Courage to Encourage

...but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope.  And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given to us.
Romans 5:3-5

Rejoice in our sufferings?

Those words sound like a crazy impossibility.  Our human instinct warns us to run from our sufferings and find the quickest way out to healing and peace.

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
1 Corinthians 1:20

So many times we cannot see through the veil and understand what God is doing.

We are tempted to throw up our hands in defeat or despair and forget that God's ways are not our ways.

We think we know the best outcomes for the struggles we encounter but we forget that our wisdom is limited.

...we preach Christ crucified; a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the power of God is stronger than man's strength.
1 Corinthians 1:23-25

Our world preaches ease and comfort but we are to preach Christ crucified.

We are called to face pain and suffering with faith instead of fear.

Our flesh screams that this is wrong, unfair, awful.  And though the trials we are called to endure may indeed feel awful to us at the time, God promises to work all things together for good if we love him.

Trusting God during times of pain, difficulty, and confusion is impossible without faith.  And holding on to our faith may end up becoming another exhausting struggle.  But we must cling to the promise that we are never alone.

"Just as courage is faith in good, so discouragement is faith in evil, and, while courage opens the door to good, discouragement opens it to evil"
Hannah Whitall Smith

We are called to be courageous in the face of things we do not understand.

Our trust that God is good despite our discouraging circumstances becomes the cornerstone upon which our faith and courage begin to grow stronger.  Our task becomes the willingness to surrender faith in our own wisdom and knowledge and place it instead on the promises God gives us in his word.

Simple? Yes.

Easy? Definitely not!

Jesus leaves us with these surprisingly simple instructions:

The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.
John 6:29

Encouraging our brothers and sisters is critical to this process.  We need each other and we each have something to offer whether we believe it or not.  Jesus only asks us to offer what little we have.  His Holy Spirit transforms it into the unlimited power of God.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11

Keys to the Prison

 "Life is difficult."

These are the opening words of Dr. Scott Peck's bestselling book The Road Less Traveled.

I have spent many years running from this truth.
Based on my experiences, I am not alone.

We think we can avoid the hard truth by pretending it's not there.
This is called denial.

We think we can escape it through various addictions - food, alcohol, shopping, social media - just to name a few.
This is called bondage.

We can  blame others.
"If only ______ would change then I could be happy."
This is called codependency.
Ultimately we have no control over certain circumstances or how others behave.

Many of us sink into depression at this point as I did.  For more than 20 years I have battled this insidious disease.  I have learned many things.

Learning skills and insights from Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Logotherapy,  and the new exciting research in neuroscience have all been a part of my search for wholeness and healing.

Medication under a psychiatrist's careful supervision has been another essential part of the journey -
as have food, exercise, sleep, sunlight, family and friends.

But none of those things has ever been able to completely set me free.

I'm learning that only God can do that.

Surrender, acceptance and soaking in God's Word are the keys to escape the prison.

I am powerless over many things but when I "let go and let God" I am given a new strength far beyond my own limitations.

Those who hope in the in the Lord
 will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
  they will  run and not grow weary,
  they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31

I am learning one day at a time to trust in the Lord with all my heart.

I am learning that He doesn't expect me to deal with this alone.
He surrounds me with the perfect resources when I need them
(although at times I am blind to them).

That's where trust comes in.
There are many times we may feel alone.
Our feelings can easily mislead us and blind our eyes to the truth -
the unfailing truth:

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:2

Despite our doubt.

Despite our darkness.

Despite our feelings.

Despite our failure and frustration.

Despite anything.

We are never alone.

Our God is with us.

ALWAYS

Waiting for Spring

My beloved speaks to me and says to me:  "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for  now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.  The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

                                                               Song of Solomon 2:10-12

The gifts of joy and spring are intertwined in my mind.

After the long cold winter my heart rejoices to see the first tiny hints of green appear.

My sense of hope and joy grows stronger as the resurrection of spring begins and all of life seems fresh and new.

Waiting for those first signs of new life requires the difficult discipline of patience.  Our faith in God requires that same patience.

In his book, Sacred Waiting, David Timms says:  "We will only wait on Him with joy if we have deep confidence in His love for us."

Just as we have confidence that spring will arrive in its perfect time, we are called to trust that the same is true of God.

There are dark days in the midst of winter when it seems as if spring will never come.  But our thoughts and emotions are not always truth.  Spring will return eventually despite how we may feel.

There are also dark times during our journey of faith, especially times of deep suffering and pain,  when we may not feel God's love.  But the truth is that God's love never fails.  Our feelings may fail us but God's love never does.

In Romans Paul proclaims that "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:38-39

The journey of faith takes great patience and perseverance.  There may be times when we lose our way and feel forsaken.  Joy may be nowhere in sight.  Those are the times we must have confidence that God's love will prevail.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.  Ecclesiastes 3:1

Some seasons may bring joy and some may bring pain but they are all part of the cycle of death and new life.  

In whatever season we may find ourselves, we can trust in God's goodness and His unfailing love which will never end.

Waiting in Silence

Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.
                                 
                                                                     Psalm 62:1

Once more I have lost my way.

What seemed so clear and positively encouraging yesterday has been clouded back over with confusion and self-doubt.

A sense of heaviness weighed my heart down as I hurried through my morning reflection with God in order to got to my Hospice patient's home on time.

Convinced just yesterday that God was calling me to stay with this work as a family support volunteer, today I felt unsure again and questioned whether I might be mistaken.


My fluctuating and unpredictable feelings had once more rushed in creating a sea of confusion.  The peace and joy of yesterday's trust in God's ongoing guidance were washed away like fragile seashells on the shore.


During this midlife time of transition, God has been shaking up a lot of things in my life that have become comfortable and familiar.  I am struggling to move past my fear of change and hear where His voice is calling me beyond the chaos of my own cluttered thoughts.


I am painfully aware of the fact that there are many times my feelings and emotions cannot be completely trusted.  They have led me astray repeatedly and pulled me back to the edges of depression and despair.  They have caused me to question God's plan for me as I  become locked in a sense of failure and hopelessness.

So as I sit here in the quiet while my patient sleeps in merciful peace, I know that I can only wait silently for God's grace to answer my cries for help in discerning the Truth.

He has never failed me and He has promised that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).  He has fulfilled His promises to me so many times and His love is truly the light of my life.  For that I am endlessly grateful.

So once more I must be content to sit in the darkness and wait for a glimpse of His saving light.  I know that it will come.  It always does - just as He has promised.

From Darkness to Joy

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
                                                                      I Thessalonians 5:16-18

There are times when joy seems impossible . . .

                                                     - times of uncertainty

                                                     - times of loss

                                                     - times of fear

                                                     - times of sickness

                                                     - times of despair

It IS impossible to be joyful at such times in our own strength.

But through the power of prayer, God makes the impossible possible.

He reminds us to focus on all that is still good in our lives . . .
                                                   
                                                     - family

                                                     - friends

                                                     - freedom

                                                     - food and shelter

                                                     - His unending and unfailing love and forgiveness

During my own struggles with depression and loss, there have been times when I felt completely abandoned and cut off from God.

But I know those feelings are not Truth.  They are only stealthily whispered lies of the enemy of my soul attempting to drag me away from the Light.

I have felt the fear and discouragement of David in Psalm 30:  "when you hid your face, I was dismayed." (v.7)

Like David, I have cried out, "Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help." (v.10)

And God has always answered my plea.  Maybe not always instantaneously.  Maybe not in a way I was able to recognize at first.  But always in His own perfect way and timing.

He has "turned my wailing into dancing . . . removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to  you and not be silent." (vv.11-12)

I know there will be more times when "weeping may remain for a night" but I also know I can trust that "rejoicing comes in the morning." (v.5)

God has given me all the instructions I need to find my way out of the darkness - unceasing prayer and gratitude.  I pray for His grace to live it out in my life.

Light in the Darkness

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
                                                                 
                                                                          John 8:12


I've spent a lot of time walking in darkness . . .

                        - the darkness of sin

                        - the darkness of my distorted thoughts

                        - the darkness of depression and despair

But in all my darkest times there has always been a light.

Sometimes the light is completely hidden for a time.  And sometimes it it is so faint that I can barely see it.

But I am learning more and more that even when I can't see it,  the Spirit within me knows it's there.

I am learning to hold on even during the darkest nights because I've seen over and over again that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)

Even in my deepest doubt and despair the light flickers in my darkened heart like a tiny pilot light that only God can see.

As God foretold in Isaiah about the coming Savior - a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.  (Isaiah 42:3)

I am learning to trust in the darkness because Jesus promises that whoever lives in the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. (John 3:21)

I am learning that when I cling to His truth He will lead me back into the light of life for He is the light of the world.

A Prayer of Letting Go

Great God of Love,

Forgive me for my feeble attempts to control Your world that I so often don't understand.

Forgive me for the arrogance that convinces me that my way is right.

Forgive me for the impatience of my ignorant demands and childish whims.

Forgive me for my careless words of manipulation and deceit.

Fill me with Your Spirit of grace and truth.

Fill me with the hope of trust and stubborn faith.

Fill me with the evidence of things not seen.

Fill me with the love and freedom held out to me with bloodied hands.

Fill me with the promise that all things work together for good for those who love You.

Fill my heart to overflowing with acceptance, gratitude and praise.

Amen.