The Good the Bad and the Better

-

I have often found it interesting how the believers I know and meet seem to think that things should go easy for them. If things are hard, God is testing them. If things are good, God is blessing them. If they are going through a time of pain, God has abandoned them. We seem to think that we are just kind of hanging out, and God is messing with us however He pleases.


The truth is life is hard. There are good days and bad days. There are times of great blessing, and there are times of pain. We keep looking at God and wondering why we get sick or why loved ones die. It doesn’t seem fair. We agreed to follow him after all. Doesn’t that mean that we get to go through life protected from everything?

I wish, to some extent, that was true brothers and sisters. But in reality, it is not. Miracles happen, and people are healed by the power of faith, through Christ, every day. But some people are not healed. Some of us, yes even believers, die. Sometimes, we go through suffering. Life is challenging.

Jesus said this, “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)

Guys, we will have trouble. Jesus wasn’t saved from it and neither are we. But we do have hope. Jesus died and rose again to give us hope (among many other things). We have hope for a future with Him. We have hope and faith that one day we will rise again, with him, victorious and reign with him forever as subjects to a mighty King who loves us.


Today might be hard. For me, I am sick and have been for some time. I know that the pain that I am experiencing now is temporary, but it frustrates me because I can’t do the things that I am usually able to do. That’s hard for me. But, I know that God has a plan. I know that He is going to be with me, and He is going to get me through this. This is life. God is hope. I will follow Him, and He will lead me to greener pastures where cool water flows, and I will rest in His peace forever (Psalms 23).

** Check out this song by Aaron Strumpel. It's a good take on Psalm 23 **




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Religion vs. Real Life

-
Image
A few days ago my husband and I took the kids to the park. We were in an area that we were not familiar with. We don’t know anything about anything or anyone in the little town nestled in the Virginia mountains.  There, along a river, is a small park. We pulled up and saw another family there. Allow me to add that, it just so happened that on this day, I had the courage to wear shorts. I have struggled so severely with my self image, and obsessed over hiding myself out of fear, that I didn’t even own a pair of shorts until last year when I got some because I just couldn’t take the Texas summer heat anymore. Still, I would wear them at home most of the time. But today, I was feeling free. I put on my shorts and took my kids to the park.  When we walked up to the playset, I could see that the family was dressed in…well, let's just say they were dressed in a way that would be obvious to most that they are part of a specific Christian religious group. I have zero problem with them...
Read more

Helping the Helper

-
Image
One of the most difficult things to do is to ask for help. Also one of the most difficult things to do is to help. The desire might be there to help a friend but not always the knowledge or the ability. Among the Christian community I find this to be a kind of epidemic of people wanting to help others but really lacking the wisdom on how to actually make a positive impact on others.  I have watched pastors exhaust themselves on an individual that ultimately hurts others in the congregation. I have watched volunteers put themselves needlessly in harm's way to save a poor soul. I have seen organizations waste resources for years on people that are not getting any better and have no intention of changing.  The realization that helping others can be hard is oftentimes what holds back an otherwise willing aid. Deciding how, and when, and in what way a person is to be helped is stressful. It requires wisdom, maturity and strength of character. It ...
Read more

A God in Our Own Image

-
Image
It has always been interesting to me how you can meet so many people that all claim to believe in the same god, and yet their views of him and the ways that they describe his character are strictly individualistic. Or we can call those descriptions very “telling.” Their view of him is often small and flat…simple. To so many, the idea of god is a one-dimensional character with next-to-no depth or meaning.  Now, I recognize and fully support the concept of god being an individual, and that each person knows him differently. But one distinct difference is when I meet people who only believe in god as long as he matches and agrees with all their accepted beliefs. Therefore, the only response upon meeting someone that doesn’t think the same way and has a concept of god that is different, is to assume that the other person simply doesn’t believe in god. How arrogant. How truly conceited.  I have heard things like, “If you are a Christian, you can’t vote for so and so.” “How can you ...
Read more