Lost.
Listen, when you live in a lost world, it is natural to
sometimes feel the lost-ness.
The directional signs are all over the place. Fat is bad,
fat is good. Go here, no, there! Do this – now! Save up for retirement. The
trend is graphics, the trend is finance, the trend is start-ups.
Our ability to choose is sabotaged by the profusion of
available choices.
And then, we stumble. Things go awry. Relationships hit a
wall. Promises are forgotten, our hearts break.
Set.back.
Sounds like all our steps led to nowhere.
Sometimes it can even feel like after all the effort, conviction, and
sacrifice; we regressed! After all, we are getting older and someone told us we
were meant to move forward, to go from ‘strength
to strength’. Aw God, this is so darn disappointing!
Maybe I heard wrong. Maybe I did wrong. Maybe, my faith is
too small. No, a small faith like a mustard seed moves mountains. Where is my
faith if I am walking into mountains?
Go on and say it: I am disappointed. I am sad. I am mad. I
am giving up.
It’s okay. These feelings happen: lost and setback, unsure,
frightened, feeling vulnerable, wanting to let it all go, angry, resentful…
You are not being held by your feelings anyway. Not even by
your faith. {I shall talk about where that comes in later}. You are being held
by Love. Love is unafraid of your feelings. Love sees them, absorbs them, bears
them.
Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. Selah ~ Psalm 68v19
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. Selah ~ Psalm 68v19
The fruit of
pain is often cynicism. It is also the fruit of years. Growing older can make
us more cynical as we encounter more of life and people.
\ˈsi-nə-ˌsi-zəm\
: cynical beliefs : beliefs that people are generally selfish and
dishonest
So, just in
case, we will not lay all our cards on the table. Just in case, I will withhold
myself. Just in case, I will self-protect first.
The problem
is, we were designed by God to be free, safe, and fully engaged. Life is an
immersive experience. You find it and live it as you dive in. Holding back lets
you see the water but not feel its power. To dive in, one will have to trust that
the water will hold you up when you relax and let it. But we thrash about so!
God’s answer
to this is so simple, we often miss it.
G-r-a-t-i-t-u-d-e.
Being
grateful is a posture of dependence.
Being grateful
is an exercise in defiance.
Being grateful
is engaging with the Unseen and announcing its triumph over what we see.
Being
grateful is laying down a traceable trail in this world of crisscrossed
pathways.
It is
hanging on to what little faith because that little faith is hanging on to a
Great God who is holding on to you, with no intention of ever letting go.
Such that,
we can,
give thanks
in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ~ 1
Thess 5v17
God’s will
is that we remain thankful because this is how we remain faithful.
wonderful post! so encouraging. the most encouraging word? jn. 1:5. darkness can't overcome the Light, Jesus! how great is that?
ReplyDeleteHi Martha, thank you. I am so glad it was helpful for you.
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