Renewed Trust through Heartaches in Life

Share

Perhaps it’s the cold winds chasing away the last remnants of the lazy days of Summer, but I find myself pondering deeper thoughts today… Like try this one on for size: Imagine if we saw heartache as a gift – like a doorway to the greater gift of brokenness, and as such, the very springboard to forgiveness and blessed healing – and a deeper strengthening of our faith … would we scramble so quickly away from pain if we rightly recognized the fruitful result that can come through it?

Our world is so full of heartache. Discouragement and destruction are all around, lost people strike out blindly at anyone in their path as they lean on their meager resources just to cope with the pain in this world. Yes, there is hollow emptiness in the life that is empty of God. Violence, rage, anger and chaos; meager pursuits and meaningless endeavors; lack of wisdom, joy and purpose are evidences of a life devoid of HOPE – and the Only True Hope is found in Jesus.

Apart from Him, life is a farce, a game, a folly – oh, sure, there can be momentary happiness, a shallow sense of fulfillment and even periodic tranquility – but not true and lasting peace – not the peace that passes all understanding that remains steady in the storms of life.

That kind of peace is only found solidly anchored in a deep and abiding trust in Christ Jesus. 

As followers of Jesus, we know the futility of what the World offers, and the emptiness in the life that is empty of God. The only One who can fill the void, heal the hurt and set the captive free is Jesus Christ, Son of God Almighty. When we consider that this life, where we put SO many of our hopes and dreams, is actually just a short blip on the screen of all eternity, why do we chase so mindlessly after such empty pursuits? I know I can get caught up in things that really do not matter – not in the long run. Am I using my time in a way that points a lost and dying world to the ONLY hope any of us have, or am I letting the cares of this life, the burdens, disappointments and sorrows undo the unique JOY that is mine in Christ??

Bottom line: This life is short and sometimes, very painful. But God is Sovereign and has a plan. I can either choose to use my time in a way that honors Him and shows trust in Him, or I can squander my opportunity to be a life giving light to a dark and dreary world that desperately needs Him, and look no different than my non believing friends who are weighted down under burdens that our Heavenly Father never intended for us to carry…. we each must choose.

Oh Lord, please help us to see your purpose in all that you allow in our lives; as refining tools of your grace and love. We know that you love us, and we have such a great hope of our eternal destination where we will rejoice and marvel at ALL you have and will accomplish through our meager, submitted lives of obedience and trust. Please help us use our time, talents and treasures well and to your glory, even as we build our trust in you and in your ultimate, beautiful plan for our lives ~ in the matchless name of Jesus, I pray ~ Amen.

Have you found a renewed hope to carry on in the face of some difficulty or trial? I’m so thankful God allows us the joy of coming alongside one another, and encouraging one another when life is hard! I pray that you might find a weight lifting as we lay down our burdens, and let God work His good and gracious plan through our submitted lives, ready to honor Him with our trust as we let our testimony of Joy speak volumes to a watching and hurting world!

Thank you for stopping in  ~ and if you want to share some thoughts, please do! Let’s talk – you know – between friends!

 

 

Share

Put Your Son to Death

Share

Are you familiar with the story of Abraham and his son, Isaac? If so, you’ll recall the time God put Abraham to an incredible test, by asking him to sacrifice his beloved son. Without hesitation, Abraham readied himself and his son for the trip. You can read the entire account in Genesis 22.

Sometimes, in our world today, we set up certain things that we’ve placed ‘off limits’ to God. Our kids, job, health, marriage; our security. We say, “Have anything you want, Lord, but not this – not ____. This means too much to me, and I can’t let you have it.”

If you know how the event ended, you know that Abraham did not withhold his son, his precious, beloved boy, from the higher calling of obeying God. With a faith that reaches the pages of the New Testament, Abraham exemplified for us, what it means to truly Trust in God, and God counted it unto him as righteousness.

Oh, that we could each display such an all out trust in God!

When we face disappointment and blame God, or suffer through trials and become bitter, we miss out on the Joy of Trusting Him.

We must choose to rewire our thinking. What if through that trial, that burden, that disappointment, that loss, God can display His intimate hand of comfort, grace and provision to us? Would that make it worth going through the heartache?

One of our precious kids suffered a really unjust situation, and was hurting terribly. It was so hard to watch her go through the pain, as she wrestled with the unfairness, and the uncertainty that followed.

We talked for a long time about God’s purposes, why He allows what He does and what He wants from us. I urged her to take a blank piece of paper and draw 5 or 6 lines on it.

“Sweetheart, I’m asking you to go to the Lord, and pray. Tell God that you trust Him, and that you are ready to record some of the wonderful things He is going to bring about because He has allowed this painful thing in your life.”

She looked at me through tears. Fighting back my own anguish on her behalf, I explained. “God doesn’t just bring us from something for no good reason. He has chosen to allow you to leave that place of comfort, where you were happy and content, for His own reasons. And we must trust Him. And now, we must look for what He is bringing you INTO.”

If we are going to follow Him fully, then we must be ready to walk away from good things, where we find our security, and follow Him, who IS our security.

Over the days, as she was reminded of God’s faithfulness, sovereignty and love, we saw her heart begin to heal, and her trust begin to grow. Her situation hadn’t yet changed, but her willingness to see God’s plans through the heartache had.

We were so proud of her, as she wasn’t resentful of the people who had done this to her, and began to express her trust in God. We’d better believe – He WILL reward such a pure faith!

Wouldn’t it be awful to miss seeing God work some marvelous things on our behalf, simply because of our own lack of trust in Him and His goodness?

Imagine! Too often, we are digging our heels in, kicking and screaming to Almighty God who LOVES us, demanding Him to let us have our trinkets, when He longs to give us His treasures! Oh, what a sad forfeiture of potential blessing when we refuse to trust our loving Savior.

I want my faith to deepen, and my heart to be more full of trust in Him. But the only way to do that is to allow room for God to be at work, so we might grow a bit more in our understanding of His awesome might and unfathomable love. What an incredible chance to see the intimate hand of Almighty God at work in my situation and in yours, just by embracing whatever He brings our way, knowing that ultimately it’s for our good and His glory.

Here on Earth is the only place we get to put all of our eggs in the basket of God’s faithfulness. This life is short – I don’t want to miss out on seeing His watchcare over me, because of my own frail inability to grasp that the God who created the entire universe holds me in the palm of His hand, and He loves me, and is more than able to accomplish whatever His will is for my life, if I will only surrender my own weak plans in exchange for His wondrous ones! 

You never know what’s around the corner in this journey called Life. But God does. And He alone holds the roadmap. Will we trust Him to navigate our journey, knowing that He loves us and is working on our behalf?

One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Perfect peace is waiting for those who fully trust God.

What are you holding onto that might be preventing you from seeing God’s love for you today?

Are there things you’ve grown bitter about, not wanting to let God heal, so you can move forward into some marvelous new adventures with Him? 

Let’s talk about it, you know – between friends.

Share

Hope for the Hurting!

Share

Life is complex and complicated; evil flourishes, and trouble comes swiftly. The problems of today rarely resolve, but rather, they multiply, muddying the waters even further.

Thousands of mega problems crowd our daily newsfeed: what is the solution for the starvation crisis in Venezuela? What to do with the refugees fleeing war-torn countries? How to stop horrific sex trafficking, the drug epidemic, or the threat of worldwide terrorism? Is there an answer for abortion, corruption, or abuse; political disunity, bullying, or flagrant rebellion of authority in our nation? And what to do about vicious dictators of nations who misuse their power, bringing tremendous suffering on their own countrymen? Which battles to fight? Do we have some responsibility to fight for the plight of the weak and helpless, or is it all just too much? Compassion demands some sort of action, and yet… what to do?? … The endless list of twisted and tangled gargantuan issues leaves one reeling!

Sifting through all of these impossibly massive “macro level” problems, while coping at the same time with “micro level” problems – the individuals we each know who are languishing in their own personal agonies – battles with cancer, grief of familial suicide, loss, pain, disease, heartache and despair. How to walk alongside the many who are facing such overwhelming challenges?

And what about the more “minor” struggles – even for those not facing persecution, or poverty, death or disease, what to do with the heartache of errant children or loss of a job? Stress from bad relationships, or pain from the past? Disappointed hopes, dashed dreams or searching for significance?

The fact is, our entire world is groaning under the weight and curse of Sin, and there are no “simple solutions” that will automatically fix the consequences of it.

Overwhelm: to defeat completely; bury or drown beneath a huge mass.

So, is that it? Are there no answers to be found? Or is there some hope to escape the immense fallout from the depravity of sin and its devastating consequences?

Thankfully, yes!

Satan’s strategy is to leave us feeling overwhelmed, powerless and alone, but God’s solution has already been set into motion: the victory won by Jesus Christ when he sacrificed his life on the cross for All the sins of All of humanity for All time…and then rose again, victorious over death. Jesus conquered for us what we could not win for ourselves: Victory over death, and over the pull of sin on our lives. (I Corinthians 15:55-57)

Because God loves people so much, He made a way out from the bondage of sin and the hopelessness that every human being faces – Don’t believe the lie that all roads lead to God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

We all like sheep have gone astray, we have turned – every one- to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

So for the person who puts their trust in the finished work of Jesus, there is a precious hope, and a peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7, Isaiah 26:3) More so, we are no longer bound by sin, and sin’s curse, but can live abundant and joy filled lives, despite the pain that surrounds us, knowing that God is working all things together for good for them who love Him and are called according to His purposes. (John 10:10, Romans 8:28, Galatians 5:22-23)

Our hope lies in a future place as we await Christ’s return, sharing the truth of this Good news with others while there is still time, and using every opportunity to show the love of Jesus to a dark and hurting world. (II Timothy 4:6-8, John 9:4)

If you like me, have put your faith in the shed blood of Jesus for your sins, but still find yourself struggling with the heartache of the consequences of sin (which we won’t fully escape until Heaven), I pray you find wonderful encouragement from this poem I published in my book, Still She Speaks:

What do you think when you see the plight

Of our fellow humans who suffer the blight

Of this earth and her troubles? Of pain and distress

Of disease and poverty, anguish and death? 

 

As they wander and ponder the meaning of life,

Observe all the scandal, partake of the strife, 

They can glimpse of the beauty that lies all around

But have no understanding, no footing, no ground

  

They persist in the cycle, but long to be free.

What must they think of you and of me,

When they see that true joy can exist in this place,

Despite all the trials and chaos and waste?

 

Are we fragrant? Inviting? Attractive? Or no?

Do we carry deep sorrow, and reek of the woe

That they long to escape? I must ask this dear friend:

Does your life reflect hope for a better end? 

 

Do we bask in God’s goodness despite earthly pain?

Trust that our Savior has a perfect plan?

Keep our eyes trained on heaven where eternity dwells?

Are we offering hope while the world offers hell? 

 

This world’s pains are hard, prolonged and deep,

But for those without Christ, it’s the best they will see.

Are we sharing our faith while there is still time? 

Or getting bogged down in the muck and the grime?

 

Are we resting in Him when the storm swirls around?

Clinging to Him when our enemies hound?

Running to Him when lonely and scared?

Praying and soaking our mind in His word?

 

Storing His scriptures away in our hearts,

When the enemy comes with his fiery darts?

Do we thank Him –yes, thank Him for allowing us pain

That would tether us to Him again and again?

 

This is difficult – no- an Impossible task –

Except we have Jesus to whom we can ask

To carry our burden and fix our eyes,

So our load becomes his   ~ he’s our fortress and prize!

 

Rejoice in the gifts that his love has bought!

Oh friend – this is big – has your heart been caught? 

We have The Answer, the Hope and the Key~

Are we sharing with prisoners that they can be free? 

 

Bondage and heartache should not be the plight

For the child of Jesus who is offered delight –

Yes – delight that our troubles though hard and so deep,

Are temporary afflictions – they will not keep!

 

Our hope lies in a future place

Where pain does not live, where sorrows cease.

Where tests and tears do not abound,

Where heartache and death cannot be found. 

 

Where His will is done and perfection reigns,

Where right does rule, and joy remains!

This place does exist and it’s free to the one

Who would come to the cross and believe in the Son

Who has paid all the debt we owe for our sin –

Impossible, yes – but not for Him! 

 

He’s building a mansion – working details out –

And soon He will come back with a shout!

And take us home to be with Him there –

Can you picture it friend? Are you fixing your stare

Toward the place we’ll reside forevermore?

 

No more death, or mourning, or crying or pain!

Where glory goes on and on and on.

Rejoice in this truth! And share it with men 

Who need to hear it again and again!

 

So I ask once more time: What does your life say?

Are you trusting in Jesus, or throwing it away?

Let’s get our eyes off our troubles, and our knees on the floor –

Seek Jesus – we’ll find Him…His grace ~ and much more! 

Share