My main challenge in life is Multiple Sclerosis (MS), of which I was diagnosed in 2001. My MS is progressive therefore I find myself constantly adjusting to a new level of disability. I do not believe God “did this” to me, but He has used my illness to teach me bits of spiritual wisdom. Sometime His teachings are easily, quite often joyfully, received; an “a-ha” moment when a point of wisdom illuminates one’s mind. Other bits of wisdom are more difficult and even painfully absorbed. It is humbling to be disabled, and “humbleness” is not one of my natural attributes. Even with the help of the Holy Spirit, self-reliance and pride continue to be one of my strongholds against acquiring a humble attitude and nature. This ongoing battle between humbleness and self-reliance is a cross most of us bear. By sharing some of my struggles, and victories, I hope to shed some light on your journey. So, let’s get started. “My sheep listen to My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27. Life can have a way of wearing us down and I found myself in a total state of weariness this last week. Do you ever get weary? I’m not talking about fleeting moments of discouragement or emotional and/or physical fatigue. I’m talking about days of feeling overwhelmed by life’s circumstances which surround you and your loved ones, of just losing hope of ever enjoying your life again. I have heard that hopelessness is a sin. To choose to live in the state of hopelessness is contrary to the nature of God, and since sin is defined as that which is contrary to God’s nature and design, I would have to say that that statement is true. However, the emotion of hopelessness is not a sin, but a warning sign to us that our perspective of life is out of balance. It is pride that keeps us from accepting our limitations, from accepting that God, not you, should be your and your family’s “Redeemer”. In this world we idealize the “super hero”. There are no points in admiration given to the rescued, only to “the rescuer”, and don’t we all have a deep seated need and desire to be significant? When we know (accept) who we are in Christ, we understand that we are the beloved children of God and it’s our Father who is not only equipped, but lovingly eager to intervene when we become overwhelmed by life’s issues. When I allow feelings of hopelessness to rule my mind, I need to remember to trust God to handle whatever (seemingly) insurmountable problem that comes my way. So I talked to God, and He said.. . . “Step aside.” Let’s talk straight. I accept and believe that God is real, that He is everything the Bible teaches us about Him, that He appeared to us in human form as His Son Jesus Christ. I know that God communicates with any and everyone who seek Him. I hope by sharing what He says to me, you’ll find a message for yourself. When He said “Step Aside”, I instinctively thought of what I had said to my own children when they were young. We were having the “dangerous adults” talk wherein you try to teach them that harm can come to them unexpectedly. I told them if they find themselves in danger to scream for me; scream for me, and then “step aside”. Those of you who have children understand. I call it the “she-bear” reaction. A sow bear doesn’t consider her own safety when her cubs are in danger. Her only focus is to eliminate the danger. But God’s answers are most often multidimensional. Besides giving the assurance that He was protectively and eagerly willing to intervene, He was also teaching me to give it up, stop trying to fix it all myself and to get out of His way.
"Be still and know hat I am God." (Psalms 46:10). As one of my favorite Christian writer/teachers, Charles Swindoll put it:"Don't just do something; stand there."
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ReplyDeleteMy main challenge in life is Multiple Sclerosis (MS), of which I was diagnosed in 2001. My MS is progressive therefore I find myself constantly adjusting to a new level of disability. I do not believe God “did this” to me, but He has used my illness to teach me bits of spiritual wisdom. Sometime His teachings are easily, quite often joyfully, received; an “a-ha” moment when a point of wisdom illuminates one’s mind. Other bits of wisdom are more difficult and even painfully absorbed. It is humbling to be disabled, and “humbleness” is not one of my natural attributes. Even with the help of the Holy Spirit, self-reliance and pride continue to be one of my strongholds against acquiring a humble attitude and nature. This ongoing battle between humbleness and self-reliance is a cross most of us bear. By sharing some of my struggles, and victories, I hope to shed some light on your journey. So, let’s get started.
ReplyDelete“My sheep listen to My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27.
Life can have a way of wearing us down and I found myself in a total state of weariness this last week. Do you ever get weary? I’m not talking about fleeting moments of discouragement or emotional and/or physical fatigue. I’m talking about days of feeling overwhelmed by life’s circumstances which surround you and your loved ones, of just losing hope of ever enjoying your life again. I have heard that hopelessness is a sin. To choose to live in the state of hopelessness is contrary to the nature of God, and since sin is defined as that which is contrary to God’s nature and design, I would have to say that that statement is true. However, the emotion of hopelessness is not a sin, but a warning sign to us that our perspective of life is out of balance. It is pride that keeps us from accepting our limitations, from accepting that God, not you, should be your and your family’s “Redeemer”. In this world we idealize the “super hero”. There are no points in admiration given to the rescued, only to “the rescuer”, and don’t we all have a deep seated need and desire to be significant? When we know (accept) who we are in Christ, we understand that we are the beloved children of God and it’s our Father who is not only equipped, but lovingly eager to intervene when we become overwhelmed by life’s issues. When I allow feelings of hopelessness to rule my mind, I need to remember to trust God to handle whatever (seemingly) insurmountable problem that comes my way. So I talked to God, and He said.. . .
“Step aside.”
Let’s talk straight. I accept and believe that God is real, that He is everything the Bible teaches us about Him, that He appeared to us in human form as His Son Jesus Christ. I know that God communicates with any and everyone who seek Him. I hope by sharing what He says to me, you’ll find a message for yourself.
When He said “Step Aside”, I instinctively thought of what I had said to my own children when they were young. We were having the “dangerous adults” talk wherein you try to teach them that harm can come to them unexpectedly. I told them if they find themselves in danger to scream for me; scream for me, and then “step aside”. Those of you who have children understand. I call it the “she-bear” reaction. A sow bear doesn’t consider her own safety when her cubs are in danger. Her only focus is to eliminate the danger. But God’s answers are most often multidimensional. Besides giving the assurance that He was protectively and eagerly willing to intervene, He was also teaching me to give it up, stop trying to fix it all myself and to get out of His way.
"Be still and know hat I am God." (Psalms 46:10). As one of my favorite Christian writer/teachers, Charles Swindoll put it:"Don't just do something; stand there."
ReplyDelete