And so it begins...with a bang and not a whimper (pardons to T.S. Eliot).
This Blog has been in response to the encouragement of a number of people who wish to understand why I can say in the midst of our current great trials, "How great is our God!"
Let me first define God for you because so many people use "God" to describe many things. To many folks, "God" may mean the universal life force or the blind luck that people hope will turn their way. "God" may mean good intentions, good works or earned karma. "God" may even mean a universal consciousness or inner human nature that must only be uncovered for a man to reach peace and strength.
I am here to tell you that my God is more than these. I too believed in all those other gods at one point in my life. And yet I finally began to see that those other gods were incapable of instilling real hope. If I pray to those gods today, I have no reply and no reason to be hopeful that all the junk my family is going through right now has any more importance to it other than to make me stronger for the next barrage of trials until the day I die.
No. God knows my name, has counted every hair on my head and calls each star in the sky by name. His plans for me are for good and not for evil and His love has no end. His name is Jesus.
These intimacies with a concerned God are the reasons why I have hope. These are the reasons why I can stand firm and watch my house drift towards the auctioneer's block and not panic. These are the reasons why I can see the bills come in with no hope of being paid, and patiently wait until Provision is made.
As you come with me on this Blog journey through our current trials, you will see that I am not perfect nor is my strength my own. You will see that I have bouts of sadness and bouts of fear. And yet at the end of the day, when I'm done shaking my fist at God and wondering, "Where are you?", God is still God and I am still in His hands.
And that is why I have hope. I am no person's fool. I am simply loved by Him.
Thank you for sharing this journey with me,
Jack
Forever Hope
9 years ago
And so it begins...but as you have written and as you know, you are absolutely not taking this journey alone. We are all there for you, brother Jack, and will do all we can to help.
ReplyDeleteYou know, Jack, the other day I was driving to class and some trivial annoyance left me feeling sorry for myself. The instataneous, lightning speed transfer from immediate annoyance to acknowlegement of where I fit in the big picture brought sudden humility and mild irritation at myself. Whatever it was that initially annoyed me was immediately forgotten and in its place was my voice critically telling me to "get real". I've learned to listen to that voice and count my blessings each and every day, each and every time the opportunity presents itself. As we've discussed before, not only you and I but along with family and friends, we are so blessed in so many ways. And each time I watch the grace and dignity you and your family exhibit every day, I am once again reminded to count my blessings, which include the five of you (Max, of course), and pray answers and material relief will come to you quickly. Your struggles are many but the lessons you show to others are countless. Love to all.