Light Rain
Posted in hope, Misti's Posts, Perspective 0 comments
So I've pretty much figured out that I can't write a short post. It takes me a while to get from the question on the table around the subject to the resolution God reveals to me. My husband would say that I just like to make short stories long. Maybe that's true, and maybe there will come a point where I'm all "narrated" out. For any of you wishing for something shorter, keep paying attention--but don't hold your breath. :) - Misti
What constitutes a trial in the Christian life? How serious does our trouble have to be before we can acknowledge and suffer it without feeling like selfish fools? What level of torment earns the right to be referred to as "the valley of the shadow of death" (Psalm 23: 4)?
Recently, I've been feeling the pressure of some trials. Work has been extra stressful, my house is a mess, finances are tight, my kids are transitioning into grown-ups, and I've just recently heard that someone I love may be moving pretty far away from me.
As I've struggled with the increasing weight of these things, I've also been experiencing another layer of stress: Can I really justify feeling pressed down by this stuff? I'm alive and healthy and so is my family; I have a roof over my head and a job to pay for it. There are people in the world suffering with cancer, struggling with addictions or living on the street. Nevertheless, these things feel like trials to me, and realizing my life could be much worse does not remove the sadness and frustration I feel.
So what do we do with the "little" trials of life? Do we have to try to handle them alone because they're not as big as other people's problems? The Bible's answer is "No!". "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" Matt. 6:26. I am so glad God cares about birds! It reassures us all that He is a God of details. Actually, all around us are clues to this aspect of His nature; the intricacies of a spider web, the variety of colors of fall leaves. Just think about all the minute details that have to come together for our bodies to work properly!
God cares about all the things that we face. So, what we do with trials, big and small, is that we put on our boots, pick up our backpacks and walk through them. No matter the size of the trial, though, we can't do it alone.
Arriving home from a meeting the other night, I found my husband watching "Apollo 13". I sat down just in time to catch the scene where Tom Hanks' character looks out the window of the space capsule and sees the earth so far away. He holds his thumb up to the window and closes one eye. As the audience is granted his perspective, the enormous earth seems to be completely blocked out by his tiny (in comparison) thumb.
Perspective is the key to peace. God is bigger than anything we will ever encounter, but focusing on trials can make them seem larger in comparison. My favorite podcaster, Brian Hardin, (Daily Audio Bible) spoke some words straight from God to me this morning. He said, "Hopefully you are having a great day, but even if your day has gone in a way that you were not planning, this is the time to center ourselves around God's Word. This is the thing; this is like a game-changer." God's Word helps us gain proper perspective. When we focus on Him, we realize, like Paul did, that our "sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18. It isn't as easy as it sounds, but it is the most important thing we can do when facing trials.
Besides, Paul was beaten, imprisoned, exiled and the like, and Jesus suffered on the cross and died for us, so what do we have to complain about anyway? :)
What constitutes a trial in the Christian life? How serious does our trouble have to be before we can acknowledge and suffer it without feeling like selfish fools? What level of torment earns the right to be referred to as "the valley of the shadow of death" (Psalm 23: 4)?
Recently, I've been feeling the pressure of some trials. Work has been extra stressful, my house is a mess, finances are tight, my kids are transitioning into grown-ups, and I've just recently heard that someone I love may be moving pretty far away from me.
As I've struggled with the increasing weight of these things, I've also been experiencing another layer of stress: Can I really justify feeling pressed down by this stuff? I'm alive and healthy and so is my family; I have a roof over my head and a job to pay for it. There are people in the world suffering with cancer, struggling with addictions or living on the street. Nevertheless, these things feel like trials to me, and realizing my life could be much worse does not remove the sadness and frustration I feel.
So what do we do with the "little" trials of life? Do we have to try to handle them alone because they're not as big as other people's problems? The Bible's answer is "No!". "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" Matt. 6:26. I am so glad God cares about birds! It reassures us all that He is a God of details. Actually, all around us are clues to this aspect of His nature; the intricacies of a spider web, the variety of colors of fall leaves. Just think about all the minute details that have to come together for our bodies to work properly!
God cares about all the things that we face. So, what we do with trials, big and small, is that we put on our boots, pick up our backpacks and walk through them. No matter the size of the trial, though, we can't do it alone.
Arriving home from a meeting the other night, I found my husband watching "Apollo 13". I sat down just in time to catch the scene where Tom Hanks' character looks out the window of the space capsule and sees the earth so far away. He holds his thumb up to the window and closes one eye. As the audience is granted his perspective, the enormous earth seems to be completely blocked out by his tiny (in comparison) thumb.
Perspective is the key to peace. God is bigger than anything we will ever encounter, but focusing on trials can make them seem larger in comparison. My favorite podcaster, Brian Hardin, (Daily Audio Bible) spoke some words straight from God to me this morning. He said, "Hopefully you are having a great day, but even if your day has gone in a way that you were not planning, this is the time to center ourselves around God's Word. This is the thing; this is like a game-changer." God's Word helps us gain proper perspective. When we focus on Him, we realize, like Paul did, that our "sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18. It isn't as easy as it sounds, but it is the most important thing we can do when facing trials.
Besides, Paul was beaten, imprisoned, exiled and the like, and Jesus suffered on the cross and died for us, so what do we have to complain about anyway? :)
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