The Lord casts his morning light upon a broken world, washing away the discouragement and despair.
His mercies are new every morning.
Month: March 2016
scripture friday.
and God said it was very good.
nursing the wound.
Are you nursing your wound?
It is your right.
But if it goes on for years, it will never heal.
Do you want it to heal?
Do you know it can heal?
The healing does not mean you won’t have a scar. It doesn’t mean you don’t have limitations.
It doesn’t mean you have no control or say over your feelings.
It means you will live again. It will be different and that is okay. There is no “new normal”.
It is survival. Not a gasping for air kind of survival, but a kind of day to day rhythm that keeps you afloat.
If you want to live after the pain you have to live during the pain. You will get through it.
Don’t be your own worst enemy.
scripture friday.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
look forward.
We look forward to lots of things.
To the weekend, dinner at our favorite restaurant, family visiting, a good football game …
We were made to look forward to things. Life would be pretty miserable without it.
How about eternity? Do you look forward to eternity?
Since it is pleasant to look forward here, God also wants us to look forward to life there.
If you don’t believe in God, if you don’t believe in Heaven …
If you believe it all ends here …
Why?
The expectation we have here points to God who put this hope in our hearts in the first place. The beauty and wonder we live with here only confirms this truth for all eternity.
bloom again.
Last week, my friend and I walked our dogs through a local trail. The snow had melted slightly, revealing innumerable branches from every single tree. A previous ice storm had weighed heavily on the trees, providing hiding places for chipmunks and rabbits, and lots of work for the groundskeeper.
God’s pruning.
This made me think about the pain in our life. We all face pain. Some more than others.
God doesn’t cause pain but it is allowed. Of course, this causes the universal question that must echo throughout the heavens every minute of every day.
Why?
I don’t know why but I do know that throughout the Bible, God says over and over again that he is with us, he will comfort us, he will heal us, he will strengthen us and give us peace.
Even if you don’t want these things from God, even if you don’t believe he is real, he loves you enough to be with you anyway. He will reveal himself to you in just the way you need it.
Because the Bible says he works things together for our good, there has to be some kind of good that comes from pain. Just like the trees along the trail that lost their branches, new growth will come.
This doesn’t mean some trees are not severely damaged.
It doesn’t mean a once full, beautiful tree is not going to look lopsided.
But aren’t we always amazed when we see tender, green buds sprouting from a tree we thought was dead?
How much more has God given humanity the ability to bloom again?
It doesn’t stop there because we were made to see beyond today. God took care of that, too. He set eternity in human hearts.
Not only does the Bible tell us he collects our tears, he promises one day he wipe away all of our tears and there will be no more death, grieving, crying, or pain.
This is something to live for!
This is something to believe for.
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Photo credit: docoverachiever via Foter.com / CC BY
scripture friday.
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
-The Bible
~~~
Photo credit: Leonardo Rizzi via Foter.com / CC BY-SA
the story of Job.
Job never saw why he suffered, but he saw God, and that was enough.
There is a historical account in the Bible of a man named Job (long “o”).
He experienced a time of horrible suffering. He lost children, possessions, and health.
He had 3 friends who came to sit with him in his distress. The Bible records their conversations with Job, who were disingenuous at best.
So, on top of his personal grief, Job had to suffer more without comfort and encouragement from his friends.
At the end of the story, God comes and speaks to Job and his friends. In the end, Job received even more than he originally had. Job suffered greatly. But that wasn’t the end of the story. And as Timothy Keller points out, Job did not question. He never knew why.
Instead, this is what Job says:
My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
Job saw God.
We have the opportunity to see God when we are suffering.
Job is an inspiration to all of us. Even if you don’t believe the Bible, there are people all over the world who are suffering like Job did.
And there are people, like Job, who saw God in their suffering.
I have been a Christian for 40 years. It wasn’t until I experienced the worst pain of my life that I could really say I “saw” God.
While I don’t understand why, seeing God was enough to not allow “why” to consume me for the rest of my life.
But it doesn’t stop there. Because when you see God, you know he is real, and you can believe what he says. No one can take that experience away from you, no matter what they say!
~~~
Photo credit: nano.maus via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA
the aftermath of suicide.
The true victims of suicide – the family – are often victimized again through the words and actions of others.
It is often said, “Well, people don’t know what to say.” and the family is supposed to have more understanding for these people than expecting understanding from them.
If they don’t know what to say, why don’t they just not say anything?
And why does the family have to accept that they say the wrong thing?
Ironically, the grieving family often does accept it. They are hurting so badly that what difference does more hurt make?
Just know this: if the grieving family does receive hurt from others, they will simply and quietly distance themselves. And then, be prepared. Because more comments will come!
What is the solution?
Suicide is frightening. I get that people mostly run from it. I get it is awkward.
But what is wrong with people who cannot imagine the horrific pain the family and/or friends are experiencing…enough to not talk about them behind their backs?
If you are one who has experienced this, know this:
God says he is near the broken-hearted. You may not think he is, but he is. He knows all the specifics. When you know this, you can walk through life with your heart protected from the painful words and judgments from others. “What’s wrong with him?” “She is not the same.”
You think?
And maybe he/she is “not the same” because of what you have said?
Comments such as this are so absurd, you finally reach the point realizing people like this are more than clueless. They are self-absorbed and ignorant to the feelings of others.
Continue to walk through these situations, knowing God is your defender. Be patient. It will take time, but I promise – you will come through it strong, peaceful, and even joyful. That is because God becomes real to you and you trust him, knowing one day you will see your loved one again.
Such wonderful hope!
When you lose a child to suicide, or anyone for that matter, the pain will always be there, but it won’t consume you.
Don’t allow yourself to become bitter with people. It will consume you and make you miserable. Move on and leave them behind if necessary. Kindly, of course.
When you believe God, you are like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither– whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1
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photo credit: Mark Pouley via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
when it hurts 