We have all witnessed it. We have personally been there, and we know people that have been there as well. The destination? I'm talking about the end of your rope. We have all been to the place where we call out to God "Hey Lord, you said you won't give me more than I can bear. I'm cracking. The weight of life is crushing me. I can't handle this!"
If you are willing to look beyond the weight of the circumstances you will see a special joy in being at the end of your rope. It is there that we learn just how strong God is. When our grip is slipping, when our arms are tired and weak from struggling to just hold on, God is right there.
He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who [aa]wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will [ab]mount up with [ac]wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary. Is. 40:29-31
When we are at our weakest, God is right there giving us His strength. When we get to that level, that is when we are most willing to rest in God's arms. This is a good thing. The better thing is to ALREADY be in God's arms.
Yet, no matter how close we are to God, how intimate the relationship, there will be times when our rope is just too short and we really need Him. God is near to the broken hearted.
I know. Last night a dear friend, a man who was like a 2nd father to me was called to Heaven. Then today I find out a dear Aunt is really struggling with cancer and in the hospital, my uncle has many health struggles, my Grandma won't be out here for my daughter's birth, financially things in our family are a struggle and I hurt for so many reasons.
Yet, this is life. We all face it. My struggles are not really different from any other person. What makes the difference is how I view them. Do I see them as weights to crush me, to drag me to the end of my rope, or do I see them as opportunities to rely on God, to grow closer to Him? Right now I'm doing my best to see them as golden opportunities to exhibit and experience God's joy and peace, His comfort.
When your load is heavy, when your rope is too short, I encourage you to turn to Christ. No matter what the situation, no matter how big the struggle, no matter how dark your personal storm clouds are, God is there with you, He is bigger, stronger and more powerful than the pain. He is just waiting for you to seek Him and ask for His help.
4Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.
5-8If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought." James 1:2-8a
-JLP-
Friday, November 11, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Through God's Eyes
God gets lots of questions, and He is very good at answering them. One of the reasons that He gave us the Bible, was to answer a plethora of our questions. The Bible is our go to source for answers. If we want to know God and what He is about, we go to the Bible. If we want to know how the world began, and how it will end, we go to the Bible.
One of the questions that God gets asked often is "why do bad things happen to good people?" And yes, the answer to this is in the Bible. The answer is not as simple as it may seem. To answer this FAQ we have to look at history. We go back to the beginning.
In the beginning God created humans as perfect, immortal beings. We were designed in HIS image, to serve, love and commune with Him. But, sin entered and we broke off the perfect union. We all screw up. When measured against the perfectness of God, we are not good, we fall very short.
Yet, God still loves us. We are still His beloved creation. We may not be good anymore, but we are still loved. So loved in fact that God still longs for an eternal relationship with us. That is why Jesus had to come, had to sacrifice Himself on the cross, and then rise from the grave, as the victorious Savior.
Still, many people reject Him and His offer of peace, hope, joy, salvation and right living. People still long to live in sin. Thus, bad things happen. When given the choice, people sin. Sin is enticing, it seems fun. It seems easy, exciting, daring. Sin is life on the edge.
Like any drug, you need to do more to get the same thrill, so the sins get worse. And a lot of sins involve two people- the sinner and the person being hurt by the sin. Thus bad things happen to good people. The victim is hurt to provide the thrill for the perp.
Bad things happen because God created us with the ability to make choices, to choose right from wrong. God offers us wisdom and knowledge to make the right decisions, but we so often reject it. God also offers us forgiveness. No matter how often we screw up, He is there to forgive us. No matter how big our sin, He is there to forgive us.
If we look at it through God's eyes, it all comes down to choice. Bad things happen because humans so often make bad decisions. Yet, there is hope because God offers us the Holy Spirit as our guide, as our comfort. God offers us Himself, so that we don't have to make the bad decisions, and when someone else makes a bad choice that hurts us, we have God himself offering to comfort us!
-JLP-
One of the questions that God gets asked often is "why do bad things happen to good people?" And yes, the answer to this is in the Bible. The answer is not as simple as it may seem. To answer this FAQ we have to look at history. We go back to the beginning.
In the beginning God created humans as perfect, immortal beings. We were designed in HIS image, to serve, love and commune with Him. But, sin entered and we broke off the perfect union. We all screw up. When measured against the perfectness of God, we are not good, we fall very short.
Yet, God still loves us. We are still His beloved creation. We may not be good anymore, but we are still loved. So loved in fact that God still longs for an eternal relationship with us. That is why Jesus had to come, had to sacrifice Himself on the cross, and then rise from the grave, as the victorious Savior.
Still, many people reject Him and His offer of peace, hope, joy, salvation and right living. People still long to live in sin. Thus, bad things happen. When given the choice, people sin. Sin is enticing, it seems fun. It seems easy, exciting, daring. Sin is life on the edge.
Like any drug, you need to do more to get the same thrill, so the sins get worse. And a lot of sins involve two people- the sinner and the person being hurt by the sin. Thus bad things happen to good people. The victim is hurt to provide the thrill for the perp.
Bad things happen because God created us with the ability to make choices, to choose right from wrong. God offers us wisdom and knowledge to make the right decisions, but we so often reject it. God also offers us forgiveness. No matter how often we screw up, He is there to forgive us. No matter how big our sin, He is there to forgive us.
If we look at it through God's eyes, it all comes down to choice. Bad things happen because humans so often make bad decisions. Yet, there is hope because God offers us the Holy Spirit as our guide, as our comfort. God offers us Himself, so that we don't have to make the bad decisions, and when someone else makes a bad choice that hurts us, we have God himself offering to comfort us!
-JLP-
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Father Forgive Them
I grew up in the church. I went to Sunday School, AWANA, youth group. I was involved in Bible studies, choir and handbell choir. I loved the Lord and I loved serving Him in various ways.
The period right after my rape (and all that followed) was a dark time for me. I was scared, confused, ashamed and felt abandoned. I felt like God, whom I loved and had served my whole life, had abandoned me. His love must not be genuine, if He allowed me to be so hurt.
It was after the incident with my boyfriend where he attacked not only myself, but my best friend that I picked up the Bible to genuinely read it again. It was then that my heart was open to once more hear the whisper of God, to hear His still small voice.
I read from the gospel of Luke. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
It was in that verse that I realized that not only was I mired in so much darkness, but I was mired in hate. I hated my two rapists. I hated the school for allowing the circumstances that led to such an event. I hated myself and what I had become. I seriously needed to grow a heart of forgiveness and love. I needed to find vestiges of the girl that I once was.
If Christ could forgive not only the men that crucified Him, but the crowd that cried out for it, and if from the cross He could ask God to forgive all of us (for He was. You and I were included in that prayer, our sins cost Him the cross), then I could learn to forgive my attackers.
It didn't happen over night. It was a slow process, but I can say that I've forgiven them. I don't think my rapists understood just how evil they were. They need Christ. So now, in lieu of hate I pray for them. I don't know who they are, but God does, and He loves them. As much as He loves you and me.
That is what is radical about our God. He loves us all. He wants to heal each of us from our wounds and our sins. He wants to give each of us a life of joy. He is offering it, it ours to grab and live. He did the hard part that Spring weekend, now we have to claim it as ours and let the journey begin.
-JLP-
The period right after my rape (and all that followed) was a dark time for me. I was scared, confused, ashamed and felt abandoned. I felt like God, whom I loved and had served my whole life, had abandoned me. His love must not be genuine, if He allowed me to be so hurt.
It was after the incident with my boyfriend where he attacked not only myself, but my best friend that I picked up the Bible to genuinely read it again. It was then that my heart was open to once more hear the whisper of God, to hear His still small voice.
I read from the gospel of Luke. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
It was in that verse that I realized that not only was I mired in so much darkness, but I was mired in hate. I hated my two rapists. I hated the school for allowing the circumstances that led to such an event. I hated myself and what I had become. I seriously needed to grow a heart of forgiveness and love. I needed to find vestiges of the girl that I once was.
If Christ could forgive not only the men that crucified Him, but the crowd that cried out for it, and if from the cross He could ask God to forgive all of us (for He was. You and I were included in that prayer, our sins cost Him the cross), then I could learn to forgive my attackers.
It didn't happen over night. It was a slow process, but I can say that I've forgiven them. I don't think my rapists understood just how evil they were. They need Christ. So now, in lieu of hate I pray for them. I don't know who they are, but God does, and He loves them. As much as He loves you and me.
That is what is radical about our God. He loves us all. He wants to heal each of us from our wounds and our sins. He wants to give each of us a life of joy. He is offering it, it ours to grab and live. He did the hard part that Spring weekend, now we have to claim it as ours and let the journey begin.
-JLP-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)