“If”… It’s a haunting word, isn’t it? And I bet a number of you clicked on over just because of that one word. And what is Mandy going to say about this big ugly “if” at the beginning of this post title.
Let’s think about God’s promises for a second…
God never promised the redeemed life would have no pain.
In face, He promised the opposite. And if you pay close attention, you will see it’s there:
Death will still be at work, but so will resurrection.
Sin will still be at work, but so will redemption.
…not only that, but it’s also clear that those who do not know suffering do not know the love of God. We will see that we are to take up our crosses to follow Him. We are to know Him as Paul sought to know Him, by fellowship in His sufferings…
And, if God’s promises are true, and if we tell Him we want to know Him better, then we are fools to call ourselves victims when a season of suffering falls on our souls.
I have been that fool.
And, in some ways, I still am.
its that one word that has catapulted me into anxiety.
what “if” we move?
what “if” i just cant finish this book?
what “if” i do and no one picks it up?
what “if” this lupus keeps getting worse?
what “if” i thoroughly screw my kids up homeschooling them?
what “if” brent settles because he is too afraid to step out in faith?
what “if” i let him?
what “if” turning 40 in november is worse than im imagining it to be?
my “if” worries are really dumb. i admit that. but theyre there. and some are serving great purposes as they stretch me and cause growth in my life where i have atrophied. even though it hurts.
but still, i need to do some serious refocusing. more on Him and less on them/me.
Look at you! Preaching to yourself.
Keep it up, Tam. Keep it up. You can beat this. I love you.
yah. well, i still need you here with me.
We need to make that happen!! Getting ready for work this morning, I searched my brain for ways to do that…
how is this. i will pay for half your ticket.
Deal!
Sorta…
How ’bout I pay for half your ticket? Or will the travel wreck you?
I’d love nothing more than for you to see my world. And it’s gonna be easier to get you down here than for me to get up there in the next few months. My weekends are about to be even less flexible than they have been.
thinking. praying.
that’s good enough for me!!
i have been that fool too. what a great way to put it. hindsight is always 20/20 isn’t it? but when we are in the midst of suffering we can be so blind sometimes. hang in there.
Thanks for coming by, Grace!
And you know, I’ve even given up on hindsight… I think there are some things we will never understand–they may never come into 20/20 focus in our lifetime. And I think that’s ok. That’s the stuff faith is made of.
I also think faith is made of fists pounding on the Divine chest, instead of feet running away from the Divine hands… But that’s another post for another day.
ooooo fists pounding on the Divine chest….that’s got me wondering. but at the same time saying but i don’t want to pound on Him when I trust and know that He is good even if this suffering hurts like crazy….i think that’s the thing for me right now. to not see myself as a victim or to let this color how i react to people from here on out…i want to still love fiercely, trust, and believe the best of people…
I told a friend today, who has just experienced a terrible heart-breaking soul-silencing loss, that God is big enough. He can take our anger, whether or not its misdirected.
People, on the other hand…? That’s a different story. I don’t know your circumstances. But people are people. Even church people are people. Even those with the best hearts and the best of intentions will still get it wrong sometimes. That’s why forgiveness is so flipping important.
I always like to say “God has big shoulders. He can take it.”
I think Job did lots of Divine chest thumping. Personally, sometimes, I’m pretty sure he rested his forehead against said chest feeling completely defeated and deflated and sobbed for all he was worth.
Our God doesn’t turn us away when we’re angry, or tired, or heartbroken or a million other things because we don’t have the ability to see beyond what is happening NOW. He meets us in our grief. He knows grief. And when we’ve finished our wailing and our gnashing of teeth, and given ourselves a talking to and shaken ourselves up a little bit, He dusts us off, turns us around and walks us back down the road we need to be on.
Amen sister…. I’m so glad you stopped by and left that comment. I know some will benefit from reading it, including myself.
Wow. I’m speechless.
I hate the word “if”, because saying means we are living in the past. Faith is to me all about believing in the promise for a better future.
The more we believe in redemption the less we will think about “what if”. The more we can live for today, and not in the past.
I agree Ed. This is not so much about the “what if” as it is about the “therefore” idea… You know what I mean?
Thanks for making that clearer to me. As you know from past comments the writing part of my mind tends to race ahead of the reading comprehension part.
If is a passive word of doubt. Faith, with its promise of a better future, changes doubt into confidence about that future.
The more confident our faith the more we will focus on dealing with our suffering, instead of crying about being a victim of it. Faith helps us endure suffering because with it we will believe in the promise of a better future even through our pain.
Amen, Ed! You type like a preacher…
“And, if God’s promises are true, and if we tell Him we want to know Him better, then we are fools to call ourselves victims when a season of suffering falls on our souls.”
Intriguing and through provoking. Probably even a wee bit convicting.
Convicted the crap out of myself, Prudence…
I prayed that prayer years ago and have lived His love through suffering. I hope I do not whine, but give Him glory in the pain. Some days it’s easier than others.
Even Jesus learning obedience in suffering (Heb. 5:8).
Blows my mind…
“some days it’s easier than others”
well said… I think a countless number of us would agree with that. But, I’m thankful for a God that can take our tantrums when we throw them!
I want to hug you. This is an awesome post and apparently God wanted me to hear it since Beth Moore talked about “if” today in regards to how the enemy starts to get an in on holding us captive. ” if he can convince us that if the mighty have fallen what makes us think we would be the exception with the past we have had?” what makes us think we will get out of it free?
Oh.my.dang that’s a word!
Isaiah 37:10-11
Oh dang girl. wow.
this is beautiful… your heart has such amazing depth to it and your life experiences that I know have carved our hurts so deep that they take my breath away… have also created a beauty to your spirit that is exquisite
Depth? If there’s any depth, it’s from life doing the carving.
Y’all get the self-censored Mandy.
And beauty? Maybe ’cause I’m not showing all my ugly parts all the time.
Beautifully put.
Thank you Susan.