...its hard. No where in scripture does it say things will be easy. In fact, the Lord even tells us that, 'in the world you will have tribulation..' We will have trials, bottom line. We will watch loved ones die, deal with chronic illness, lose jobs, have broken families. Life on this earth, basically, stinks, yea, verily.
I just read my youngest daughters blog. She wrote of such hard things, how she had been missing her dad of late, a lot, missing a dear friend who passed away the same year. As I read it, through tears, I was amazed, as I had been thinking much of both Dale and Annie recently too. As I read, my heart broke as a mom to hear the heart cry of her daughter, knowing that I can't heal her heart, I can't kiss it and make it better. It is her grief, her hurt, her growing pains. It made me think of another daughter who daily, with her newborn daughter, deals with a fragile, abnormal heart. I can't even imagine the anxiety she must moment by moment push away when she looks in her daughter's eyes as she holds her to her breast to nurse. Again, I can't fix it. Mom's are suppose to fix everything, but it is her grief, her hurt, her growing pains.
Today, I lay on my living room floor, listening to a cd a friend gave me, as I did I raised my hands and wept, okay, cried, uncontrollably. I was beseeching the Lord in my own grief, and hurt and growing pains, knowing that the road to be like Him is lined with suffering and hurt. All that I am has to be stripped away, the calloused, old spiritual skin has to be peeled back, to reveal the new, and clean. It hurts, there is no getting around it. It has to be done.
But before you say, 'who needs that, who wants pain and grief?' , let me finish the verse from the first paragraph, '...but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.' Because of the mercy and grace of Christ, and His amazing sacrifice on the cross, there is victory, hope, peace, healing, even joy. There are days I don't feel those things, but it is usually because I have gotten in the way of what I know is true and right, because the plans I have, aren't what the Lord has for me. So, in the process I mess things up, only to end up broken and bruised. There in lies the beauty of salvation, Jesus died to clean up the mess.
So, for you, and me, and my precious girls, in this world we will have tribulation, but because of Jesus, we have been given victory, and hope, peace, healing, and joy. That is enough.
I just read my youngest daughters blog. She wrote of such hard things, how she had been missing her dad of late, a lot, missing a dear friend who passed away the same year. As I read it, through tears, I was amazed, as I had been thinking much of both Dale and Annie recently too. As I read, my heart broke as a mom to hear the heart cry of her daughter, knowing that I can't heal her heart, I can't kiss it and make it better. It is her grief, her hurt, her growing pains. It made me think of another daughter who daily, with her newborn daughter, deals with a fragile, abnormal heart. I can't even imagine the anxiety she must moment by moment push away when she looks in her daughter's eyes as she holds her to her breast to nurse. Again, I can't fix it. Mom's are suppose to fix everything, but it is her grief, her hurt, her growing pains.
Today, I lay on my living room floor, listening to a cd a friend gave me, as I did I raised my hands and wept, okay, cried, uncontrollably. I was beseeching the Lord in my own grief, and hurt and growing pains, knowing that the road to be like Him is lined with suffering and hurt. All that I am has to be stripped away, the calloused, old spiritual skin has to be peeled back, to reveal the new, and clean. It hurts, there is no getting around it. It has to be done.
But before you say, 'who needs that, who wants pain and grief?' , let me finish the verse from the first paragraph, '...but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.' Because of the mercy and grace of Christ, and His amazing sacrifice on the cross, there is victory, hope, peace, healing, even joy. There are days I don't feel those things, but it is usually because I have gotten in the way of what I know is true and right, because the plans I have, aren't what the Lord has for me. So, in the process I mess things up, only to end up broken and bruised. There in lies the beauty of salvation, Jesus died to clean up the mess.
So, for you, and me, and my precious girls, in this world we will have tribulation, but because of Jesus, we have been given victory, and hope, peace, healing, and joy. That is enough.
...footprints...
ReplyDeleteAmen. Well said all the way around.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite verses to keep me going. My other favorite is I Peter 5:7 "Casting all your cares upon Him for He cares for you". Our Lord knows what we are going through and He will take care of us. Your writings are so uplifting to me.
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