experience and the advice of Solomon (his son) through the Proverbs and elsewhere in the Bible, I wrote various articles with the aim of helping husbands and fathers who are struggling with adultery. For those either heading down the path of adultery or who have found themselves trapped in its vicious cycle, to stop before being caught in a trap or to overcome the addiction. To the ones who once engaged in such lifestyle, I try to encourage them to move forward and release the guilt they often carry from being unfaithful in the past.

I later withdrew some of those pieces from public view as some individuals had taken offense. I have since seen many families breakup from those very issues dealt with in the articles, wreaking havoc on many lives.

Witnessing the breakdown of those marriages and homes, I am reminded that when we have chosen to help others overcome, we must not be deterred by the few who will by all means try to discourage us.

We can never please all the people who are exposed to our written pieces. Sometimes we put 2 and 2 together and people will see from different view points and come up with their own interpretation. Someone might come up with 4 or 22 which makes logical sense but lack of understanding find false accusations being made and individuals being judged wrongfully.

Years later, on my birthday, I received several text messages that were discouraging and threatened to ruin the day's celebration. But from those messages I was able to better understand what was taking place in the spiritual realm.

Text messages on my birthday:

On the morning of August 5, after devotion and breakfast, I heard my phone beeped. It was a text alert from the  bank, notifying me that my account had gone over its limit and would accrue interest if not resolved by 15:30 that day. That definitely wasn't what I expected my first message would be on my birthday. However, I was notified of a problem and so I needed to respond to the matter at hand.

I got onto the case and got it sorted because accruing interest on debt was not a great way to start my new year. On completion of the transaction, a message popped up on the screen wishing me all the best for my special occasion.  That unexpected gesture made me smile. All done. Time to enjoy my birthday.

Now back on track, looking forward to a wonderful day ahead and another text message came in. It was a "Happy birthday" message. It made me smile. Then I received a call from my mother calling to wish me a happy birthday. It began to feel like it really was my birthday.

Then I received another text message from a close relative who chose that day of all days to send me criticism of the book I recently published. Oh well, there's  never a good time for bad news. So I got back to focusing on my birthday. The day is what you make it! So I chose not to focus on the text messages. But one text message wasn't good enough for the individual, I got another and another and it was becoming a challenge to focus on my birthday. That's when I thought about the many articles I wrote to help others but removed because of negative criticism. To help me keep things in perspective we went to the park for a walk. It was the best part of my day.

Waking up from sleep on the morning of Sunday 9th August 2015, I heard and received the following:

"Let us not be driven by fear but be led by the power of God."

God's Kingdom must come on earth as it is in heaven. Therefore, I must do my part in using the gift He bestowed on me to help fulfil the great commission. I aim to repost those pieces to encourage all those who have had their David & Bathsheba moment(s) to recognise that, like Peter, they are being sift like wheat but each has the potential to be declared, 'a man after God's own heart.' 

I encourage you also to focus on the bigger picture and go forth in His power. Do not be overcome by fear. Be reminded of God's message to Joshua:

'...For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. "Be strong and courageous...Be strong and very courageous. ...I command you--be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" ...' (Joshua 1:5-9).