Pains and Blessings

Some pains and heartaches are unavoidable, but there may be a different way of looking at our struggles. It's just possible that in heaven, those things seen here as quite terrible and horrific, things we will avoid at any cost- will end up being badges of honor. While the world values easy living, stress free days with little sacrifice, I suspect His kingdom may be very different. We may find upon entering that distant land that the things we tried daily to avoid here: heartache, sadness, pain, loneliness, despair, sacrifice- all these things qualify you for kingship there. They will be things to be proud of. What He is allowing you to experience now- so terrible when seen on the surface of it with our finite perspectives, may in the end be something we will drop to our knees and thank Him eternally for allowing us to experience. Those "curses" and "trials", when our eyes are finally opened at the End of Time, might be seen as His greatest gifts to us. One never knows.

The Lowly Servant

It would be quite a leader who would give up his command and birthright to go down and fight with his troops on the messy, bloody battlefield. Even greater would be the President or leader who not only became a lowly soldier, but who then agreed to die for his men so that they might live. We would truly remember him always. In Christ, we see this fulfilment has already come to pass. God became man to die for us, that we might have a chance at eternal life. "There is no greater love that a man has than to lay down his life for his friends." It is not only humbling that the Father of the universe did this willingly out of love, but that once He took it upon Himself to call us friends. Peace be with you always.

The Knock

"Knock and the door shall be opened"- but what if we are wasting our time outside the wrong door? If you are continually asking and knocking on the same door and getting no answer, perhaps there is nothing inside for you. He might be telling you to move on to another house and another door. There are even greater blessings awaiting you somewhere else, but first you must accept it and keep moving. Not every door was meant to be opened in this life, and I suspect we will be very glad later that no one was home.

The Great Return

Those who want God "out of their lives" don't know what they are asking. If there is a God, then to continue to exist independently as a rebel is not possible. He has created us to run on Himself, on the Holy Spirit- such that to live without Him is to be like the branch of a tree wanting to be "on its own", apart from the tree. The closer we get to Him, the more alive we will be, the more right we will be going, we will be approaching our destiny- returning to "the Light". The further away we go, the less alive and less spiritual. There is nothing that will survive apart from Him, no matter how much it wants to. Perhaps for a little while, but not for long. To return to the Father is not just something we should want to do- it is our destiny, written in the stars by the Great Author before the universe even began.

When To Act

It is a confusing matter to know just how much we should be doing on our own after we ask God for something. I trust in Him to bring it to me, but day and night I still wonder if there is something that I need to be doing as well. To act or not to act, to wait and pray or does he want me to go out and search for it on my own? Questions, questions- but few answers. This is when we must pray for wisdom. The flesh is willing, but faith . . . my God, sometimes it is so weak . . .

Closer Than You Think

Once I was trying to pass a fitness test. We had to run almost two miles in about 11 minutes. The only way that you would know how far you had run was by keeping track of the number of laps done. After several minutes, I lost count. I was so focused on my breathing, thinking that I might not make it, the problems I was encountering- that I forgot to keep track of how far I'd actually gone. I decided to stop, to take the easy way out and walk- thinking there was no way that I was going to finish anyway. What I hadn't realized is that I was only one lap away from the goal when I gave up. I thought I had done 7 laps, but in reality I had done so much more. You may feel at times that you will never get to where you need to be- that you're too far behind and can never catch up. What you don't realize is that GOD is the only One who knows what lap you're on. Don't give up so easily. That goal you put out there for yourself may not be quite as far away as you imagine. Keep pushing ahead and doing your best, even when it seems to be useless. The run is long and the loneliest time is spent second guessing yourself. Just keep running. You may be closer than you think.

Time Returned

The more time you give to God, the more of it He will then give back to you. I suspect this is one of the reasons we have so little time for anything anymore in today's world. Every square inch of our life is occupied, with little set aside for Him (this is just how the enemy wants it). Stop the grind, if only for a few minutes every day, and spend time with the Lord. Is there any relationship in your life that's more important than this? That time you think you don't have, if given over to God- by reading His word, praying, sitting silently and praising Him- that very time that seems to slip away more and more with every passing hour, will be given back to you. He will multiply it, it is in His power to do so, believe me. In the same way, the time you waste on everything else, all those moments when "you would pray, but there is so much to do today", will be snatched away from you. That which you hold onto and hoard for yourself will be taken, but that which you give away will be returned tenfold. Perhaps it is the same with our time.