The Mystery of Suffering

When I think back over our 2020 and 2021, it’s like we walked through a curtain into a new atmosphere, a new world it seems. Life, post-COVID, is just different.

Beyond the COVID experience, our family has experienced many losses. In January 2021, my sister passed away followed by my dear Aunt in May of 2021. When we thought the mourning and grieving was drawing to an end, we had to walk through the loss of my father-in-law who was a most cherished grandfather to my children and best friend to my husband.

How does one cope through such deep loss? I hadn’t thought deeply about the notion until death crept so close to us and I found all my answers in the cross of my Savior.

I’ve learned how dearly important it is for the Christian to have an understanding of the sufferings of Christ to be able to find strength and peace in the sufferings of this world.

My Savior suffered and therefore, as His child, I too will undergo suffering. The world may look at tragedy and hang their head in shame and dismay and try to muster up energy to get through life. In the light of Christ’s death on the cross though, suffering takes on a different perspective from the world. The believer has the ability to count it all joy in suffering because through suffering we develop endurance and perseverance. Our inner man is renewed.

I’ve learned through the example of Christ and other brave Christians, like Elisabeth Elliott, that suffering is not for nothing. Suffering is a mystery. We won't understand all of the ramifications of our suffering experiences, but we can be confident that there is One that has a purpose for us in it and is sovereign in it all. I’m learning that God transforms me through pain and as I accept and even develop a heart of gratitude in suffering, I’m being transformed further into the person that God has planned for me to be.

It’s extremely painful and

Uncomfortable,

But the fruit that results for the one who endures is priceless.

God's Faithfulness

 Graduated our baby girl on June 11, 2022!

We thank God for His faithfulness. Love was accepted to all of the colleges that she applied to and decided to attend Liberty University in the Fall, majoring in Elementary Education. With the college credits that she earned with CLEP tests, she is registered as a sophomore and earned a full tuition scholarship. 

The mind of a person plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. 

(Proverbs 16:9)

Maintaining Continual Peace in a Broken World, Part 2

Psalm 91 says it all. 

To whom does a believer turn to for security and peace? 

Security of the One Who Trusts in the Lord.

91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.

5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
6 Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
7 A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
9 For you have made the Lord, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
10 No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.

11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
12 They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.

14 “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
15 “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 “With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.”

(Source here)

Maintaining Continual Peace in a Broken World, Part 1

Believers, every day we need a head check and we need a heart check because what we think governs our emotions. God holds His children to a high standard of holiness and that standard is largely shaped by our mental state. What we think governs our actions and our words. Our thoughts are governed by what we allow to enter our thoughts.

 

We continue to live in a very unique and challenging time. There has always been divisiveness within our world, but it has crept within the body of Christ. There are differing views on the coronavirus and how the Church should be responding to this viral outbreak. Open Churches or keep them closed, wear a mask or stay unmasked, stay at home and keep your distance or stay close to the ones you love.

 

And, then there’s the spirit of fear that seems to be an underlying issue.

Fear of getting sick.

Fear of getting close to others.

Fear of loved ones succumbing to the virus.

Fear of dying.

 

The reality is everyday there is the possibility that today will be our last day, that we’ll take our last breathe.

 

The chance of someone dying in a car accident is 1 in 103 and 1 in 9,821 for death in a plane crash.

The chances of dying from heart disease are 1 in 6 and the chance of death from cancer is 1 in 7.

The probability of flu death is 0.02% and the chances of dying from the coronavirus infection are 0.5% to 1%.

 

Let’s face it, death is imminent.

 

While I don’t know of many people who desire to face death today, even for believers that long to be with Jesus, God calls us to live our days on earth with hope, joy, and peace and not in fear.

 

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

 

Fear is so immensely crippling and if the adversary can’t take our salvation (which can never happen because salvation is eternal and always secure in Christ), he can surely make strides to cause us to live in fear and disrupt our mental and spiritual state.

 

What troubles me in this day and time that we’re living in, God's children, who should serve as beckons of light to the world of faith, courage, and strength, are instead hiding in the shadows of darkness in a state of worry, fear, and dismay.

 

Instead of having thoughts of victory in Christ, knowing that God has numbered our days and He is sovereign over our life, we can be tempted to mirror the world in a state of panic and worry. If we stay tuned into the media 24/7, we can feed into the narrative that death is creeping not just outside our doors, but right underneath our noses in the form of unseen viral particles in the local markets, stores, and we could be infected and walk right into death’s door just from the simple embrace of a friend, a neighbor, or a loved one.

 

Surely, the onslaught of this message would cause even the most courageous and faithful Christian to fear.

 

I will be the first one to say that I’m guilty of the temptation of fear and worry and I’ve had to repent of the sinful pattern of allowing discouraging thoughts to plague me. This is such a slippery slope for a Christian because left unattended, it can lead believers into depression, sickness, stress, and bad decision making because your actions are not based on truth.

 

My favorite bible verse tells us exactly where we should keep our minds,

 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence, and anything worthy of praise, think on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:6-9)

 

We should be constantly seeking the Lord for wisdom and discernment. God calls us to be in the world, but not of the world. The world should not be our source for guidance and wisdom. It's so interesting that we're living in a time where the Church is having to question and reason whether or not it should open its doors, if the congregation should openly sing worship songs because of viral particles in the air, or if people should meet for Bible study and fellowship.

 

These challenging discussions should really bring us to our knees in prayer, asking the Lord for discernment as we know that Satan relishes in being able to thwart the work of the Church.

 

“We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)

 

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."  (Ephesians 6:12)

 

God has all wisdom and all knowledge. We may never understand why these things are happening this side of Heaven, but God is sovereign and as Jehovah-Sabaoth He reigns above and over all forces both in Heaven and Earth.

 

Christian brother and sister, don’t allow external circumstances draw you away from your Heavenly Father, His promises for you, and the PEACE that He promises to His children. The news and state of this broken world will continue to fluctuate and change, from one day to the next. God’s Word, the security, and hope that we have in Christ are the only things that will remain the same. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on our Savior and experience mental and spiritual peace even in the midst of trying times. 

 

May these truths bring your heart and mind joy!

 

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My right hand. “ (Isaiah 41:10)

“When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul. “ (Psalm 94:19)

 

“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.” (Psalms 42:11)

 

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, not let it be fearful.” (John 14:27)

 

Books That Point You to the Truth

I wanted to pop my head out from my latest book long enough to share some insights before delving head first back into my next book.

Lynn Austin’s series, “Chronicles of the Kings”, is so immensely gripping! I love God’s Word and it’s even sweeter when an author creates a fictional story based on biblical history that makes you want to grab your Bible. 

With each book in this series I have found myself crawling up on my bed with my Bible reading the true account of the stories that Lynn Austin has so beautifully authored in this series. She paints beautiful pictures of these biblical characters in each story and intertwines the truth of God’s Word in with fictional characters and amazing plots that paints a movie in your mind of how their lives may have been lived out. 

Direct quotes from scripture are weaved into the story to provide the skeleton from which Lynn could use her imagination to develop a gripping story. 

Each book so far has been a page turner.

As I've read Books 1-3 so far, chronicling through Kings in the Old Testament, I’ve been reminded in these stories about God’s expectation of His children to remain faithful to Him, regardless of the difficult circumstances that we may find ourselves in. God’s grace is sufficient, come what may. 

I look forward to the continuing story of Kings as I peek into the life of King Manasseh, a man who did evil in the sight of the Lord and the life lessons that I can gain from his mistakes and God's ultimate victory in the life of His people. 

Accountability Groups & Goal Setting

The last time that I wrote about fitness I was working out using my own personal library of fitness VHS tapes and DVDs. Many would have said that my fitness source was outdated (who uses a VHS tape player anymore?), but the medium that you use to workout isn't as important as the workout itself and whether or not you're actually using it to workout.

Since that last post, I've become a part of an accountability group that checks in with each other on a daily basis to share their workouts using an automated system that makes working out actually entertaining! I've written before about how being accountable to someone in your fitness regiment is paramount to being successful with maintaining a regular routine of  physical activity and it's still true.

This very key aspect is the reason that I joined the group in 2019 and have been extremely pleased with how this commitment has further encouraged me to workout on a consistent basis. Whether it is on vacation, cold seasons or hot seasons, knowing that someone is expecting me to workout helps me set personal goals and work to attain them.

As part of this group, I also now have access to an extremely large library of fitness programs that have their own set of fitness challenges that you can take on within a specific period of time. One might think, What's the big deal with setting a goal or fitness challenge? 

When it comes to fitness, goal setting challenges a person to push themselves beyond what they would normally accomplish or even desire to do. Without a goal in front of us, many of us would either do nothing or do whatever is minimally required.

Before joining the accountability group in 2019 I had never taken on a challenge set to a specific set of days and when I was presented with my first one, my first response was hesitation about doing one that would last for 21 days. It's something about being responsible for working out on each day and then having to report to someone that you've done the work that made me a little nervous.

What if I don't feel like working out on a certain day?
What if I have a scheduling conflict that gets in the way?
What if my body hurts too much and I don't feel like finishing the challenge?
What if I have trouble making the time and sticking with the schedule?

These questions and many others crossed my mind before signing up for my first challenge, but I took it on. By day 21, I realized that every answer to the questions that loomed in my head were only excuses.

People fulfill their responsibilities to the things that are important to them.

Everyday most people brush their teeth, they take showers, they cook their food, and they go to work. People do these things because the result of not doing them is unacceptable. Most people don't want dirty teeth, body odor, a growling stomach, or an empty bank account.

So, they do the work necessary in these areas.

I find that it is the same with fitness.
If living life as the best version of yourself is important to you, then doing the work to stay in shape becomes nonoptional. And if fitness isn't that important to you at this point in life right now then I encourage you to change your focus and consider joining a group of other people in the journey of making fitness a priority and then start setting goals to keep you motivated.

If you're interested in learning more about the accountability group and goal setting that I've found extremely useful, please message me!

Book Series Suggestion

Being in the house has fueled my love for reading and led me to take in some great books. Lynn Austin has been most recent, favorite author.

A few months ago I finished a series of her books centered around the time of the Civil War. I gobbled up the entire series of books in a few short months because they were so well written. Lynn does a beautiful job in all of her books making the characters come alive and she has a way of drawing out the emotions and personalities of the characters to the point that as the reader you feel as if you either know them or want to get to know them.

The Refiner's Fire series is definitely also one that will inspire a heart for the Lord and His Word. I found myself crying at some point in all three of the books in this series, Candle in the Darkness, A Fire By Night, and A Light to My Path and folding over pages where such poignant messages are shared so that I can go back and re-read to be inspired again and again. I've been reading many of Lynn Austin books this year and I'm amazed that each one is uniquely different and uniquely captivating.

I usually go to the library as my primary source for my personal reads, but with them being closed I've been using online used bookstores like ThriftBooks and AbeBooks.

Happy Reading!