Wednesday's Woe - Other Losses May Come with Death...

Wednesday's Woe

Other Losses May Come with Death...

We are going through my Mother's and Father's things in the house in which I grew up from age seven until I got married. My parents were very gracious and loving and wanted to spread the love to us of what they accomplished in their many years of hard work. How difficult then when some family members turn mean and hateful, even greedy even though they are really quite blessed. It is amazing to me. Out of a home of love, erupted a gaggle of people who hate, and hurt, without blinking. It really is tragic. Life is so much more than things. Crisis reveals character, and characters are being revealed. I have been treated unmercifully, and I am attempting to stand up to the bullies who are quite contemptuous in their newfound power. 

But nothing and no one can take away the tons of love that have been heaped on this heart of mine by my dear parents. And the greatest thing with which they blessed me was their fostering a deep love in me for my Lord. And He is working overtime to keep my heart from turning just as mean as the bullies, for it is so tempting to retaliate at their tacky level, but God reminds me my true inheritance lies in Him, in Heaven, protected forever. 

Life really is about love, and when people lose that, they are really quite pathetic. I am so very thankful that I have been well-loved by parents who lived a lifetime of keeping their hearts centered in God, with deep love, strong character, and humble demeanor. What a legacy I have been given. May I be true to my roots and not get caught up in the free-for-all that I am watching and by which I am being hurt. 

May I ever remember how truly blessed I have been, and the many responsibilities that come with such blessing. Here is the devotional below that goes with the above picture. It has helped me today. 

With death..., with the loss of those we love..., come other losses we would never expect, and I am going through some of those losses right now as I must face head-on the lack of love in some of those I love very much, but they have lost themselves, lost their way, and are caught up in something that will never bring them satisfaction; it may even destroy them. And that is sad, so very sad.

1 Peter 3:9 WEB

not rendering evil for evil, or insult for insult; but instead blessing; 

knowing that to this were you called, that you may inherit a blessing.

Promise #261: I have called you to inherit My blessing.

In this Scripture passage, the Apostle Peter is encouraging us not to repay evil for evil, but rather be a blessing instead. If we are living with an orphan perspective, we will have to scratch and claw for everything we get in life. When people do evil things to us, we will need to respond in the same way back to them. The life of an orphan is lonely and scary. An orphan is left to their own devices to manage life.

The life of a son or daughter however, is quite different. They know that they are loved beyond imagination and are safe from harm. They live in the reassurance that they are blessed beyond measure and that they have a rich inheritance of many blessings yet to come. In Ephesians 1:3, the Bible says that our heavenly Father has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven. The life that we are called to live is a life of abundance and blessing. 

That is why when someone acts in an 'orphan-like' way to us, even a brother or sister in Christ, we don't have to respond in a similiar way, but we can respond with blessings. May each one of us be so filled with the revelation that we have been called to inherit a blessing, that we become an absolute outflow of blessings to others!

Picture and Devotional, thanks to 365Promises (dot) com