Category: suffering

Miserable by Choice

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

There once was a miserable lady, who lived in a cottage near the edge of the forest.

She lived by herself and had grown to an old age.

Her many belongings gave her comfort since her relationships were complicated.

Her loneliness was compounded by her attitude as she continued to blame everyone and everything for her misery.

Everyone except herself.

Looking back, she had lived a good life.

She was accomplished, pretty, and comfortable.

On the outside she was the picture of health.

But she was deathly afraid.

Afraid of what, you may ask?

Letting go. Forgiveness. Not being in control.

Surrendering and accepting life.

And change.

To protect herself, she lashed out and declared herself “Mrs. Always Right.”

Her loved ones and friends never spent much time with her, because her bitterness was easily spread.

Her cottage was nestled on the edge of the great forest.

It was so beautiful – once.

Her memory smiled as she recalled all the beautiful years spent in the forest.

Simply lovely.

But her frown would always return and stay firmly planted on her face when she recalled the devastating fire that had swept through her precious forest.

Everything had burned down.

All the trees, flowers, and life.

The forest was like that for years.

Too long, actually.

And when things look bad for years, it’s easy to forget the beauty.

One day, the forest began to regrow.

New life had sprung all over the place.

Months went by and suddenly the forest was beautiful again.

Stunning, actually.

Radiant.

But she could not see it.

When the lady looked at her beloved forest, all she could see was destruction.

She could not see all the beauty.

Her bitterness had changed her forever.

Her eyesight would not allow her to see the goodness.

She refused to acknowledge her new beautiful surroundings, choosing instead to remember the fire and how her forest once had been.

Are you blind, too? Miserable by choice?

Do you only see what once was, refusing to recognize God’s new blessings in your life?

Allow God to enter, letting His new blessings flood your heart with promise and thankfulness.

There is no need to be miserable by choice.

Choose instead to be thankful as God will never leave your side.

His new plans will be great. God says so.

Photos by Chastagner Thierry, Gustav Gullstrand,  kazuend, & Bruce Hong on Unsplash

Wall of Fire

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And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst. Zechariah 2:5

When walking through life, do you feel alone?

Do you feel often overwhelmed by the world’s rubbish thrown your way?

Tired of falling too often towards temptation?

Walk in your authority from God.

He’s with you. He covers you with His strength, protection, and peace.

Psalm 5:12 reminds us: Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

When feeling overwhelmed by life, picture God surrounding you with HIs favor like a shield.

But it gets even better.

Our verse from Zechariah shares God’s promise of a literal wall of fire.

This wall of fire surrounds you. Nothing can come through.

Picture this wall of fire burning up temptation. Burning up fear. Burning up anything coming your way that is not of God.

Can we still have problems with God as our wall of fire?

Sure. Jesus reminds us we will suffer.

But suffering under God’s plan is different from allowing the world’s rubbish to affect you.

Within God’s plan, suffering looks like glory. Suffering looks like peace. It’s the opposite of how the world defines it.

Paul mentions suffering as a time to boast in God’s strength.

May God surround us as a wall of fire.

May God’s wall of fire burn up anything that comes our way not of Him and Him alone.

May God’s wall of fire burn up our selfish tendencies, placing in us the desire for God alone.

May God’s wall of fire burn up fear when tempted to rely on human knowledge.

And may God’s glory be forever in the midst of us.

Photos by Paul Bulai, Cullan Smith, Olivia Snow, & Zac Durant on Unsplash

Goodnight

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Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

A couple of nights ago, the following tragedy unfolded near San Antonio, Tx.

It’s my friend’s story. Her daughter-in-law’s, actually.

What if it was yours?

She was going to bed for the last time.

Waking in the night, they needed to escape.

Rising waters. Nighttime rescue.

Floating debris. Pitch black darkness.

Her husband holds onto a tree, trying to reach her.

He cannot and off she goes.

He hears her calling his name, but she is beyond reach.

She was swept off to heaven that night.

Not what she thought would transpire after saying goodnight.

A precious life lost. Her family left to grieve.

What about you? Would you have been ready to meet your Maker?

There’s often no time to ready your heart in the midst of a tragedy.

Unfortunately, tragedies do occur, often producing death.

And it can happen in an instant. The blink of an eye.

So, what if it was you? Are you ready?

We never know when God will call us home.

Ready your heart today. Now. Right this minute.

John 14:27 reminds us God give us His peace. His perfect peace.

God doesn’t want our hearts to be troubled, and death is nothing to fear.

Why? Because of Jesus. His great love for you. His precious plan for you.

But here’s the thing: Death is nothing to fear only if you place your hope in Jesus.

In the sacrifice of His life in exchange for yours.

Your sins are forgiven.

Your future is secure.

Only if you are His. Are you?

Nobody plans to say goodnight for the final time.

Make sure your heart is God’s when you say goodnight this evening.

Photos by rachman reilli, Kelly Sikkema, Lukas Hron, and Yevhenii Aihubov on Unsplash

Impossible Assignment

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Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

You don’t understand, Lord.

They hurt me.

Like really bad.

They cut me down, bringing me to my knees.

As a result, I cried.

Ugly crying.

They don’t deserve my forgiveness.

I need to seek revenge somehow.

Something to get them back.

No?

You want me to forgive them?

Why?

Because You have forgiven me?

Yes, I know, but why do I have to forgive them?

I can’t.

You still want me to?

How? With Your strength?

But they hurt me. Deeply. To the core of my being, they hurt me.

You still want me to forgive them?

And give You my pain?

How will that help?

Will you right my wrongs for me?

You will eventually?

You want me to trust You?

With everything?

Even this?

Ok.

Thank you, God, for saving me, forgiving all of my sins.

Please help me to forgive others as they hurt me.

It’s an impossible assignment on my very own.

Help me to release this burdens and those in the future to You.

Help me to forgive as You have forgiven me.

Photos by Elijah Pilchard, Brooke Balentine, Grigorii Shcheglov, & Yannick Pulver on Unsplash

Meant for Us

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Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6

Words utterly fail.

It isn’t possible to find adequate words, expressing how grateful we are for your sacrifice, Jesus.

You came to us for this time. Good Friday and Easter.

Your entire life was lived for this purpose.

To suffer and die in our place.

To take our punishment onto your holy and sinless self.

Each drop of spit falling off your face was meant for us.

Each thorn thrust into your head was meant for us.

Each whip lash was meant to tear our flesh, not yours.

Each insulting word was meant to insult us, not you.

Each nail driven into your hands and feet was meant to pierce our flesh.

Not yours.

Not your holy feet who willingly walked this earth, sharing the love of the Father.

Not your holy hands who willingly healed the hurting people clamoring to you.

When you hung on the cross with the weight of our sin, God turned away.

He left you utterly alone.

That should have been us as we are the sinful ones, not you.

We are deserving of death, not you.

Yet you chose to die for us.

You willingly took our pain and suffering away, bearing it all on your own.

But that’s why your death won the victory. Why the devil has been defeated once and for all.

You were and are the spotless lamb.

The Prince of Peace.

The sinless sacrifice for us, Your children.

It’s why we are now set free forever and ever from sin, death, and the grave when we choose You.

When we choose You over ourselves.

When we acknowledge Your sacrifice, cleansing us from our sin.

Reflecting this Easter, it seems impossible.

You, a perfect sacrifice, choosing us over you.

Yet, You did just that. You cancelled our debt for all of eternity.

We are forever grateful.

We are forever yours.

We are forever and ever yours.

Fill us afresh with a new awe of Good Friday. Of your sacrifice.

May we live every day in the shadow of the cross.

And may we live with the hope of Easter, knowing You have indeed conquered it all.

Photos by Alex Noriega, Jon Tyson, Dylan McLeod, & Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Can I Have It?

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Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22

Her back ached as she stumbled along the path.

Taking a tissue, she wiped the sweat from her brow.

“How much longer,” she thought aloud to herself.

“When will this load go away? I’m so tired of carrying my entire life every single day.”

She knew why it was so heavy.

She simply couldn’t resist keeping decisions for her alone to make.

She liked that so much, issues multiplied in her bag daily, adding to the weight.

Approaching a hill, she saw a figure, standing on her path.

He looked tall. Kind. Strong.

As she drew near, she recognized who He was. Jesus.

The relief almost caused her to fall down, yet she caught herself.

“Jesus,” she called, “can you please help me?”

Reaching out, she caught his arm as He steadied her on her tired feet.

He placed His hands on her shoulders, removing the burden from her back.

He easily lifted it, placing it down on the ground.

“Why, my daughter, are you carrying something so heavy? Have you forgotten Who I am?”

She looked up at him, unsure of what to say.

He peered into her burden, lifting out the first rock.

“Your marriage. Can I have this one?” Jesus gently asked.

She nodded her head.

He reached in again, this time lifting out three rocks.

“Your children. Can I have them, too?” Jesus asked. “They are safe with me.”

She nodded, tears running down her cheeks.

As Jesus kept reaching into her burden, he brought out all of her rocks, including her job, future, friends, home, and identity.

And each time, she willingly gave them up as Jesus instead placed them into His bag He so easily carried.

Willing to give up control, she whispered, “Thank you, Jesus. You have freed me beyond my wildest dreams.”

Jesus smiled at her, held out His hand, and together they walked down the path of life.

She was now skipping and smiling, fully reliant once more on her God, who created her and her precious little life.

She knew life was back in order with God taking her worries.

Reading her thoughts, Jesus bent down to whisper, “Now don’t try to pick these back up. You were not made to carry them. I was.”

And she wholeheartedly agreed.

Photos by Karsten Würth, Thomas Schweighofer, Marc Rafanell López, &  Olivia Snow on Unsplash

Tasting Suffering

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And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10

How do you identify with Christ’s suffering?

Not a fun topic, I know.

Can’t we all just identify with his happy traits instead of his suffering or forgiveness?

Because Jesus came to earth fully human yet fully God, we can identify with Him when our humanness overwhelmes us.

When life on this earth is less than celebratory.

As mamas, we give our bodies over when producing life.

Our bodies are literally changed forever. Marked with our child.

Further, we give ourselves to them for care.

Whether a child grows within your body or heart, you are forever changed by that child’s mere existence.

Jesus gave his body for us.

He willingly gave up his body for our salvation.

Does all of human creation daily cry out songs of thanksgiving for His sacrifice?

Nope. Not even close.

How many have been lost, not clinging to God’s plan for salvation?

Not recognizing Jesus’ human suffering on the cross for us?

What does Jesus think when those who are lost come to mind?

When those who have rejected His sacrifice beg to do life instead all on their own?

He has compassion.

He sees them through love.

He still wants their heart.

And He doesn’t give up. Ever.

Mothers sometimes get the short end of the stick.

But when we do, we must look to Jesus’ example of love.

He keeps loving even when others don’t love Him back.

Even knowing some would reject His willingness to sacrifice for their eternal life, He still went to the cross for them.

As we keep walking forward during the more uncomfortable times of life, may we look to Jesus’ example and love all anyways.

Photos by Camila Damásio, Larm Rmah, JESHOOTS.COM, &  Aaron Burden on Unsplash