For When It Hurts

We can KNOW all the right information, but when we hurt? We are not always thinking or focusing on the information we know. Our feelings/emotions can get in the way. We hurt and that is the only thing right then that we are sure of.

As the world seems to continue growing darker and fear continues to try to invade our hearts, minds and spirits, we need a little/lot of peace on Earth, joy, and HOPE.

Hope as defined by dictionary.com:

to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence

to believe, desire, or trust:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

It is easy to feel hopeless or less hopeful than we normally would when life seems to block our view of the Jesus of Christmas (birth) and Easter (death and resurrection). Sometimes we focus on one based on the time of the year. In order to see the BIG picture though, we need to remember both. 

Maybe this year has been less ideal than most. Our family dealt with death more close up than we had in a long time when my father-in-law passed away in August. One life ripples into so many others. Sometimes in ways we are not even aware of until much later. He was a husband, father, grandpa, brother, uncle, friend.....

I am finding comfort in remembering that God sent Jesus into this corrupted world to bring hope not just for then, but for now too. Jesus came as a baby. Innocent. He grew up. Made friends. Lost friends. When he lost one of his close friends to death:

Jesus wept. John 11:35

We don't cry alone. God did not intend the world to be this way. A world with pain and suffering. My heart hurts when I see my children hurt. How God must feel the pain of His children and want to step in with comfort. We, like our own children sometimes push us away, sometimes push Him away. To do it on our own. Too proud to acknowledge dependence on somebody else. 

God sent Jesus to this world because the alternative is that we would live our time on this fallen sphere and then we die. God sent us Jesus so that we can live with the assurance that THIS? This is not all there is. He sent Jesus to experience what we experience. For when it hurts.

John 3:16-17: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

1 Peter 1:3 (NIV)
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

If you are hurting right now more than normal? The following is my prayer for you. Make it your prayer too. 

Ephesians1:17-19 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. 

Amen and Amen!

Tug of War - HOPE

Recently while I was having one of my thinking moments, I pictured tug of war. First, it was in regards to our son, I think. Sometimes it feels as if he has crossed a great divide. There is still a rope that connects us, but there is a large divide and there are days we seem to be standing on opposite sides.

The other word that keeps popping up in my head and in things I've read is: HOPE. Maybe we see what we need to see when God thinks we need to see it. Maybe we just become more aware.

On a grander scale than just our home, I am picturing God and me on one side of the rope. Facing the chasm and a world that seems to be slipping further into the dark. I am praying that God continues to use me, to use us, to pull people over to the side of light toward HOPE. Where we realize we don't have to do everything on our own. We don't have to be perfect or "normal". We just pull.

The more I think about it. Sometimes God tugs at our hearts. Not loudly. Just a little nudge to remind us to spend more time in prayer and reflection. With family and friends.  On a good day it is just a little tug, a reminder. On the other days, I think God will do what He needs to do until He gets our attention!

Romans 5:4 (MSG)

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! 

 

Lamentations 3:25-27 (MSG)

^25-27 God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
    to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
    quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
    to stick it out through the hard times.

 

1 Peter 3:15 (NIV) Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

The Pit and Hope: The Rock

I have had these thoughts rattling around in my head for awhile now. Trying to decide the best way to write them...and not step on toes....or sound preachy. However, sometimes I need preachy...and my toes stepped on to wake me up....so do with the following what you will (praying that you find some answers to whatever you may going through too!):

Now that I know more about anxiety and depression, I have little doubt that I have dealt with both for most of my life. Well, at least from 7th grade on for sure that I remember. Over the years, I have found help with counseling and medication. Over the years, I have struggled because, as a Christian, I SHOULD be able to beat this with God's help, right? Ahhhh, the infamous SHOULD. grrrrr.

I believe depression is probably different for each person. For me, on the really bad days...when I feel like I don't even want to get out of bed....or even after sleeping LOTS, I do not feel rested. I would probably describe the feeling as being in a pit. It's dark, dank, DEPRESSING! The worst thing is that it FEELS like there is no way out without digging deeper. It doesn't feel like falling. Just stuck. In emotional muck and mire. At the bottom. Trapped with thoughts of everything I've ever done wrong. trapped on the hamster wheel of perfectionism or wasted time or, or, or.

There have been references to pits in the Bible. Some physical (Joseph: Genesis 37 ). Some mental: Lamentations 3:55-57 I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.”

A couple of things I do know...and on a good day, remember: The pit has a bottom so I don't continue to dig deeper. There is a firm rock foundation. I am not in the pit alone. I have family and friends that support me and help me feel better about myself and my circumstances.

In the meantime, I will be grateful for the pit-less days. I will be thankful for hope on the rock of God where I can stand and gaze over, but not fall in. 

Psalm40:2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

 Lamentations 3:19-26 I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Putting our HOPE in the right place....

I don't really like or enjoy politics, official or not. There are POLITICS like the government with the right and left, but there are also office politics and politically correct/incorrect, etc. Why do we trust that politics will get us anywhere we want to be? It seems to all amount to a bunch of gameplaying.

I was reminded of HOPE today and the politic thing because of the Hope poster for the Obama campaign. The artist of the poster was in the news for spreading his artwork illegally on public buildings and possibly taking the image for the poster from another photo...but I digress.

It seems lately that the world seems more hopeless than hopeful. People are losing their jobs. The government while under the illusion of no more politics as usual still has some of the same politicing going on. Let's make a deal is not only a TV show from the past! A "stimulus" package that is 100s of pages long with everything from job creation to STD information (until the right person yelled loud enough to get it taken out) is part of the news of hope for our right now and tomorrow. We put hope in our leaders to make the best decisions with the information they are given and to surround themselves with people that are informed and able to provide assistance with things they might not truly understand.

I propose that we as a nation are misplacing our hope. It is not found in our government or a politician.

I searched www.biblegateway.com for hopeless and hope. I was amazed to find that in the NIV version, there is 1 mention of hopeless (shown below) and 174 for hope.

Isaiah 57:10 (NIV) You were wearied by all your ways, but you would not say, 'It is hopeless.' You found renewal of your strength, and so you did not faint.

Even though this one verse mentions hopeless, it is in the context of even by being weary, you would NOT say it is hopeless.

Even Job (the most picked on man in the Bible) in the midst of ALL that happened to him, mentions hope.

Job 11:18 (NIV) You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.

The following show the TRUE source of our hope for a better tomorrow.

Psalm 31:24 (NIV) Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) but those who hope 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.

May your strength and faith be renewed. May you soar! May you run and not grow weary. May you walk and not be faint. May the Lord in whom we trust continue to be our true source of HOPE!

Suffering, perseverance, character AND HOPE!

I recently read "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and would highly recommend it. I have some thoughts I want to write about, but I saw the following verse...and it seems to fit the moment, so I'm going with it.

Romans 5:3-4 (NIV)
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

This was the verse of the day for www.Biblegateway.com today. (By the way, if you don't always find time to open the Bible, check it out. GREAT resource!)

This comes during a time over the past week that gas prices have continued to go up and down, wall street took a tumble, government bail-outs, and some movies coming out that are downright disgusting!

I'm thinking the above verses not only are just for us, but for the world. Wow, is there suffering! Lost jobs, lost loves, illnesses, hurricanes, etc. Knowing that we don't suffer in vain is a small comfort. I love the word perseverance. That is truly a gift God has given us as humans. We can all use a little more character and then we get HOPE. My current buzzword.

I urge you to look beyond your front door. There may be suffering in your life right now, don't be afraid to reach out and get help....also don't forget...God might be using YOU to be somebody else's help...and HOPE. Don't let suffering be in vain. Use the pain to help somebody else through their struggle. A lot of times just realizing you are not alone in this big world is a huge relief!

Finding level ground

Since the last post (figured I better post something and move that one further down the page!), we've had Labor Day and school has started. Time continues to go by too fast. There seems to be lots of "stuff" happening to lots of people. It's easy to lose ground and feel frustrated and confused, etc.

Bible Gateway had Psalm 143:10 as the verse of the day. I liked the "lead me on level ground". I could use a little level ground after the ups and downs of the past month(s). My/our issues aren't even that bad when compared to what some are going through. Some days it doesn't take much to make me feel far from God...which is my fault. He's there, but I need to remember to talk to Him and include Him in my plans....not going it on my own (which, honestly, I do a lot). I read a little further. It's a Psalm by David, as in King David. That man had a lot of issues especially for the time period he was in.

Psalm 143 (NIV) 8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD, for I hide myself in you. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

So, how do we get to level ground? Put trust in God, request God to show us the way, hide ourselves in him, let God be our teacher and let the good Spirit lead. Will life always be easy? Unfortunately, never this side of heaven. Can we take things a little more in stride? We can try. The following verses come before those above. Sheds some clues on how to get to level ground.

Psalm 143 (NIV) 4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed. 5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done. 6 I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

When we're feeling those bumps along the way, we remember and meditate on the ways God has done for us before....even when we didn't see the whole picture until we look back. We continue to praise God because our soul is thirsty and God is the everlasting drink.

I'm feeling like a rah rah cheerleader girl. I guess part of that is because it's easier to talk about depending on God when we're coming out of the darkness instead of being in the midst of it.

PS The word has been surrender, surgery definitely made me do more of that...including asking for help, which I'm not good at. The word for now? HOPE I heard it many times today!

Night/Early AM thoughts

I admit I like nighttime for the fact that it is quiet (most of the time) and it feels like it's MY time....I don't feel like I need to be depended on or needed.....for real or just in my own head to FEEL important. BUT nighttime is also the time that I try to get quiet....and sometimes that's scary because that's when I can feel those little (and sometimes not so little) God nudges.

I have felt REALLY emotional lately. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the pills I'm on for pain. The fact that I sleep during the day and stay up at night, but the world runs on day time so I feel at least 3 steps behind always isn't helping either.

Overall, I cannot complain. My surgery went well. It's been over 2 weeks already. I have another appointment with an x-ray and the dr. on the 29th. So far, I'm not able to drive because of the soft collar I need to wear to keep my neck stabilized. It's like when the power went out. I forget how grateful I need to be when I can just gather the kids, get in the car and go. And not worry about lifting too much weight or scheduling rides. I have taken a lot for granted and I think that's why I'm feeling emotional too.

When I've done a better job at reading devotionals or the Bible, I continue to be amazed when I read JUST what I need for the time I need it. God is good at providing when we take the time to show up!

So, a few minutes ago, I looked at Bible Gateway and the verse pretty much covered what I'm feeling like:

It's Psalm 42. The one that starts out with "as the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants after you." (OK, not the Bible quote, but you get the point)

Verse 8 (NIV) 8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.

Pretty much covered the night and day thing. I've also been feeling really down about the whole world situation. Sure, there are individual groups trying to make a world difference, but as a whole world, we need some serious work!

Then I kept reading:

9 I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" 10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Isn't it awesome that God knows we will not always be happy campers? So, I will keep putting my hope where it belongs. I will answer that God is alive and well and continues to watch over us. Our enemies WILL BE defeated. There will be a day when we will all know that we are not forgotten and we do not need to mourn.

HOPEFULLY yours. K.