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"Sometimes in the waves of change we find our true direction."
~unknown
Friday's Faith
Another Pounding...
Tommy and I have been thrown some curves of life lately that have thrown me almost completely off course. Child-loss itself presents a crisis of faith, and as a precious grieving mother recently said to me, it's almost as if we then feel that surely now, we would have a "free pass" --- no more tragedies, no more crises of faith --- as we've already been through the worst that life could offer!
But alas, there is no free pass. More potentially tragic situations arise, ready or not. It has been a daily, really moment-to-moment, struggle for me over these past two months. God has faithfully met me every step of the way with His incredible sweetness, but for weeks, the darkness itself would not seem to lift for long. But everyday, there were tears before the Lord, and His presence brought very sweet relief with constant reminders of who He really is. But the darkness lingered…
Last night, God provided a breakthrough. Through the noise of this world's constant message that we should be making constant progress through our pain, God sent a quiet but life-changing message that had the effect of a hurtling meteor shattering the morass of my darkness with the stark reminder of the life to which He has really called us.
Our Heavenly Father's eye is always on the eternal view, while our eye is often stuck in our own short-term struggles. We feel dropped, while He is not stumped at all, knowing exactly what He is accomplishing in our hearts and souls amidst our painful struggle.
We are not called to a life of constant progress from an earthly viewpoint, rather it is to a constant walk of faith, with no sense of our own control over anything. But that does not mean our Heavenly Father is not constantly aware of what is going on, of what challenges we have been thrown, and of what He wants to do in us amidst those challenges…
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7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12So death works in us, but life in you.
13But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, 14knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. 15For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.
16Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Picture, thanks to Marilynn Mitchelle via ~Pinterest
