IAnnthology

Detour

2011-03-07T08:39:00.003+03:00

Even when our journey in life is marked by crushing waves of disappointment, hopelessness, depression, or despair, Jesus is present with His love, compassion, and grace. His proof, presence, and provision is enough to carry us safely through.

When threatening circumstances press us to lose hope, we can find encouragement in the words of this song: “I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free. For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” We are under His watchful care.

For the Christian, what looks like a detour may actually be a new road to blessing.

Matthew 10:29-31

Waiting...

2011-03-05T11:53:00.001+03:00

What we wait for is far less important than what God is doing while we wait. In such times He works in us to develop those hard-to-achieve spiritual virtues of meekness, kindness, and patience with others. But more important, we learn to lean on God alone and to “rejoice and be glad” in Him.

Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." ...teach me Lord to wait.

God stretches our patience to enlarge our soul.

Try To Relax

2011-02-28T14:32:00.002+03:00

I hate going to the dentist. One particular incident happened way back in my high school days where I had to be hospitalized for 3 days after having my wisdom tooth removed. I have dreaded going to the dentist ever since.

My wife makes me go for cleaning every now and then though, so every now and then I find myself sitting in the dentist's chair staring into a bright lamp, drill and other sharp objects (the mere thought makes me shudder).

Getting ready for the worst, my body language and facial expression exposes my sense of dread. But the dentist just looks and me and smiles, saying "It's ok Ian. Try to relax."

Easier said than done. It is actually very difficult to try (requiring effort and exertion) to relax (requiring an absence of effort and exertion). Try and relax just don’t seem to fit together—not only in the dentist’s chair, but in the spiritual realm as well.

Far too often I don’t limit my efforts of resistance to visits at the dentist’s office. In my relationship with Christ, I find myself not pressing for God’s purposes but for my own interests. In those moments, the hardest thing for me to do is “try to relax” and genuinely trust God for the outcome of life’s trials.

In Psalm 46:10, we read, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” In the moments when my heart is anxious, this verse reminds me to “be still, and know.” Now, if I can only put that into practice and rest confidently in His care, I’ll be at peace.

God knows the future, so we are safe in His hands.

Smiling Through The Pain

2011-02-27T13:47:00.004+03:00

I'm at a point in my life where I just feel like screaming, yelling, collapsing, fighting, hating, or just simply blanking out the pain. But regardless of how much pain I'm feeling, and no matter how much I hate this feeling, it's like I have an inner smile that is deeper than my pain, and I just can't help but smile.

Reading a Our Daily Bread devotion, the ending thought gave me so much encouragement, "Our greatest comfort is to know that God is in control."

There are situations in this life that are beyond our control and it's so easy to just lose control and give up. But knowing that an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing God is able to turn even the most desperate situation into a good thing gives me enough reason to continue smiling.

The pain is still there, but pain takes a new form when a smile is added to it. It's like a door opens to another room. But this room just has more space than the room I was in before.

Have you ever managed to smile even when you didn’t feel like it? Did you end up feeling better?

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” --Thich Nhat Hanh