life interrupted.

life interrupted.

I’m not going to say we will get through this together. Although we will.

I’m not going to say just trust God. Although we should.

I’m not going to give you tips, memes, or anything else to distract you from the truth.

Truth is a principle. In other words, whether you believe in a certain truth about a certain something, it doesn’t change the fact that it is true.

Truth is as sure as the law of gravity. Try to defy it, and maybe you can, but ultimately, like the law of gravity, truth will prevail.

Truth sets us free from wrong or misdirected thinking.

The reason we often get either angry at God or become completely disillusioned is because we are not accepting the truth.

Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.

Our lives are interrupted by the pandemic of Covid-19.

We are all affected. Some worse than others.

The truth is: it hurts.

It is not enough to be positive.

It is not enough to be optimistic.

That may suffice for a day or two. But then you are back to square 1 of feeling the pain.

Whatever emotions you are experiencing, there is only one way to anchor yourself.

Think of a tree. In fact, Psalm 1 uses a tree as an example in terms of those who trust God:

 …but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither and
    whatever they do prospers.

Some Christians would define “prosper” as monetary. That a miracle is waiting for you.

That happens sometimes.

Yet, I have discovered the times I was waiting for something tangible to get me out of the problem and make me feel better, make me “prosper” the way I wanted, God was developing something unseen inside of me that would prosper me.

I had to  accept it.

I had to trust him.

Or not.

Just like the roots of a tree which are unseen, we can become anchored to something unseen. No matter the wind, the blight, the drought, or any storm, you can stand strong.

That doesn’t mean you aren’t going to feel the effects of the wind, the blight, the drought, or the storm.

It just won’t consume you. That is prospering.

God doesn’t always remedy a situation the way we want.

Difficult situations often do not turn out the way we thought, planned, or prayed.

For every person who receives an answer to prayer, perhaps there are 50+ people who do not.

But he will give us peace, comfort, and strength to manage.

Truth exists from a source beyond our human capabilities.

Truth, and where we find it, is what will sustain us.

nature forest trees park
Photo by veeterzy on Pexels.com

 

 

 

 

the joy of the Lord.

the joy of the Lord.

Happiness is not your strength.

The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Many things make us happy. But in a happy moment, have you ever felt a haunting sadness that tries to steal your happiness?

When you have joy, that doesn’t happen. That’s because you know that God is holding your sorrow and he can be trusted with the things that hurt.

When we’re on top of our game, we’re happy. But happiness is threatened when life gets difficult.

Joy is not threatened.

Joy is a warm glow that grows stronger and brighter through difficult times. It’s all in how we want to look at it.

How do you get joy? When you learn to trust God. With everything. And sometimes that means accepting what you do not understand.

This is very healing to our soul.

It doesn’t mean you will be smiling all of the time.

It means you have survived.

And happiness will be all the more richer.

joy

Photo credit: AlicePopkorn / Foter / CC BY-ND

 

 

hurt in church.

hurt in church.

Have you been hurt in church?

It’s not uncommon. Christians are not perfect and there is no perfect church. But somehow, we equate a higher standard with churches.

Understandable.

Actually, I think God holds a higher standard for Christians and churches, too.

Jesus said, From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

This is a truth I think we call all understand.

I’ve been hurt by Christians. And I know I’ve hurt Christians. But none of this is God’s fault. Yet, many give up on God and church altogether.

The only one you’re hurting is you.

Let me say this: your pain if valid. Don’t ever think it’s not alright to hurt. Don’t ever let anyone tell you, “you’re a victor not a victim!”

God cares about our pain. Otherwise, the Bible would not be so full of his care, compassion, and concern for us.

Face the facts. Acknowledge your own propensity to hurt people, too.

Take a deep breath.

Forgive.

Trust God.

Move on.

You’d be surprised how good you’ll feel.