Godly Gals ~ Holly Smith

When you know trouble is ahead, how do you respond? A year ago, if you had asked me that question AND if I had been honest with you, I would have told you that I faced the trouble ahead with either my head in the sand saying, “What trouble? I don’t see any trouble!” Or I could respond with my Pollyanna-ish optimism, “It’s going to be OK. The Lord is going to rescue us again.”

The Lord knew my honest answer a year ago. He saw beyond the place of what I represented to others to the core of my need. He does come to my rescue, every time! Sometimes, His rescue just looks a bit different than what I planned.

Our trouble was financial—we were looking straight into a train wreck of foreclosure on our home or bankruptcy or both. By God’s gracious hand saying, “This far and no further,” we only went through bankruptcy. Though, if foreclosure had happened, I still would be writing this exact post today.

Even so, it was not easy—no. In fact, without Jesus, it would have been impossible for me to know or see any good in it. I walked through those hard days, holding tightly to the hand of Jesus.

One thing that helped keep me near Jesus, I wrote verses that encouraged me—I memorized them and carried them everywhere I went. Even through tears on the hardest of days, I clung to His Word.

We got counsel from a financial friend at church, who came over every week. With wisdom and compassion, he said, “You can do this. I will walk with you through it. When the bankruptcy is over, you can pay back what you owe. It is the right thing to do.”

Just this week, I have been doing a word study on trials. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has endured the test, he will receive a crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.”

In my study, the verse in my paraphrase means, “Supremely blessed and happy is the one who stays under the hand of God, who is putting us to proof to see the stuff of which we are made. For when He has tested our metal, we will be amazed and get hold of the badge of royalty of a lifetime, which the Lord, whom we respect so much, gives to those who love Him.

He is allowing the trials of life to come. He promises to walk through them with us. When we have gotten to the other side, we are going to be purified and shining. The stuff from which we are made is going to be perfected under His faithful hand. Trials are a part of living life, and I’m so glad Jesus, our Immanuel, God WITH us, is walking out the trials of life WITH us. We can face tomorrow blessed, holding on to Him.

I also know that there are so many more “Real Women, Real Life, Real Faith” kind of girls out there and I would love to share your stories of being a Godly Gal right here.

If you’d like to be a part of the Godly Gals team, then please send me an email at melsworldministry [at] gmail [dot] com and I’ll send you a copy of the Submission Guidelines.