Get back appendicitis!

The 21st of August I turned 27. You would think that a persons birthday would yield a number of cards with beautiful and kind words, special dinner and maybe a few gifts. I received appendicitis, needle pokes and any number of unpleasantness that I will shield my readers from. Well one gift I did not expect was an extremely fast recovery. One might question God saying, "Why are you doing this to me?" I don't make it a habit to sugar-coat things; sometimes life just flat out stinks. Hardship is like the forging of a sword. In order to make the sword strong enough, it must go through extreme fire, pounding of metal against metal and then put into water. Then the process is repeated until the blade is ready for battle. We never enjoy hardship nor would we ever voluntarily ask for it. I often wonder if I had been given the choice, would I decide to be confined to a wheelchair or have the ability to walk? Would I have the same perspective? Hardship isn't what God "does" to us, it's what God "allows" us to go through so that we are strengthened in our walk with Him. Then He can use us to build His kingdom. Amen!

Joy trumps sadness

No one, except The Lord, is certain exactly when our lives will come to an end. Now, my friends, before you call me Mr. Morbid, I'd like to to elaborate. Though death may be more eminent in my life, God has blessed me with a unique perspective. Last week, I was sitting in the backyard. The warmth of the sun gently kissed my face. A light breeze made the leaves blow in the wind, as if they were waving hello. Not five feet in front of me, the honey-bees busily went about their work spreading pollen. All of a sudden I was over whelmed with sadness and, at the same time, a feeling of great joy. God created such a marvelous world filled with vibrant colors, wonderful creatures and vast galaxies. I was saddened at the thought of leaving my family, friends and beautiful surroundings. On the other hand, I was joyful because I know that heaven will be better than my puny little mind could even imagine.

Original artist

As I sat in the sun today, I couldn't help but wonder what a joy it was for God to create a world full of beautiful and majestic surroundings. I like to imagine our Creator is an artist painting on a canvas the different animals, plants, water and skylines. My friends, as you are out enjoying the summer, I encourage you to reflect on just how amazing and how personable God is.

Light in the darkness

The following story is fairly long, but I feel that I should share with you my unbelievable experience. Late at night, while trying to fall asleep, my mind was racing with thoughts. Of the many things I pondered, a few seemed to stand out. I began to think about life and how the days just seem to be speeding up. A feeling of fear began to come over me as I thought about death; not necessarily where I'm going, but more the physical steps that my body will endure. All of a sudden the fear I was feeling seemed to melt away. I could only describe it as an unbelievably warm sensation. The only explanation I can come up with is that God heard my fearful thoughts and just took them away. He didn't stop there. Just to show me how how infinite and extravagant he truly is, the Lord surprises me even more. The door opens and in walks my mom. Noticing I'm still awake, she asks me if I'm okay. Astonished, I could only respond with three simple words, "How'd you know?" to my friends and family, I tell you that even though thoughts of fear and doubt will come, God has sent His only Son to be our light in the darkness.

Covered

In the late hour that is now I am left with my thoughts to ponder. Among these thoughts there is a remnant of fear. Not a crippling one, but a fear nonetheless of what we will have to answer to when we meet the Creator. There will be an account of everything we've done, said or even thought. Thank the Lord for sending His son on our behalf to take the place of our sin. It's as if we are naked before the Father and Christ gives us His robe and says, "Here, take mine."

Freedom

Lord God, please use us to build your kingdom. I ask that you use our suffering to bring You glory. I thank You for sending your Son to break the shackles of our sin be broken, thus giving us wings to fly. Amen!

Break me to build me up

In my relationship with the Lord, He has shown me things that I believe, if we accept it, can bring me and fellow brothers and sisters-in-Christ closer to Him. One of the things is that God must first allow us to be broken before He can rebuild us to truly be used for His kingdom.