His Truth in Life (3)
When You Are Down
For us all, when we are feeling down, and we all will from time to time, remember we've got to hang on 'til tomorrow. It's only a day away. We need to remember, whether in pain or sorrow or loneliness, nothing in this life lasts. Our lives are but a passing shadow or a vapor, here today, gone tomorrow. (Ps. 144:4, James 4:14) And there is nothing God will allow us go through that is as bad as what He endured for us. Loneliness? He knew loneliness in Gesthame (Matt. 26:36-44). Pain? None is worse than being crucified. Turn to Him. Cling to Him. He understands. And hang on 'til tomorrow. And in the meantime, recognize and treasure the good things and times. They won't last either. Every one of us has so much to be thankful for.
Dealing With Our Changing World
There is truth in the song from Fiddler on the Roof, "Sunrise Sunset swiftly fly the days....." Being forewarned doesn't seem to make it easier. Sometimes I get angry or discouraged over the inevitability of everything changing, not only the morals of our country, but my own physical changes as I age. The important thing is how to be happy with the things we can do without lamenting about all that has and is changing. For example, for those who are older, that we used to be able to do so much more or do other things we can't now. For those who are younger, watching the children grow up so very fast.
Then I realize I am forgetting the most important lesson, this life is not all there is to it! Faith in that certainty makes all the difference! I will be joyful in doing the things I can while I am here, because one day my time here will be over and so will all pain, tears, heartache, replaced with such joy. (Rev. 21:4) Other Biblical wisdom, "Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning." (Ps. 30:5)
Another song, "I can only imagine...what it will be like". Meanwhile, I am grateful for what I can do. Our children have their lives in front of them. I can't relive the past, but I can have joy and peace. We can be happy for the memories and the time to reflect on them, instead of being sad we can't duplicate them. May you enjoy each day as a treasure!
Too Blessed to Be Stressed
I tell people when they ask how I am, "I am too blessed to be stressed." Neither my husband or I take life for granted, with him almost dying so suddenly a couple of years ago in the Bahamas when he fell off the boat and hit his head on the dock and my nearly dying a few months later with the burst appendix and then 5 months after that my having a heart attack. No, we don't take our being able to do things for granted.
I told that, that we are too blessed to be stressed, to a clerk in a store. When I went on to say first that we live in THIS country. The customer behind me enthusiastically agreed. Her neighbor had emigrated here from Hungary when she was a teen and had told the woman much about what life was like there.
Whatever your circumstance, there is so much to be thankful for. We have our friends and family who love us. We can move. Watching my brother Rob die of ALS, I am so thankful to be able to walk, to breathe on my own, to eat. We all have most of our five senses in varying degrees. And we can laugh. I can't close without reminding you that as Christians, we know no matter how long or short this life is and no matter the pain, the hardship, the fear we may endure, it is not even an eye blink in time compared to the eternity we will spend in heaven (In the book of John alone, Jesus promises us this 17 times). We will be in God's presence (Rev. 22:4) with no fears, no pain, no tears (Rev. 7:17,21:4), just everlasting joy (Jn. 15:11).
Don't wait until you can't sleep, like the song, "When you're tired and you can't sleep, count your blessings instead of sheep and you'll fall asleep counting your blessings." Open you eyes to your blessings now. As I wrote my Mom long ago, a person with a thankful heart is a happy person.
An Encouraging Poem
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
- Author unknown