Suffering's Sake

God doesn't call us to a masochistic desire to suffer for suffering's sake, but a humble willingness to suffer for Jesus' sake. He suffered to the point of death Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5: 1-5 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

Finally, brothers and sisters,

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Philippians 4:8 Yesterday this scripture was running through my mind with a bit of revelation. I considered the fact that whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, varies from person to person. While I may find a camping trip lovely, you may find it uncomfortable and therefore undesirable. It's a beautiful scripture in the Word. One that many people are capable of reciting. Preached, I'm certain, from nearly every pulpit that's ever existed. One of my favorites and because of that fact, I brushed the "bit of revelation" aside and continued on in my day. But this morning, it was the verse of the day on YouVerse. Out of thousands of scripture that could have been the verse of the day, it was this one. And the Lord spoke to my heart. True. Noble. Right. Pure. Lovely. Admirable. Excellent. Praiseworthy. Think about such things. Why??? Why did Paul give us these very specific instructions on what we should entertain in our minds? He goes on to tell us in verse 9 when he writes, "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you (italics added). There. So that we can have peace. So any time I'm dealing with a subjective subject -- I love words -- I try and always bring it back to the law that brings freedom. Matthew 22:36-40King James Version (KJV) 36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

learning and praying.. praying and learning

I've not written here in quite some time. Life and I have been doing an entangling dance full of unforeseen twists and dips and turns and I've been so focused on not falling, well, sometimes that's all that we can do. There are times when we are so desperately vanquished in a learning process, that we are unable to share or even understand, ones self, what it is we are learning. You are simply moving and breathing, and hoping for love as you go. Some have grown tired of such a thing... learning. Some too accustomed, some too arrogant.. some simply too tired or unequipped to continue wading into life's cold, blue waters. Some may simply prefer a cozy cot on the beach near the fireside, avoiding the waters all together. Spectators, they are. Safe, they are. Warm? Afraid? Wise? Useful? ... Happy? Our hearts are all that drive us on.. whether out of fear or love, wisdom or foolery, doubt or belief. It is here, where the decision whether or not to stay by the fire. We don't wear hearts despite popular belief, but our hearts wear us. Never hidden from the world are they. The Lord has shown me that His view of our hearts is a clear one. He sees each of us as precious children. He does not care whether or not we stay by the fire, walk ankle deep for a few moments in the cold, or dive in, surfing each wave under the sun and moon. He cares for us. He longs for us to be well and to be happy, not "even" despite the past, but "definitely" despite the past! As mothers, there are limitless amounts of decisions that will impact our children's lives. We make these decisions daily and we do so with one desire in our hearts. For our children to be happy and healthy. There is no way for us to make the right decision 100% of the time when it comes to raising our children. We are not perfect. Our children are not perfect. But He is perfect. He holds our loved ones in His hands. Not you and I!!! And not only does He hold them, He has greater plans for their lives than we could ever plan or hope for or imagine, just like his plans for you and I.

Prayer: So Father, use me. Help me to exasperate your unending goodness. Father, help me to share your unwavering grace. Father, forgive me for not trusting You. In every moment, I aim to trust you. In my failure, Father, you are my grace. When my soul feels trapped under the waves of life, you Lord, extend your hand toward me and lead me. Out of the waves. Out of the sun. Into the comfort of my loving Father.