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Written by Tony Brizendine, husband of Brenda and volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries
I can remember the excitement I felt as if it were yesterday. Brenda and I were picking out the 
paint colors, cabinets, carpet, and light fixtures for our new home. This is something we had prayed about for years and our dream was finally coming true. We received a phone call from our realtor while we were celebrating my birthday. He congratulated us on securing the property to build our new home on. I thought for sure this was God’s hand blessing us. We had already sold our previous home and were living in the basement of my parent’s house while waiting on our new home to be constructed. We also were pregnant with our daughter and were hoping the new home would be finished before she was born.
The months that followed seemed to contradict all of our excitement. The building of our home was delayed for several months due to a shortage of workers. By the time there were workers available, I received news that I was being laid off from my job. We ultimately had to pull out of building the house a few weeks before Brenda’s due date. I was crushed. No job, no house and a baby on the way. I asked myself over and over, “Why would a good God allow this to happen to us?” I felt angry and abandoned by God.
A few days after our daughter was born, I received a call from a former boss of mine. He invited me to apply for an open job with his new company. Within a week after his call and interviewing, I was employed again. My parents and younger sister helped us with our newborn daughter while we were living with them, which was a huge blessing for us. Two months later, our realtor called us and had a great home available for us to purchase that suited our needs perfectly. We were able to move into our house the weekend of my birthday, exactly 1 year after we had secured the property for the home we wanted to build.
After having some time to reflect, I realized that I was not putting God first. In that season, I had become selfish and shortsighted. I didn’t see God as my provider. I saw myself and my job as my provider instead of Him. He is the Great “I AM” and as Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” God is not interested in just granting the desires of our heart, He wants our whole heart. While we see the surface level things, He can see from a much higher level than we can.
While I was very grateful to God for restoring my employment and helping us through that season, I felt as though our dream was lost. Yet three years later, God provided a home that was not far from where we originally wanted to build, and was constructed at the same time we lost our “dream house”. The selling owners took very good care of the house, which was far beyond our expectations, and left it in pristine condition. It was as if God had these people taking care of it for us while He waited for the right time to deliver it.
God had seen what we needed on the surface level, but He wanted us to learn to see Him first, The One, The Whole. Thanks for letting me share this reminder to keep our eyes fixed on the I AM.
Many churches, conferences, and events are taking advantage of the number of this new year, “20/20” as an optometrist would say it, to remind us to have clear vision (1 Cor. 13:12), to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (Heb. 12:2), and to focus on the unseen instead of the seen (2 Cor. 4:18). During the month of January, we will join in highlighting that emphasis, especially as it ties in with our spiritual theme for the year.
Iron Rose Sister Ministries’ spiritual theme for 2020 is “Part of the Whole” (Eph. 4:16; 1 Cor. 12:12-27).
Above all, we must keep our eyes fixed on the Whole, the I AM. In order to see Him clearly and maintain our focus on Him, we must come to know Him more deeply... know Him by His name.
We invite you to participate in an interactive small group Bible study, starting in January. The latest book, I already AM, is available through our online store, on Amazon, and also now on Kindle! This study is designed to help us keep our focus in the right place, affirm and strengthen our belief and get to know the I AM in deeper and broader ways through an in-depth study of His name.
In the meantime, stay tuned for “Our Part in Prayer” for our Prayer Month in February. And later in the year, we will explore topics like, “There is no small part,” “Christ is the head,” “Our obedience allows others to do their part,” “Celebrating the part others play,” “You are part of the one-another,” “Finding your part,” “Addressing the sticky parts,” “Thankful to be a part,” and a refocus of vision to keep our eyes fixed on the Whole.
Isn’t that exciting?! Yet, my favorite “part” of what is to come are the conversations and upcoming book celebrating Single Women as a vital part of the Whole. If you would like to join that conversation, we are still gathering research and conducting interviews, so let us know.
Thank you for being a part of the whole that God has brought together to His glory! Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your support. And thank you for your vital part of these important conversations, Bible studies, and equipping processes.
