Facing the tests of life

“Unemployment. Divorce. Infertility. An unknown future. The death of a dear one. The illness of a child… The cruelty of an acquaintance… (You name it…)

There comes a time when our faith is tested deliberately by God, not so we will be overcome, but that we might grasp the validity of our faith and know it to be real. From God’s hand comes the cumulative exam designed to reinforce our learning about him and his work in our lives.

Someone likened this process to the kite flyer who takes the string of a kite and runs until the kite ascends into the sky. The kite will not rise without the wind. Wind is necessary to flying a kite, and kites rise not with wind, but against it! So it is with us. We will not rise to patience and maturity unless we ascend against trials.

We must meet our test not with the bleary eyes of a worried novice but with the confidence of a student who is well-acquainted with the words of the professor.

Layer upon layer, God is educating us about how he has worked in our lives and in the lives of those we love!”

Mom’s Devotional Bible

Advertisement

Resolution V/S Inventory

This year, I decided not to make new year resolutions. The reason, I have noticed that most of my resolutions are not realistic, either some come back every year or I always feel guilty about those I cannot fulfill … So, I chose to do an inventory!

An inventory takes stock of what we have and what we don’t have. Grocery stores, factories, all kind of businesses take inventories. They can even be taken of human spirit, right? How about taking a spiritual inventory?

Let’s begin by looking at what we have. Friends? Responsibilities? Deep feelings? Hobbies? Intelligence? Children? The list can go on! Taking inventory of our possessions, talents and relationships seldom turns up anything unexpected. But, let’s pause here and beware of a danger: sometimes taking inventory of what we do have can actually lead to pride; we begin to think: “hey I’m doing all right!”

The surprise comes when we tally up what we’re missing. Security? Happiness? contentment? Patience? Trust? Peace? Now, what do I do when I discover that my “don’t have’s” outweigh my “have’s” without feeling guilty or stress?

Well, as for me, I can finally recognize my true state before God. How can I move forward if I don’t see and admit what hinders me! While we might imagine ourselves to be spiritually “wealthy,” we are, in fact, bankrupt before God. When we pretend otherwise, we are being deluded by pride. Does this make you uncomfortable? If you’re a Christian like me, talk to God about it (He’ll never judge your feelings) and put Him in control of all that you lack, that you need to improve or change.

For my non-Christian friends, talk to someone you trust, someone who will be honest with you on your “don’t have’s” and help you in the process. Sometimes, we are surprised to discover that when we share with God or ask someone else, our resolutions list is way far from what we really need to improve or change right now or in this year 2016.

I hope you’ll choose God to reveal to you what you lack. Have a great week!

 

 

 

A Picture of PEACE

Today, the sun is brightly shining, six adorable kids are running, screaming in the house and playing football outside. My husband is on call (work) but is home and able to help around cleaning the garage. Life is great right? But, you know what, I feel agitated… The reason? Dear friends are in the hospital right now fighting with their 16 years old boy recently diagnosed with Leukemia…

“The story is told of a kind who held a contest to find the perfect painting of peace. Extraordinary works of art were entered, but the winning painting depicted a raging storm on a mountainside. Lodged in a crevice, a mother bird sat on her nest, protecting her young.” What is wrong with this king? Where is peace in that picture?

Oh wait, such a picture of peace resembles the one I read in my Bible: Mark 4:35-41. The disciples and Jesus were in a boat on the sea of Galilee. Jesus was sleeping when a wild storm came up. As the waves broke over the boat, threatening to sink it, the disciples cried in terror to their sleeping Teacher, “don’t you care if we drown?” At this, Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and the waves and questioned the disciples. Did they have no faith?

Well, my agitation, the raging storm our dear friends and their son are going through, the king incomprehensible choice have their meaning in Jesus response to the storm and his question to the disciples:

Peace is Jesus asleep in a boat in the middle of a storm.

Peace is a calm trust in God in the midst of irritation rather than its absence.

Convinced of God’s control over every detail of our lives, PEACE is the presence of FAITH even when the world around us screams that there is no reason to believe!

PS: This is going to be a long journey for our friends and their boy, If you would like to know more and would like to help, here is the link to the page https://www.youcaring.com/lucas-neudorf-and-his-family-496036

God bless you!

 

 

How’s Your Heart?

I love to carefully take care of the condition of my home in order to keep it off the “disaster area” list. But, how much attention do I give to my heart?

When the Bible says that the heart is to be guarded because it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23), it means that it is from our hearts that the rest of our attitudes get their cue. Depressed? Check the contentment quotient of your heart. Feel like griping? Once again, review you heart and then you’ll know why.

Rather than cleaning up the outer edges of our lives, we’re wiser to pay attention to the deeper parts of ourselves. Running the vacuum cleaner through a few ventricles, we may discover a layer of dissatisfaction, of envy, or even of anger that we’ve stuffed out of sight.

There’s no use trying to paste on a happy face or a good attitude to show in public if our hearts are cluttered with hidden issues. What’s stuffed down in our hearts will sooner or later spill over into our days with our spouse and children, our neighbors, our co-workers, and God.

Hey, you look great and your house looks great. But How is Your Heart?

Mom’s Devotional Bible

Happy ThanksGiving!

Gratitude is the heart’s memory

 

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.

November is the time to be thankful, a time to remember and to embrace those who enrich our lives. I’m thankful for a lot of things, but I’m most thankful for You!