Finding meaning in the tough times

Reading through these words from Ezra, I was struck by how he sought to find meaning, despite the trials and difficulties they were experiencing. There is some profound truth in his insight:

But now for a short time loving favour has been shown to us from the Lord our God. He has kept some of us alive to return to get a hold on His holy place, that our God may give light to our eyes, and give us some new life while we are under the power of Persia. For we are servants, but our God has not left us even while we are servants of another nation. He has shown us loving-kindness in the eyes of the kings of Persia. He has given us new life to set up the house of our God, to build again its parts that have been destroyed, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. (Ezra 9:8-9)

Viktor E. Frankl - For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment.

Living in Grace

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Don't believe them!

Anne Bronte was a prolific writer of poems, books and hymns. She was the daughter of an Irish clergyman, and also the sister of Charlotte and Emily. Sadly, Anne died at the very young age of 29, but even in her short life, she left a huge legacy. 

We sang one of her songs on Sunday, as it fitted in well with our theme on the book of Job. For a young person, Anne had incredible insight and understood the complexities of life and faith. This song reminds us that the Christian path is not a smooth way, and if people tell us that it is, then we shouldn't believe them. This song originally appeared as a poem in Wuthering Heights. 

Believe not those who say
The upward path is smooth;
Lest thou should stumble in the way,
And faint before the truth.

Arm, arm thee for the fight:
Cast useless loads away;
Watch through the darkest hours of night;
Toil through the hottest day.

To labor and to love,
To pardon and endure,
To lift thy heart to God above,
And keep thy conscience pure,

Be this thy constant aim,
Thy hope, thy chief delight;
What matter who should whisper blame
Or who should scorn or slight,

If but thy God approve,
And if, within thy breast,
Thou feel the comfort of His love,
The earnest of His rest?

May we all know the comfort of his love, no matter what we are experiencing at the moment.

Nahum 1:7 - The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.

Living in Grace

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Dealing with bad breaks

 

We will all face a tough times and 'bad breaks' in our lives - what is left for us to decide is how we deal with these. Paul gives us some sound advice for dealing with the bad breaks we will encounter.

Paul suggests (in words of Eugene Peterson):

At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)

If you feel as if you have been driven to your knees, then let Jesus take over and allow God's strength to help you through this tough time.

Living in Grace

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Not easy, but worth it!

 

Listening to many wonderful testimonies in Church today, I was reminded that many of our stories are born in pain. Almost every person testified how through their pain they came to experience God's love and compassion. It almost sounds ridiculous, but this is what we have experienced. Left with a choice of giving up on God and turning back from him, people shared of how they choose to see God's hand at work in their lives. I suppose our stories of the Christian faith could be summed up like this:

"Following God is NOT easy, but it is still WORTH it."

Don't let your present difficulty prevent God from revealing his mercy to you.

Living in Grace
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