We all go through hard things. We hate going through them. We question why we have to go through them. And it stinks for a long time. I think that long time is called time on earth.
Because there is rejoicing in Heaven. Oh how I can’t wait to be there rejoicing.
But, in the mean time, we have to be thankful for the cross because even Jesus did not despise the cross. The thing that killed Him. He saw what was on the other side.
I think we have to do the same.
We have to look to the other side.
Tough times are gonna come, if they haven’t already, but we have a hope that is greater than our pain. We have Jesus.
In that hard day, look to the other side. See the joy waiting for you when you get out. See the smile on your loved ones when you finally arrive.
I think of the Angels in Heaven praising our God for every day He gave us. I think of my family in Heaven thanking God for the miracles He made in their lives. And I think of Jesus, waiting to come back to us.
Take hope today, there is good ahead. There is another side to this pain you simply can’t see yet. And there is Jesus.
Think of how a sunflower constantly follows the sun. Where the sun goes, so does the sunflower. Because it knows the sun will provide what the sunflower needs.
So follow Jesus, He has what you need. He knows what’s ahead.
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.”
I Peter 1:6-9
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
II Corinthians 4:16-18
During November, people reflect on what they are thankful for. When Daisy asked me to write this month, I began to pray that God would lead me to a super uplifting post of thanksgiving. I have to chuckle because in true God fashion, He directed me in a way that I was not going. After a few days of praying, God gently reminded me to be thankful for the difficulties. In our seasons of thankfulness, we should be thanking Him for the trials, the difficulties, the sufferings. Ouch! Those are not things we consider in our time of thanksgiving. Have you stopped to thank God for those?
The trials are just that-trials. They are hard. They get us down. The past several weeks have been difficult for me. Yet, God says to be thankful for these times. He is working out a perfect plan that is eternal. These times are building and strengthening me to become what He wants me to be. I have to remind myself to stay focused. I have been through far greater difficulties in life than these recent weeks. During those times, my father reminded me to “not miss what God has for me in the difficulties”. When I go through hardships, I try to remember those words. You see, God’s plans are incredibly beautiful, even in the sufferings, the trials, the difficulties. When we are thankful in and for the afflictions, we are allowing God to do His beautiful work in us.
As we consider the hard times, instead of focusing on the pain, let us focus on what God is doing through the pain. James 1:2-4 tells us that we should “count it all joy when you fall into various trials”. The reason we can count the trials as joy is because God is doing a work of perfection in us. He is wanting us to “be perfect and complete, lacking nothing”. Part of that work is accomplished through trials. During this season of thanksgiving, let’s not forget to be thankful for the hard times. God is working out a glorious masterpiece!
“O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord? You are entirely faithful.”
Psalm 89:8 (NLT)
Since about August 1st I have been in a funk, and it culminated in a full blown temper tantrum a couple of weeks ago. Everything about my emotions was out of control. Ugh.
The week after my meltdown I went to our ladies intercessory prayer time that we have on Wednesdays. It is always life giving for me, and this particular time was life changing. We always start with people praying and giving thanks.
My sweet friend Michele Harris prayed a prayer about something the Lord had laid on her heart that morning; giving thanks for the small things. She was expressing thanks for having choices about what clothes to wear or food to pack for lunch. It hit me so hard. I knew it was for me and that the Lord was encouraging me in that moment.
I am so thankful that God has surrounded me with people who press in and hear His voice. I am so thankful for the life I have, and even though I failed miserable for a time Jesus was still faithful. He was the good shepherd who brought me to green pastures and told me to lie down. He reminded me to think about Him, how He is in control and that I can rest in that.
I am so thankful that in the midst of crazy, chaotic times I serve a God who is not phased by any of it and is the answer to all of it. ❤️
“Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.”
Psalms 97:12
This time of year is a season where we will be reflecting on the past year and all that we are thankful for as well as looking ahead to what the next could hold. It’s a great time to do exactly as this verse states: give thanks at remembrance. In the past month, I’ve noticed God cultivating in me a heart of thankfulness through reflection.
I’ve reflected on how He has brought along desires and answered prayers; gratitude and awe fills my heart. Hope that seemed deferred has been fulfilled and it’s a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12) to my faith, a thing I can continually point to as reference of His sovereignty and faithfulness.
Thank you, Jesus!
I’ve reflected on healing — the difference of where I was just a year ago versus today. The way the hope I thought was gone forever has been re-established. Faith restored. He makes us new.
Thank you, Jesus!
I’ve reflected on how I used to be so fearful of things that today I’m doing on the regular. The growth that is evident. The growth that is still happening. He strengthens and establishes.
Thank you, Jesus!
I’ve reflected on His provision; how He always supplies my every need. I could be stressed out and worried one moment and later find He made a way and has worked it out. He is a way maker and a miracle worker.
Thank you, Jesus!
Each notice to His goodness, kindness, and faithfulness creates a song in my heart.
His gentle, steady hand in it all. His timing perfect. Delays used for my good. He has always been so good to me — in everything! The only obvious thing to do is give thanks.
And when I take that moment to let thankfulness be in my heart, it shifts the atmosphere. I may, for a moment, be focused on lack, dwelling on past hurts, worried, or fearful but then He brings something to my remembrance of how far we’ve come — thanksgiving and praise breaks forth! My mind and my heart then steer toward Him and looks ahead with expectancy for all the ways He will do it again in the future.
I remember His name is Faithful and True (Revelation 3:14, 19:11)!
My hope and encouragement to you all is that you find Him far more faithful and true than you realize this season; that in reflection of this year or even years past your heart can sing a spiritual song to the Lord. A song where you see how all the pieces are fitting together. Especially for those who may have lost their song this past year. May you find that hope deferred, when the desire comes, is a tree of life. That disappointments bring us closer to Him and His good plan for us. That waiting isn’t punishment but preparation. That healing or breakthrough can happen suddenly. That He meets us right where we are. That He works all things for good. That nothing is too hard for Him. That His promises are “yes and amen”. That His timing is perfect. And that He has not forgotten you. The journey and process of His faithfulness varies for us all but the result is the same: THANKFULNESS. Praise. Glory to God. A hallelujah on our lips…and in our hearts.
Reflect upon His past goodness and faithfulness this season, upon all He has done. Let your faith be stirred. Rejoice and give thanks in remembrance to His holy name!
Has anyone else’s life at some point gone from one extreme to the other? Good to bad? Calm to absolute chaos? Rainstorm to hurricane?
No? Just me?
Life is busy – life can be HARD. And your hard may look different than my hard, but it’s still just – hard. Or maybe, just hard days, hard seasons, or hard moments.
When those days or moments hit, it’s easy to lose heart, right? It’s “easier” to focus on the overwhelming, the pain, the troubles, and stresses rather than God’s ultimate goal for our life. We let the chaos of our busy schedules, the “what ifs”, the anxieties, consume us.
My friend, don’t lose heart. Don’t miss every opportunity to take your burdens and heartaches to our perfect COUNSELOR. Placing your focus on the reward for our faith and true joy that is EVERLASTING. Taking your eyes off the troubles, worldly things, sins, and circumstances that are BARELY lasting .
That’s a tough one.
Where is your focus? My focus? Are we enveloped in His Spirit daily remembering that no matter what happens today or in this life, we have the assurance of eternal life? When all suffering ends and all sorrow flees away, are we putting our faith in His everlasting or the world’s barely lasting?
Brothers and sisters, don’t give up. Don’t give in to the “hard” of today’s pain or circumstances and forsake your eternal reward.
Your EVERLASTING.
Our very weakness, our very vulnerability, our very brokenness, allows the absolute power of the resurrection of Christ to strengthen us moment by moment. So LET HIM…. HE won’t fail you. 💛
Being a mother has been my job for the past 5 years. I have gone through many seasons of life with my children, both challenging and rewarding, but nothing hit harder than sending my son to Kindergarten this year.
He would now be spending more time with other people than ever, away from my watchful eye, comfort, and protection. This experience threw me into a time of reflection. I felt the Lord pressing upon my heart several questions:
How will my son respond when he sees behaviors that are not Christ like?
Will he understand the difference in living for Christ vs living for the world?
What can I do better to reiterate the values that we want to instill within him?
Our Church is in a study of Matthew where some of these points were directly addressed by Jesus.
Matthew writes about the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16, ESV
Reflecting on the words of Jesus helped me to understand that my children are bound to be introduced to influences outside of my control, BUT I need to continue to focus on my good works and being intentional in living a Christ-like life, to have the greatest impact on my children’s desire to glorify God.
I want my thoughts, words, and actions to reflect Christ in me to my children. I want them to know that I am critical of anything I give my attention to. I want them to see me in bible study, in prayer, and at church. I want them to look back on their time with me and know that I was walking with the Lord, giving them the confidence to do the same.
Our greatest testimony to our kids can be how we live our lives.
Lately, I feel that I have thought tirelessly about what it is to live a holy life and if I am doing that well. I think as followers of Jesus we “know” what it is to live a holy life, but the question is, are we actively striving to live out that life daily? I know the action part is where I stumble so often.
1 Peter 1:13-16 says, “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’”
Our biggest testimony is how we live. Living a holy life is planting seeds of the gospel and sharing who God is. With a young family, my heart longs for the little people in our home to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but my heart is also for all the lost—that they, too, come to know Jesus. If these are the desires of my heart, then I have to be mindful always of holy living. Holy living starts in our homes, but it filters into our workplaces, our social groups, and even the grocery store lines. We are planting seeds every day at moments we sometimes may not even realize. We are planting seeds with how we speak, how we dress, what we give our time to, our interactions with those around us, and the list goes on. We must remember that it is okay if we never see the fruits of what our holy living may produce. Seeing the fruit shouldn’t be the goal or what we are striving for. Living holy, as Christ is holy, should be our heart’s desire.
Tony Evans said, “Holiness is central to who God is. God’s perfect holiness is at the heart of His other attributes. Everything about Him is in a class by itself. And He calls His people to pursue holiness by seeking to please Him in every dimension of their lives.”
The word tells us to be holy is to be separate or set apart. We live a holy life by allowing the Lord to work in us, making inward and outward changes, so that we may imitate his high standard of living. We must be totally devoted to God, giving all we are to Him. We are called to stand out from the crowd, allowing God’s qualities in our lives to make us different. Our focus and priorities must be His. We must be holy and live out a holy life in order to plant seeds of the gospel and its life-changing power to further the kingdom. If we want heaven to be crowded, then we must actively do our part here in living out a holy life.
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:2, NIV.
Gardening is not my strength, but I love plants. I especially love flowering plants that bloom, like rose bushes. I have several rose bushes and I have learned that one of the most important parts of caring for them is pruning. Cutting the branches off, specifically where there are wilted flowers, helps the plant to flourish. When done well the bush will bloom more often and be fuller after a good pruning.
Sometimes in life we have seasons of subtraction. For me, one such season was the time God asked me to not only stop leading a church Bible study, but to leave my home church altogether. It felt like a huge loss leaving behind so many relationships and years of dedication.
However, God brought me to a new church where I am growing in new ways and I can now see he wasn’t taking anything from me, he was pruning.
In John 15:2 Jesus says God prunes his branches that are fruit-bearing so they can bear even more fruit. We are the branches in this metaphor, sprouting off the vine of Jesus. We don’t always understand the purpose of pruning, but we have to trust the gardener. His perspective is far and wide when we see only our present circumstances. And he is a good, skilled gardener.
So, when you feel God calling you to step back from a dream you are pursuing, let go of a business, ministry, or vocation you have been dedicated to, or eliminate even the most enjoyable obligation, do it. His ways are higher and everything he does is for your good and his glory. The pain of pruning is temporary but the consequences of resisting the prune may be lasting.
Sometimes God knows the weight of a certain branch has become too heavy and needs to lighten it. Other times he is simply preparing a branch for a greater, more beautiful bloom. Always, he wants us to be fruitful. Sometimes that means water, sunshine, and nutrients. Sometimes it means pruning.
Being tended to isn’t always pleasant, but it is always beneficial when the gardener is God. Where have you felt a call to pruning in your life? What dead weight are you carrying? How can you lean into God and accept his pruning in this situation?
Prayer: God, you are the best gardener. May everything I do bring you glory, including being faithful in allowing your shears to strip away anything I am no longer to carry. Forgive me for trying to grow on my own and resisting your pruning. Help me to be quick to accept your instructions and to grow in the way you intend. Thank you for loving me enough to prune my life for your glory and my good. Amen.
In bible history, we learn about Rachel, one of the wives of Jacob. Her life’s journey of love, loss, and the anguish of infertility is found in Genesis. Rachel’s deep desire for motherhood and eventually her joy at the birth of her sons, Joseph and Benjamin, make her a symbol of maternal love and the unwavering love between a mother and her children. She is a woman whose love and longing helped build the very foundation of
the nation of Israel.
Focus scripture:
This is what the Lord says: “A cry is heard in Ramah- deep anguish and bitter weeping. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted — for her children are gone.”
Jeremiah 31:15 NLT
In this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is describing the mourning and lamentation of the Israelite people. This verse vividly portrays Rachel in a state of mourning. Her bitter weeping and refusal to be comforted indicate the intense grief of a mother who loves and longs for her children. The exile and separation of the nation of Israel from its homeland and loved ones, as they were carried away into captivity by the Babylonians, resulted in devastating pain. This is a moving description of sorrow and longing for the return and restoration of a people, which is a theme we find throughout Jeremiah and
other prophetic books in the Old Testament.
As I reflected on this portion of scripture, I wondered about the modern day “Rachels” among us. The individuals whose hearts ache for those on a quest for meaning and purpose in a world often filled with heartache, doubt, and confusion. They remember Jesus’ words, “The harvest is plentiful.” Matthew 9:37. They are the individuals who have an unwavering love for the prodigals, the wayward sons and daughters that need
healing and restoration.
Rachels are not deterred by the circumstances they may see others in, as they persistently reach out to help them find their way back home. Today’s Rachels refuse to be comforted and pacified by the attitudes of others who say, “It’s just how things are in today’s world.” or “They are a lost cause.” They don’t lose heart when there are setbacks because they understand they serve a patient Father.
“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does
not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” 2 Peter 3:9
A commentary stated that during the time of the exile to Babylon, the people’s cries echoed across great distances as they cried out. Lord, help me to be a Rachel, someone that cries out and intercedes for the world You so loved, You sent Your only Son to offer
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