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Joy in Suffering

12/27/2021

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This was originally published as a guest post on Katerina's blog, www.beautyinthepainblog.com. 

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Suffering. What do you think of when you hear that word? Some words that come to mind include pain, hardship, sorrow, and rejection. If these are what characterize suffering, how can we have joy during the Christmas season, or any time of the year? 


Do we have our definition of joy wrong? For myself, I often find myself confusing happiness with joy, but for the follower of Christ we are commanded to "Rejoice always" (1 Thessalonians 5:16). How can we rejoice when we are suffering? 


The answer lies in the events of Christmas. The reason Jesus came to earth as a baby on Christmas was to die in our place, to cleanse us from our sins, so that one day we can live with God forever in a place with no pain, suffering, or sorrow anymore! As Revelation 21:4 beautifully states: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." 


This is the reason that we can have joy, no matter the circumstances, because we can trust in a God who has redeemed us and promised us that one day all things will be made right. This is the hope I cling to in the midst of my own suffering and sorrows, so that I can "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." (Philippians 4:4) 


Here is a song that I have been meditating on for the past few months and has been a comfort in reminding me that the Lord cares for His children. 

~paisley 

(All scripture quoted from the English Standard Version)
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Be Set Free!

5/25/2020

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This Memorial Day, as usual, I see much making of and thankfulness towards the men and women who have served and do serve in the cause of freedom for our great country. I also am extremely grateful for their service and what it means for me on a practical basis of living life. I think of the memorials our family visited last fall in Washington D.C. and how impressive they were in thanking these men and women and countries that came together for the cause of freedom. Ultimately though I wonder if in our spirit of patriotism we forget the real reason that we are free and the true freedom that we can have. 


Firstly, God brought the first explorers from Europe to what became the United States centuries ago--they literally stumbled upon a land they didn't know existed. It seems they had a desire to find wealth and riches for their purses, but He had something greater in mind. Less than two centuries later, God-fearing people ventured across the Atlantic Ocean to seek freedom in worship and the blessing they believed God had for them in America. Through much trouble and tribulation, ultimately that freedom of religion was realized--and 400 years after the Mayflower landed in America, we know what religious freedom is (and what it looks like to have it threatened). 


But what is true freedom? Is it the ability to worship as we desire? There are countries all over the world where governments feel threatened by religious people and lock them up or kill them for their faith in one god or another.  Are those people experiencing true freedom? The early Christians in the first century AD faced great hatred and persecution by the religious Jews of the time and later by the Roman government. Ultimately, Christians have faced persecution throughout the centuries following Christ's death and resurrection around 30 AD.  If we go by the ability to worship as we please as the standard for freedom, then Christians would not as a general group have experienced freedom since they began following Christ two thousand years ago!


The Apostle John records a conversation Jesus had with some Jewish people who had believed in Him. Not understanding that they were enslaved to sin in their lives and not truly free, they argued with Jesus--not understanding their lack. They needed to be set free by Jesus! They needed to abide in Him and the Truth of His Word and He would set them free from their enslavement to sin. He told them, " 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' " (John 8:31b-32 ESV)     


This freedom is not contingent upon our circumstances, our government's position on religious freedom, nor our own perceptions or emotions. The Apostle Paul wrote regarding true freedom, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4 ESV) This is true freedom. Knowing that Christ, by His death, has set us free from sin's eternal effect upon our soul. If we accept this Truth and walk now according to God's Spirit, we have true freedom. 


This true freedom brings real peace in the midst of life's storms. This true freedom brings comfort even when persecution is on every side. This true freedom brings hope when the foreseeable future seems grim.


Let us cry out like the psalmist, "Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is at my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is at my side as my helper...." (Psalm 118:5-7a ESV)  In Him, we are truly free. Let's set a memorial stone for that!

~meredith 
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(This photo was taken at the very impressive WWII Memorial in Washington D.C. the end of November. Our memorials of places or things we've witnessed is to take a picture of all the feet that experienced that spot together. This was with some sweet friends from the area--hence the 11 sets of feet!)
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With All Her Heart, a short story...

12/31/2013

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It was Christmas Eve and thirteen year old Sarah was sitting at the window looking gloomily at the snowflakes falling outside in the sunset. Behind her, the Christmas tree was dazzling with lights and her older brother and sister were finishing the decorating.  That was why she was so unhappy, her brother and sister. She loved them, most definitely, but she was tired of what they were doing. They quarreled, and not just some of the time, all the time. Sarah wished that she could help them, but she wasn't sure how. She wished she could bring peace to her whole family, but wasn't sure how to do that either.  She finally decided she couldn't stand it anymore. "I'd like to go for a walk, Mama; would that be okay with you?"

"Of course, Sarah. Please don't stay out too late okay?"

        " Yes Mama; thanks." She slipped on her coat and headed out the door breathing a sigh of relief as she did so. "It's awful to be glad that I'm out of there. I wonder what tomorrow will be like. Maybe I'll go over to the Christmas Eve service." Sarah thought as she wandered along. Soon she reached the church that she and her family attended on Sundays. Music floated out as she slipped in the door and took a seat in the back.

As she did so, the choir finished singing and the pastor came to the front. "I'm going to read from Hebrews today, and even though you may think it strange I think that it will be fitting for what I have to say." Then he began to read. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."  There was a moment of silence and then he spoke again, "Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith, and with that faith we are to lay aside everything and run the race he has set before us. Look to Jesus, the only really reliable example that there is when you think about it. He endured all the pain, all the shame, and all the hardship that was set before him, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. The same goes for us too, despite all the trials and hardships in life, be joyful and endurant and then, if our faith is truly real, we will go to live in heaven with God forever!"  

         Sarah sat transfixed as she had never heard the Christmas story in this way this before.

         The pastor was speaking again and his voice brought her back to the present. "This is why Jesus was born, this is why God sent his son to take away all our sin, so that we could be close to him once more! He loves us so much that even though we did not listen to him in the garden of Eden he already had a plan and was willing to send his son, his only son, to take away forever all the sin of the world! Ladies and gentlemen, this is what we celebrate on Christmas Day; this is what we are celebrating all the time!"

          As the pastor closed in prayer, Sarah slipped out of the church and went a few steps down the road. Then she stopped and knelt on the side.  "Lord Jesus," she whispered "I am a wretched sinner and am in dire need of a savior. Thank you for the wonderful gift that you offer to all who choose to accept it. Please give me your gift of life forever with you, and thank you so much for bringing me here so that I could hear the message  of your eternal life." A sudden thought sprang into her head, "Please allow me to be able to share this message with someone else who hasn't heard it before. Thank you, thank you, thank you, in your name I pray Amen."  There were tears in her eyes as she rose and started for home, tears of gladness and peace and thankfulness that she had never experienced before. 

As Sarah stepped in the door of their house something seemed different, then it came to her, it was quiet! Wondering, she went upstairs to the bedroom that she shared with her older sister, Faith. She opened the door and then closed it behind her, Faith was sitting on the bed crying. "Why, whatever is the matter, Faith?" Sarah asked in surprise. 

          "Oh Sarah, I've been simply awful to Mark. I'm sure he won't ever forgive me for being so horrible, Oh Sarah, it doesn't seem like Christmas Eve at all." Faith broke down and cried bitterly. 

Sarah sat down on the bed next to her and spoke gently but excitedly.  "I went to the Christmas Eve service this evening and was really blessed by the message." She launched into a full account of the sermon, how amazing the news was, and how she had asked Jesus into her heart. When she had finished Faith was silent for a minute, then she said brokenly, 

"I'm sorry Sarah, I've been a bad sister to you too, please forgive me."  

"Of course I will!"  

"And would you please pray with me, Sarah? I want to ask Jesus into my heart too." Faith turned toward her pleadingly.

"I'd love to," Sarah said, giving her a hug.

        When Sarah left the room a little while later her heart was singing and there was a smile on her face, "Thank you Jesus for the opportunity to share" she prayed quietly as she went downstairs. When she reached the kitchen she found Mark, her older brother, sitting at the table with his head in his hands. 

"What's wrong Mark?" She asked. 

"I've been awful to Faith lately, Sarah," he replied looking up. "Do you think you could help me?" 

"Gladly." Sarah smiled as she sat down at the table and prepared, for the second time, to share about God's wonderful gift of salvation to us. This was how she could bring peace to her family, and with God's help she would do it with all her heart.

Written by Bethany who is twelve years old and a follower of Jesus, the King of Kings. She is part of a family of seven and is homeschooled along with her other siblings. She is the second oldest with two brothers and two sisters. Some of the things she enjoys doing include singing gospel and classical music, playing her recorder, knitting, crocheting, mending and sewing small things, swimming, writing stories, playing with her brothers and sisters and spending time with her family. 

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True Love & Sacrifice

7/28/2013

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This morning I read the following....


 "Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain nothing."  
I Corinthians 13:3

No matter what I sacrifice--if I don't have God's love in me, it's worthless to me.  It's also worthless to God because my motivations are not honoring to Him.  A true martyr is one who gives up everything for Christ out of a pure heart full of love for Him.  

Oh, that my heart would burn for Him each moment of each and every day....


~meredith




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