here's the honest truth:
laugh and live longer. love and live greater. forgive and live fuller.
i was thinking about despair today. despair is when you fall on the ground because your legs can no longer support yourself. it's when you acknowledge that your own strength is worth nothing. when we cry out, "God this isn't FAIR!" we have already lost. when were we promised that life would be easy? no, we were told that we would be persecuted (Matt 5:10-11 - Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me) for what endures in our lives. it is written that it is a race that must be run in such a way as to honor, finished strong.
what we were promised was a life to honor God as much or as less as we see fit. we were promised that we would have trials whether we liked it or not, but that we would be readied according to his timing (ie NOT OURS). we were promised also the fruit of this, to multiply and be blessed. we were promised that his strength was perfected in our weakness (2 cor 12:9). we were promised eternal life.
we were promised that we would not suffer alone. we were promised that did not have a saviour who could not sympathize (Hebrews 6:14-16: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sypathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin).
so today i lay down my worldly tools of dealing with struggle. today i allow myself to feel despair, to feel pain, to feel anger, and to acknowledge to myself that i am not as put together as i believe. that when i am secure i fall into self righteousness. that when i am self righteous i believe i can save myself. relevant magazine writes that "sin is not just in my actions, it's a condition. it is any and all the ways i try to be my own savior." and when i believe i can save myself, i inevitably fall, and then i despair.
but there is meaning to all this. it is concentrated on one center, the fulcrum of my life on which all things hinge. the article continues: "indeed, we were made for more than struggle. in fact, we were made for glory... but even now, God gives purpose to our struggle, and He is in charge of all that happens to us. I don't have the power [for] much resolution in my life, but I do have Jesus. And He is enough." amen.
laugh and live longer. love and live greater. forgive and live fuller.
i was thinking about despair today. despair is when you fall on the ground because your legs can no longer support yourself. it's when you acknowledge that your own strength is worth nothing. when we cry out, "God this isn't FAIR!" we have already lost. when were we promised that life would be easy? no, we were told that we would be persecuted (Matt 5:10-11 - Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me) for what endures in our lives. it is written that it is a race that must be run in such a way as to honor, finished strong.
what we were promised was a life to honor God as much or as less as we see fit. we were promised that we would have trials whether we liked it or not, but that we would be readied according to his timing (ie NOT OURS). we were promised also the fruit of this, to multiply and be blessed. we were promised that his strength was perfected in our weakness (2 cor 12:9). we were promised eternal life.
we were promised that we would not suffer alone. we were promised that did not have a saviour who could not sympathize (Hebrews 6:14-16: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sypathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin).
so today i lay down my worldly tools of dealing with struggle. today i allow myself to feel despair, to feel pain, to feel anger, and to acknowledge to myself that i am not as put together as i believe. that when i am secure i fall into self righteousness. that when i am self righteous i believe i can save myself. relevant magazine writes that "sin is not just in my actions, it's a condition. it is any and all the ways i try to be my own savior." and when i believe i can save myself, i inevitably fall, and then i despair.
but there is meaning to all this. it is concentrated on one center, the fulcrum of my life on which all things hinge. the article continues: "indeed, we were made for more than struggle. in fact, we were made for glory... but even now, God gives purpose to our struggle, and He is in charge of all that happens to us. I don't have the power [for] much resolution in my life, but I do have Jesus. And He is enough." amen.
posted by steph at
7:48:00 PM
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