Hello friends!   How good God is to give us Himself!

Many of us -through prayer groups or e-mail, have discussed the challenges of pain and suffering in life. Whether emotional or physical, the issue is not whether or not we will experience pain, but the acuteness of it. Pain is a strange surprise to us….we readily receive the power of God to worship and witness but do not know how to depend upon Him in private trial. How do you trust God when you cannot see Him? How do you cry out for His help when your heart is in anguish? How do you lean upon Him as YOUR  intercessor?

In His goodness, He gives His Word, His church and (may I suggest) the lives of those who have gone on before us. Personally, it is the lives of those who have ENDURED, not ENTERTAINED who draw me the most. Those who have been through the jungle of physical trial (and therefore emotional) trial with a soft-hearted determination to grow in Him. They have struggles (in the flesh) with self-pity, anger and pride yet, gained VICTORY (in the Spirit) through humility, brokenness and deep private worship of God.

The lives of Adonirum and Ann Judson of Burma and Robert and Mary Moffit of Africa give me encouragement in their constant commitment to “usefulness”, not necessarily personal fulfillment. How glorious to have our mind expanded to worship God not just for what I ask Him for but because HE is! Can He move? Yes. Can He heal? Yes. Can He change us? Most definitely. May we live in lives of “THANKFUL TENSION”..tense because we want freedom from pain but thankful because He is and we are allowed to see.

Perhaps this will be the week He will cultivate in us a mind of thankfulness and a yielded heart of patience. Our worship will be a fragrance to the Creator God who grandly hung the stars in the sky and STILL bends His ear to hear my eager, yet smaller, requests.

Love to you in the One who knows you best,

tristie

You’ve heard the phrase a hundred times…

“If life gives you Lemons, make Lemonade!”

A little cheesy and out of touch, eh?

Truly, there will be trying times in our lives.  Difficult people, overdue bills, and traffic lights.  All of these things  will try us.  Frustration lies at our fingertips.

But, WAIT!

You have a choice….your response is exactly that, yours!

Brian, my husband, has a phrase he uses consistently.

“Almost every older person we know is one of two things…..bitter or joyful.”

I have come to see the truth in this statement.  It’s one or the other, there  is no in between.  So, let’s consider this a moment.  These older folks don’t just become bitter or joyful.  I think we are looking at a lifetime of choices they have made.

Let’s break this down into application points…….

1. Let’s Take Responsibility – We like to blame others for things that happen. Whether it’s God or anybody else, it’s their fault. Our society tells us that we have “rights”. The fact is, we are disciples of Jesus. He chose to give up His rights. Let’s sacrifice ours, as well. I am responsible for my thoughts, my actions, and perhaps most important my responses!
2. Let’s Choose to Trust God! – What would happen  if we chose to believe that God is sovereign and has allowed circumstances in our lives to HELP us? He wants me to become conformed to the image of His Son—–whatever the cost. If I desire this too, I must believe that He is in control and allows everything into my life for a purpose. We must keep this at the forefront of our minds.
3. Let’s Realize Every Choice Matters. – Wow! That sounds a little extreme. But, it’s true. We are building our lives right now and every single discipline we implement takes us TOWARD GOD OR AWAY FROM HIM.  For example, if I want to walk with God in 10 years, I need to have disciplined time with Him now. It will not just happen. Similarly, if I want to be a joyful and thankful person when I’m 50, I need to have disciplined responses of gratitude NOW.
4. Let’s KNOW that Jesus Gives us Strength! – You are not alone. If you’ve invited Christ into your life, He lives in you.  He gives us the ability to respond joyfully in difficult and frustrating circumstances. We can truly experience His strength by asking Him to fill us with His Spirit and to call out to Him when we are in need.

In the midst of a cynical and dark world, our most penetrating witness can be our joyful and THANKFUL attitude.  I pray that all of us will desire to be transformed by trusting God, taking responsibility for our responses, choosing a joyful attitude, and leaning on His STRONG ARM.