This entry is based my response to an e-mail I recently received. I have adapted it into a blog entry, because it really got me thinking. I hope it helps you.
Over the years I've encountered many people who faced multiple tragedies and challenges in a relatively short period of time. "When it rains, it pours" describes their situations very well. Some of these people had nothing and no one on which to rely, but for those who knew Jesus, I have seen that God has carried them through. Never has He let them down; never has He let me down. But when you're going through the struggle, it's sometimes hard to hold tight to your faith. It's not that you doubt God, but you doubt yourself, and that doubt begins to bleed over into everything. When God doesn't answer right now or in the way we want, we begin to struggle, wondering if things are ever going to get better.
Self-doubt is probably the most difficult of all doubts, because they are reinforced within us so often. As I always say, "No matter where I go, there I am. I'm with me 24 hours a day." Because of this closeness we have with ourselves, we are constantly faced with every doubt, every failure and every fear. Even when they're not obvious to anyone else, we live them. The closer we are to these feelings, the more real (and more brutal) they seem. But Jesus died to set us free, not only from sin, but from our doubts and fears and failures.
Life is never easy, there's no two ways about it. Many things that we go through are things we will never get over. Jesus didn't promise that He would deliver us from every bad situation, but that He would go with us through them. He promised to give us the strength to see us through. Again, looking at ourselves we might consider that we are very weak and vulnerable. The pain, the heartache, and even the failures are very real and they hurt. It is at times like these we think that perhaps God has abandoned us to such misery.
What we don't realize, though, is that our weakness acts as a kind of "magnifying glass" for the power, majesty and glory of the Lord. Remember what Paul said, "When I am weak, then I am strong." This is what he was talking about. This "magnifying glass" condition works like this: others see what we go through, they know the pain we experience, and while we feel that we can't take another step, the people around us see something else. They might say, "I admire your strength," even though "strong" is the last thing we feel. In fact, we may actually inspire them to continue in their own journey; maybe they're ready to give up, but in you they see a strength that pushes them to take it just one more day.
Even when our life hands us tragedy, God can use it to bring glory to Him. The Bible doesn't tell us that all things are good. Rather, it says that all things work together for good, to those who love the Lord. Even when it's painful, even when it seems impossible, try to look past the pain, past the moment, past the situation, and focus instead on the Lord. Remember what He has done for others; remember what He has already done for you; remember all that He is capable of doing. Then rest in the faith and knowledge that if you're placing your trust in Him, He WILL NEVER abandon you or let you down.
My prayer for you is that the Lord will continue to guide you through the dark times of your life, and that you will use the light of Christ to keep your eyes on the Lord, allowing Him to guide you, and having trust in Him (and yourself) that with Him you can do all things. I pray that He will strengthen and comfort you in the ways only He can. I and others can't offer much, but when we rely on the Lord, we have everything we need.
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1 comment:
I show my age when I remember the Carly Simon song, You've Got A Friend, and I wasn't a Christian then, but I was reminded of the melody. Chris, your paragraph about self-doubt, is what shoots me in the foot every time. Satan just knows how to use those tricks. I like what you said about God using our weaknesses as a magnifying glass. A magnifying glass can shine intense light. Our weaknesses glorify God, cuz it's all about Him and not about us.
God bless you Chris, I never left a comment before, but have been a faithfully reading your posts. ~Anne
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