Look Up!

Look up into the heavens. Isaiah 40:26a

I was thinking about this verse and it occurred to me that when I am looking up I can see God at work. 

When I am looking down all I see is myself and the world.

I don't know about you, but looking at my own life and the rest of the world has a tendency to bring me down. 

There's a lot of dissension and turmoil on this earth. Most of the time you don't have to look very far to see it. It's in our relationships and it's plastered all over the headlines of the news and social media. 

I can recall a time in years past—before the days of social media—when I felt overwhelmed by the bad news in the world. I felt helpless to do anything about anything. My choice was to remove myself from so much of the negativity for a time.

Look up.

In the past month I kept seeing verse showing up. I took notice of it and then it took me back to a time more than eight years ago.

I was attending a retreat when the speaker felt led to change the topic on which she was planning to speak. The main thing I remembered from that retreat was the feeling that God was telling me when things get rough to look up. The speaker repeated that phrase several times. 

There was nothing in particular going on in my life at that time. Little did I know that within days that my world was going to change due to the loss of a loved one. As I walked through those dark days, those words came back to me.

Look up.

I looked up. I relied on the Lord to carry me through. It wasn't easy, but the load was lighter since I wasn't bearing it all myself. When I looked up I was also able to observe how God was working all around me. I could see the comfort he was providing in tangible ways. I could still see the beauty around me. My gaze wasn't focused downward on myself.

Fast forward to the present. When this scripture kept coming to my attention, I took notice. It reminded me that whatever was coming, look up. 

If life becomes overwhelming, look up.

If I don't know what to do, look up.

If I'm feeling sad, look up.

If I'm feeling joyful, look up.

Just look up.

Where does my help come from? It comes from the Lord. He gives power to the weak. He comforts those in trouble. He never tires or grows weary.


But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Read the entire 40th chapter of Isaiah here.

 

Life Has No Movie Soundtrack

The scenario: Someone is on a stroll through the woods. The scenery is beautiful, in the background you can hear the padding of footsteps in the quiet peacefulness. Slowly the background music creeps into the scene signaling something is about to change. Suddenly the eerie sounds of music grows louder and a stranger runs onto the path. For those of us watching the movie, we anticipated something was coming because the music in the background prepared us for it. If only life was like that. The problem is. . .

Life has no movie soundtrack!

If life was more like a movie, we would know that something was going to happen because of the music or sounds playing in the background. For example, you are sitting in a restaurant having a quiet dinner and some comedic music begins to play nearby. You feel rather lighthearted for some reason and a moment later the waiter drops an entire tray on the floor. Ripples of quiet laughter erupt in the restaurant.

Or let's use that same setting and play the sounds of the dun-Dun-DUN near the handsome couple having dinner together. A sense of dread comes over the restaurant and everyone braces for what happens next: The woman tells her significant other that she wants to break up. She stands up and throws a ring in his lap while he sits with mouth agape. Cue the sad violin music.

You get the picture. Movies or television programs give us hints about what's going to happen by the music and sounds being played. This music actually manipulates us into feeling a certain way to help propel the storyline.

Real life is so much different. You suddenly find out someone wants to have a discussion with no clue about what's going to be discussed. Since the meeting was not planned, you immediately begin to anticipate the worst and pour over anything that could be wrong. It's so easy to imagine the worst rather than the best. If only there was a movie soundtrack to give you a clue!

I don't have any great revelations to share about this. It's really just a thought that occurred to me recently as I have watched life unfold all around me. Surprises--good and bad--come with nary a clue and definitely no soundtrack hints. Sometimes the blessing is in the surprise otherwise knowing the future would not be good.

I guess as believers in Jesus the best thing to do is to be prepared by staying close to God because nothing surprises Him. We have to keep our eyes on Him. He knows what is coming long before I do and the the Bible is full of examples like: Joseph, Sarah, Job, David, Peter, John, and Paul. Hebrews 11 is a list of people who trusted God when they weren't sure what was going on and God honored that faith.

I may not know what's going to happen in the next minute, the next hour, the next month, or the next year. However, I do know the Lord promises to be with me no matter what--even without the background music!

I know the Lord is always with me.    I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. - Psalm 16:8

Difficulty Equals Opportunity

"Every difficulty and every temptation that comes our way,

 if we receive it correctly, is God’s opportunity." 

[Quote from Streams in the Desert: 366 Daily Devotional Readings.] 

I read that quote this morning during my quiet time. Hmmm. Something to think about.

Difficulty = Opportunity. 

Oh yes, I think I'd like to get in line for some of that opportunity--two extra scoops, please! Sorry, my sarcasm is showing. Honestly, difficulty is not something anybody looks forward to.

As I sit here, I'm processing what's already been a difficult week for my family and it doesn't show signs of letting up any time soon. Thankfully, there have also been some wonderful moments this week.

The devotional went on to talk about how David's run-in with a lion was an opportunity for God to show David that God was with him and through God he could face whatever came his way. When these "lions" come into our own lives we should recognize it as an opportunity from the Lord, "no matter how fierce it may outwardly seem."

So it appears that the "lions"we face today help us to face the "Goliaths" of the future. I don't know whether these current difficulties are lions or Goliaths. I suspect they are a little of both. When I've gone through difficulties in the past they sure seemed like Goliaths in the moment they were happening. Then sometime later, when a new difficulty arose, I looked back and thought, "that was nothing compared to now."

Shortly after reading this devotional, I listened to a sermon by Charles Stanley. His message was about having courage in the midst of a difficult time. Funny how the Lord orchestrates these things! He used Paul as an example of someone who had courage to persevere despite many difficulties. One would say he had to Endure (my One Word for the year 2014). Ah-ha! Then the phrase that popped into my head during this message was...

Don't Give Up!

This was a phrase I heard many times during another difficult time. It was always a sweet reminder to have hope in God, to keep praying, to persevere, and most of all to trust God.

I'll end with the following scripture and a link to a favorite song:

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. 

We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  

We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. 

We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.  

Through suffering, our bodies continue to share 

in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus 

may also be seen in our bodies.
2 Corinthians 4:8

This is my command—be strong and courageous! 

Do not be afraid or discouraged. 

For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

"Don't Give Up" by Calling Glory

Testing: A Parent's Perspective

A friend was once describing to me the time in which she took her child in for a medical test. The child was young enough that she didn't understand what was going on. Although the test wasn't painful, it did involve some momentary discomfort. You see, the procedure was necessary to determine whether a problem the child was born with still existed and required additional treatment.

This parent described the scene in which she had to place her child in the hands of others for the test, but was able to remain in the room and nearby the whole time. During the test, the child looked to the mother for reassurance and asked to be held. In response, mom had to look confidently at the child and reassure her with a smile and encouragement. However, mom's heart was breaking the whole time because all she really wanted to do was remove the child from the test and hold this child who desperately wanted and needed her. Yet, mom knew that the test was necessary and that it wouldn't last long, so she hung in there.

After listening to this description, I immediately got a picture of how my heavenly Father might feel when I'm going through a time of testing and gave me a different perspective. He knows a test is necessary to prove something. The test may be unpleasant and may feel like it's never going to end. But tests always serve a purpose and ultimately they bring glory to God.

Although I've written about this topic of testing several times before, I've never viewed it from this point of view. It gives me another perspective of God's love for me. Even if my circumstances aren't pleasant, my heavenly Father hasn't abandoned me or forgotten me. He's right there at all times. He's watching carefully. He's reassuring when I look to Him and whispering words of comfort when I need it.

Yes, our heavenly Father loves us...

"We love, because He first loved us."1 John 4:19 

"Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.  

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; 

just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love." 

John 15:9-10

and allows us to be tested...

"The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him 

with all your heart and soul." Deuteronomy 13:3b

"O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, you test those who are righteous,  

and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets." Jeremiah 20:12

• to prove that God is working in our lives

• to prove that our faith is genuine

• to purify us

• to demonstrate His love and power

• to produce Christlike character in us

• to equip us

But, He's always there for us. What a comforting thought!

The Maze of My Life

This is the longest I've gone without posting something on my blog. I've taken short breaks before, but those were intentional. I've had a few blog ideas and even started one, but haven't had the time to really flesh it out. So, it just sits here. Frankly, there's probably not that many people who regularly keep up with it anyway. But, today I'll just do a little stream of consciousness writing instead. So the writing may be a little different.

Life--the maze of my life--has gotten a bit crazy lately. I won't go into the details here. Those closest to me know what some of those details are and that's enough. Suffice it to say, I've had some challenging days in the past few months.

When I first chose this blog name, I thought it was kind of a cute word play. But, life is often a series of mazes. Mazes are places that force you from one end to the other. Sometimes you find yourself crossing the same path time and time again. Other times it looks as if you've finally found the way out only to discover that you've run into a dead end. I hear people have gotten lost in corn mazes. Put a mouse in a maze and it sniffs its way to the end where there's a reward for him.

The only thing that remains constant through it all is Jesus. I may not see Him with my eyes, but He's there in the maze with me. John chapter 16 tells the account of Jesus talking to the disciples before the crucifixion. Jesus reassures them and tells them not to be afraid when He had to leave because the Holy Spirit would be here for us. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, our "come alongside."

If we believe Jesus to be our Savior, when the road gets tough and the path is dark, we have someone alongside us to show us the way.

I'll leave with a few verses of Scripture...

Proverbs 3:6
Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take. (NLT)


Isaiah 45:2
I will go before you
    and will level the mountains;
I will break down gates of bronze
    and cut through bars of iron. 


Exodus 43:14
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 

The Week in Review: Faith Testing

I try to stay consistent about posting on this blog even if it's only once a week. Last week was different. It's not that God wasn't teaching me anything--au contraire! Sometimes it's better for me to "Be Still" and just listen rather than write.

The past few weeks have been challenging in many ways. I won't go into all the details, but suffice it to say that we all have seasons in our lives that push us out of our comfort zones and stretch us in the faith department.

This morning I was working on a Bible study about faith and immediately realized that God used some of the events of the past few weeks to stretch me in the faith department. I wish I could say that I got an A+. Not even close! I had good moments and bad moments. There were times when I reacted to circumstances through my flesh by saying or doing things that were not so Christ-like. And then I had some Spirit-filled moments when I desperately prayed for God's help and turned to Scripture.

As I look back over the week, I can see that those moments when I turned to God and the Word were some of the most peace-filled moments of the week. Did my circumstances get better? No. Not really. But, I did feel peace that passed all understanding...

And the peace of God, 

which surpasses all comprehension, 

will guard your hearts 

and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:7

...and when I did go to God and Scripture first, I found that things fell into place a little better than if I had tried to do things in my own strength.

Fear not, for I am with you; 

be not dismayed, for I am your God; 

I will strengthen you, I will help you, 

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

There's one other thing I learned this morning about my faith: It's been getting stronger over the years. I can now see how my faith has been shaped by my environment and other people since I was a child. My belief system has been rather limited in the past. My knowledge of Scripture was limited and therefore my knowledge of who God is and what He can do was limited. 

As I've spent more and more time in Scripture, I can see how my perception of who God is has been changing. The God I know right now is not the God I knew 10, 20, or 30 years ago. He's much bigger, He's much more loving, He's much more personal, and He's much more awesome than I would have thought a few decades ago. These are the kinds of things we learn only after spending years getting to know someone.

If you need a faith boost, read the 11th chapter of Hebrews. Faith is the confidence we need when we cannot see anything happening and it is by faith that we trust God, knowing that He is able when we are not.

Leaning In

My main form of exercise is walking and always has been. I nearly always walked to school when I was growing up.

Even though I grew up in the Midwest where the land is mostly flat, my hometown had a few gentle hills and inclines because it was a river town.

I can still recall several paths to and from the different schools I attended. One was downhill going to school and uphill coming home. The following year I was transferred to a new school, but it was uphill going and downhill coming.

My final two years of high school took place on a different campus than the first two years. The good news was that it was closer to my home, but the bad news was that the school was built on top of a hill. The hill at this school had such a steep and grassy slope that it is considered the prime spot for sledding during the winter months. That hill stood between my house and the school.

I could have taken another route which would have not been so steep, but it would have taken much longer. So, the first few days I walked up that hill and was ever-so glad when I reached the top. It wasn't long before I was climbing that hill with less effort. Within several weeks I realized how easily and quickly I made it up that hill!

One of the tricks to walking up a steep hill is to lean in. By leaning forward as you move up the hill, it helps with your center of gravity by providing balance. If you lean too far forward or lean too far back, you might strain muscles in your back. Now, I don't have any scientific proof of this, but I think leaning in helps move me up the hill easier and faster than standing straight.

source: Pinterest

Leaning in is also a technique we use when a strong wind is blowing. If you've ever been caught outdoors on a very windy day, in order to walk against the wind you must lean into it.

You probably know where I'm going with this. When life takes a turn up that steep hill or we feel that sudden strong wind, we need to lean in.

We lean in to Jesus to give us the strength we need to keep going, to stay balanced, to endure. Leaning in also helps us stand firm against the Enemy. He's always trying to knock us down.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 

Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to

stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 

- Ephesians 6:10-11

 


Hard times make us stronger and prepare us for the next battle (because there will be another battle). Just like my walk up that hill to school, if we keep leaning in to Jesus, we'll gain endurance so that the next time we must walk up a hill, it might not be quite as difficult.

Be a hill seeker and not a hill avoider.

As I was preparing this post, I ran across a blog article which is closely related to this topic. I really like how this quote fit with what I was writing about. I share this quote below and a link to the full article at truewoman.com.

"We like to think of our spiritual lives as a 

steady climb up a predictable hill. 

Just keep putting one foot in front of the other 

and eventually we will summit, having “arrived” 

at the apex of what it means to follow Christ. 

But the reality is there will be very high highs,

often followed by very low lows. God is God, 

and we are called to be faithful at both elevations."

 ~ Erin Davis at True Woman.com, "Lessons from the Devastation"

I just couldn't close this without sharing a verse from this great old hymn...

        Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
        Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

        O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
        Leaning on the everlasting arms;
        O how bright the path grows from day to day,
        Leaning on the everlasting arms.

from cyberhymnal.org

Suffering: God's Way of Getting Our Attention

 

     I look upon suffering as one of God’s ways of getting our attention. In fact, C.S. Lewis calls pain “God’s megaphone.” He said, “God whispers to us in our conscience, speaks to us in our joys, and shouts to us in our pain. Pain is God’s megaphone.”~ Elisabeth Elliot


Link to: Held in the Everlasting Arms: A Message From Elisabeth Elliot


This is a link to a short message from Elisabeth Elliot. If anyone knows about suffering, it's Mrs. Elliot. I have blogged a lot about suffering and enduring through tough times. When I ran across this message from Mrs. Elliot, I wanted to share it on this blog to preserve it for myself and to share with any followers who may need these words of encouragement. By clicking on the link above, you can listen to Mrs. Elliot as she delivers this message or read the transcript. I'll end this post with how she ends her message...


      Therefore sin and suffering entered into the world and now we’re saying, “Why doesn’t God do something about it?”

      And the Christian answer is, “He did. He became the victim, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.”

      As the Psalmist said in Psalm 46: “Though the earth shake and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, God is our refuge” (v. 1 paraphrase). I speak to you as one who has desperately needed a refuge. And in that same Psalm he says, “Be still” (v. 10). And I am told it’s legitimate to translate that, “Shut up and know that I am God.” That’s the message. ~ E. Elliot


I am reminded of this verse in 1 Peter 1:6

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

 

Wordy Wednesday

Source

For those who may be new to this blog, on Wordy Wednesdays I like to allow God's Word to speak for itself instead of me doing the writing. Sometimes I only share scripture and other times I might write just a little to accompany it. This week I'd like to share just a little.

Watching the events that have happened in Oklahoma the past few days has been heart-wrenching. Television cannot do it justice. Our minds (at least my mind) has become so accustomed to seeing destruction on television and movies that we it's hard to grasp the reality of death and destruction. We tend to get a little numb to it. The moment that hit home with me was watching video of school children shortly after the tornado ravaged their school. Children were standing there in shock. Adults were doing the best they could to comfort all the children, but they were outnumbered. I saw one little boy, perhaps ten years old, standing alone and looking shocked and frightened. I'm sure he was trying to lay eyes on a familiar face. I wanted to reach through the television and hug that child.

Even when I feel like life isn't treating me well, when I feel all alone or lost, I know that the Lord will sustain me. He's here. He's ready to reach out and put comforting arms around me. I only need to acknowledge His presence and ask for help.

Tragedy has a way of putting things in perspective. May the Lord sustain us all during these rough days.

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;

you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.
I cried out to the Lord,

and he answered me from his holy mountain. 

I lay down and slept,

yet I woke up in safety,

for the Lord was watching over me.
I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies

who surround me on every side.

  Psalm 3:3-6

Feeling Overwhelmed? Read Psalm 23

The twenty-third Psalm has to be one of the most familiar passages to--well, just about anyone. It's so often heard quoted at funerals and consequently used in those types of scenes in television shows and movies. So, even someone who may not be familiar with the Bible has probably heard this verse. It's really quite a shame that it's been relegated to funerals, though. The text is so rich and relatable to every day life!

Last weekend this psalm came to mind as a multitude of concerns bombarded my thoughts. April has been a difficult month for friends and family. I've had sick friends, others having surgery, some have had tragic deaths or near-deaths. There have also been a few horrific events which have made the headlines. I have a "threshold" of just how many pressurized events I can process at one time before feeling overwhelmed. I get to a point of wanting to "Cry Uncle." Is that just me or does anyone else feel that way? When it gets like that, I just keep thanking God that He never gets overwhelmed by these circumstances. He's got it all under control.

When I thought of this psalm, the line that came to my mind over and over was verse four. I memorized this psalm in the King James version, so I heard this in my head...

Yea, though I walk through the valley

of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:

for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff 

they comfort me.

But, rather than thinking about this as a funeral verse, I pondered what David was really saying here. Basically, he is saying that no matter what--NO. MATTER. WHAT.--is going on all around him, he has absolutely no reason to fear the evil happening. Why? Because God is there.

I took great comfort in that verse several times this weekend. And to punctuate all of that comforting goodness, God decided to bless me with a few more reminders of this great Psalm. Two of my favorite Bible teachers posted about it on their Facebook pages today! So, I just have to share this quote from Tony Evans,

"It's 'yea, though I walk through the valley.' 

Not 'yea, when I sit down and whine in the valley.' Keep walking."

 

So, take a few moments and read this psalm with fresh eyes. Think about the love and care of aShepherd, for His beloved sheep (that's me and you). And even when we're in a dark valley, even when the news around us goes from bad to worse, we can talk to our Shepherd about it and He willingly and lovingly comfort us. He will lead us and renew our strength.  

 

Psalm 23... A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
² He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
³     He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
⁴ Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
⁵ You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
⁶ Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever.

New Living Translation

Nuggets of Wisdom: Blessing Behind Every Storm

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I began reading a book called Hope Being Gone (Trusting God in the Tough Times) by Cherie Hill. I actually borrowed it through an eReader lending program. I finished it about a week ago and I'm still processing it all.

This eBook contains bonus chapters from two other books by the same author. One is called Be Still. If you've been reading any of my previous blog posts, you may recognize how that phrase has been weaving its way in and through my spiritual life for the past year. Be Still, Kristi, and Know that I am God. How amazing to have this as bonus material! I'll share more from the second bonus book another day.

Today I thought I would share a few meaty quotes, from Be Still.

"When we're resigned to God's care, we won't be frightened by undesirable news, and we won't be trying to constantly figure out the next step. If we have faith in God, we will simply trust, wait, and expect God."

"Don't make the mistake of basing your faith on a particular outcome. We've all done it. We've prayed for God to answer our prayers with very detailed expectations, and we've seen our faith crumble to pieces when things didn't happen the way we thought they should....Faith that grows us trusts in 'Someone' rather than 'something.' "

"God has assured us that there is a blessing behind every storm. When God allows a storm in your life...it has great purpose; if you miss the purpose, you may miss God's will for your life."

from Be Still by Cherie Hill

Wordy Wednesday

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28



No doubt, you are familiar with this verse. Sometimes familiar verses are easy to just gloss over because we've heard it so often. This verse is often quoted to us following a disappointment or time of testing. Internally I say to myself, Yeah, yeah, heard it before.

Take a moment to look at it with fresh eyes (and I say this to myself most of all).

We know.
All (every single thing that happens)
Works for His good (not necessarily my good)
For His purpose.

Whatever is going on right now, today, has already been filtered through God's loving hands, and He has a plan that fits His purpose. If you've royally screwed up, God will use that somehow, some way. That's a promise. You may still suffer the consequences of that major mess, but if you love God and dilligently seek Him, He will work it ALL for His good--and ultimately your (and my) good.

Wordy Wednesday

Nuggets of Wisdom: Hope

I started reading a new book this week. I've barely started it--only 16% of the way through it--and I've already uncovered some incredible nuggets of wisdom.
Perhaps these little nuggets mean a lot to me now because of the stage of life I'm in. I wanted to share just a few of these little jewels with you. I've pulled these quotes from a book called Hope Being Gone: Trusting God in the Tough Times by Cherie Hill.

• When life is going according to our plan, seldom do we ask God about His.
• When there are no signs of victory and your faith is failing, its your shouts of praise through the pain that will bring Light to your darkness. It's by faith that we have hope... and hope does not disappoint (Romans 5:5).
• Faith is more than just belieivng in God. It's about trusting Him, even when there is no evidence you should.

I'll leave you with some encouraging scripture from 2 Chronicles 20:15-17. It's the account of Jehoshaphat facing war with his enemies. He prayed and cried out to God for help. The Lord encouraged His people with the following words:

He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

The story doesn't end there. Jehoshaphat bowed before the Lord and instead of sending out his strongest warriors for battle, he sent the singers. Yes. You heard me right. He sent the singers out ahead of the army to begin praising and thanking God. The Lord gave His people victory over their enemies.

I don't know about you, but praise and thanksgiving is not the first thing that comes to mind when I'm faced with trying circumstances. Yet, over and over the Word tells us that we should be praising and thanking God--even for the difficult times. And as a singer, I don't particularly want to be on the front lines of battle with the rest of the army behind me. Once again I am reminded that praise and thanksgiving is essential. If anyone is looking for me, I'll be out front trying to be brave enough to eek out some praise songs.

Burdens: How Much is Too Much?

Burdens. Heartbreak. Affliction.

All of these words bring about a heaviness on my soul when I hear them. Perhaps it's because I can clearly identify the emotional struggles that go along with those words. I've witnessed it firsthand in friends struggling to care for disabled family members or severe health issues and people with extreme financial problems. In my own life, I've experienced these burdens when a succession of problems and tough times were dogging my every waking moment. It's that point when I started to cry "Uncle." The weight of the burdens were too much to bear on my own.

I've been thinking on this issue for many months now. After a friend confessed that she felt as if the Lord will sometimes give us more than we can handle, I really wrestled with this issue. After all, I don't like to see people struggling under the weight of those burdens.

There's a prevailing thought in the Christian community that God wants us to always be happy and free from difficulties, living an abundantly blessed life. Sounds very appealing, but I don't buy into that sort of theology. After all, the scripture clearly says we will have trouble. I've written about that in a previous post.

I do agree that God does want the best for his children, but the word best is key to this issue. For one person, best may mean all those great things for a season. For his next door neighbor, best may mean struggling to make ends meet.

There are a variety of reasons why we end up in these situations. We might be thrown into the situation by someone else's choices, our own actions may bring about consequences, or we may not know why this side of heaven. It's really a soveriegnty issue because God wants to accomplish something different in everyone. Who am I to say that I know better than God what's best for me?

The good news is that we don't have to bear these burdens on our own. See Galatians 6:2 and Matthew 11:28-30.

I recently read a very good article by Dr. Charles Stanley on this topic. I think he does a very good job of explaining what burdens are and how believers are to respond to them. Please take a few minutes to read this short article called Taking Care of Burdens.

Adversity: Major Trouble

I’ve been working on this particular post for several weeks while I processed the things I studied and tried to put things together in my mind. I had this post just about done when this horrible, tragic mass shooting occurred in Connecticut a few days ago. I was thinking of postponing this article but realized that there’s always going to be something adverse going on in our lives or in this world. So, for what it’s worth, this week’s article is about adversity which was written about the life difficulties we experience. It's not meant to address this unexplainable tragedy, so please keep that in mind as you read.

One thing is certain in this life: We will have adversity. Call it what you will—trouble, trials, challenges—everyone experiences them. If you are not experiencing adversity now, maybe you’re just getting past a bad time or about to head into it. The Bible teaches us that we will have trouble in this world.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NIV)

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. - James 1:2-3
 
So I wonder why we’re always surprised (me included) when adversity comes our way?

Adversity comes into our lives from a variety of reasons. It could be caused by unwise choices that we’ve made, other people may do something to cause it, Satan may be the source, or God may have allowed adversity into our lives. However, if we think of adversity as a tool, we might have a different perspective on it—a God perspective. 

Imagine a gardener working in a flowerbed. The tools used to dig up and rake the ground loosen the packed soil to make it receptive to the new seeds. All of the useless matter is pushed away—dead leaves, roots from dead plants, weeds. What’s left after all that digging is the prepared soil. With careful attention and watering, a few seeds will produce a plant which will grow and bloom.

God uses adversity in our lives to for reasons such as: producing endurance, to test our faith and devotion to Christ, to purify and equip us, and to show us His greatness and love for us.

What it boils down to is this…

Adversity serves a bigger purpose—a Kingdom purpose.

We may think that annoying neighbor down the street who complains about everything serves no purpose except to upset the delicate neighborhood ecosystem. But, it does produce patience in us. It also reveals—shines light on—those hidden thoughts in us that we’ll just call “unloving.”

Another type of adversity we may encounter is when we are waiting on answers to prayer. A delay in fulfilling our desires may be more important to God, serving a purpose to prepare us. In that way, it produces a form of adversity. Paul was an example of this. His “thorn in the flesh” was a desire to he wished to have removed. He asked God to have it removed but that desire went unfulfilled. Although nobody knows for certain what this thorn in the flesh was, I’m sure it was something that caused Paul enough concern that he actually mentioned it in his letters. He had a legitimate desire to have that “thing” removed. Paul also spent a lot of time in prisons and fearing for his life. Even so, God chose to use those hard places in Paul’s life to advance His Kingdom and to teach Paul things that could not be learned any other way.

Sarah Young, author of Jesus Calling says, "In the darkness of adversity, you are able to see more clearly the radiance of My (God’s) Face." This is so true. If God really is light, then His light will shine during those dark times. And we know from Scripture that God is light. In John 8:12, Jesus describes himself as “the light of the world.”

I know this is true in my own life. Adversity has produced fruit in my life that may not have come about any other way. I have seen God’s light in the midst of those dark times and I have felt His comfort during those times I felt I could not go on. I’ve called out to God and He rescued me many, many times. God is always faithful to answer.

Then call on me when you are in trouble,
    and I will rescue you,
    and you will give me glory.” Psalm 50:15