Good Thursday morning! Oo-da-lally, there's frost on them there rooftops! Yes, winter would seem to be flexing its muscles early this year. Hope you enjoyed the autumn! :-) Last night I didn't want to go to Bible study. I very much wanted to go to bed and sleep. Perhaps it was the approaching cold front, or the early morning, but God wanted me to go and I wanted to do something else. I undressed for bed and then dressed again for going out. We have all run into times like this when the Lord wants to see a little sacrifice on our part. As always, we had a wonderful time of fellowship and Bible study. Last night we read and discussed the amazing change in Peter as the Holy Spirit took over the spread of the Good News. I was blessed for my obedience.
In light of the sacrifice Jesus gave for our sins, the sacrifice of a little discomfort, a little effort, or a bit of money can seem pretty small on our side of things. However, too often we concentrate on our little sacrifice and forget the much larger one of Christ. Our sacrifice seems so hard when we focus on what is asked. But when we focus on Jesus, as we should, the sacrifice we are called to make often seems so very small. Last night we also reviewed the time when Peter tried to forbid Jesus' own sacrifice when told about what would happen. We often try to forbid something the Lord would have us to do. Most of the time the sacrifice asked from us is small; only a few are counted worthy to make the ultimate sacrifice as Stephen, James, Paul, and yes, Peter, did in that first century.
Yesterday, by the by, was the anniversary of my termination from that old job. What did I learn yesterday? That my sister, Kerri, will become a permanent employee at her new place of employment on Monday. Great news! Prayers answered! What prayer requests can we expect to see in the coming days? God is always busy; expect great things in the coming days!
Cold outside, but warm in the hearts where Jesus lives!
Bucky
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Life span of hurtsOctober 08, 2009
Robert H. Schuller
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." – Psalm 147:3
Each hurt has a different life span.
Divorce has a long life span, especially when children are involved.
Death has a long life span, too. Dr. Joyce Brothers told me after her husband Milt passed away that she grieved for over a year after his death. Many well-meaning friends tried to hurry her through her grief process, encouraging her to "get over him." Day by day, little by little, life got better. She ran on auto pilot to make it through the day. Then one day, she found herself smiling again.
Yes, hurts have different life spans. The point I want to make is this: The pain you are feeling today, whatever your hurt, will pass in time. It will likely leave a scar. But you will get through it. Trust God and your own healing process…you will smile again…I promise.
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Think about the emotional scars in your life. Are any of them still causing you pain? Are there any you need to let go of so you can move on to new things in your life?
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My response: What is the answer this morning? I can tell you that about 11 months is the answer for termination from a long-held position in a corporation, at least it was for me. Someone else may recover sooner or take longer to feel good again. For me at about the start of September or sometime in August, I first noticed that the day seemed a bit brighter, my love for the Lord Jesus stronger, and the writing going much easier. At first, one year ago yesterday, I would never have thought it would take that long, though several people told me to expect it. However, as Dr. Schuller points out in his devotional this morning, our period of recovery is personal, and Jesus will heal each of us in His own time. Any time we have a long relationship broken, it will hurt... a lot. The manner of the breaking could make the hurt deeper and the healing time longer. All of us will experience that in our lives, but one relationship can never be broken - the one between each of us and our Lord Jesus. Praise God for a relationship we can count on through the worst of times in this life!
Bucky (again!)
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