~ April 7, 2008 ~
“It’s been a struggle lately. Some friends seem to be falling away from their faith. I’ve given my best, and it’s just not enough. Many things haven’t panned out as planned. Defeat everywhere I turn. When more than I can take is going wrong and I face trouble on all sides, it seems too hard to keep going.
But I was reminded at church that my life was bought with His blood. Not with silver or gold, but with His blood.”
It’s no fun at the time, no doubt. Looking back on this entry, all I can think is how wonderful it is that God sustains us, even in life’s deserts, feeling forgotten. Being rooted in Him is all that matters. I’m sure no one could have told me that back then. Yet He’s proven time and again He’s always working, using tough situations and experiences for my good down the road in ways I never expected.
Confession: I’m pretty fuzzy on the details of this particular entry. I clearly recall the part that matters most–the passion in the man’s voice proclaiming believers bought with blood, not silver or gold. The rest is like a snippet of a Psalm with its vagueness, but maybe that makes it relatable. I don’t need those long gone details. They’re not important. Because there have been many more hard times since, just as you’ve gone through over the past sixteen years, friends. Our Leader on this journey has seen us through them all. I hope you’ve learned and grown from them. Sometimes I did, sometimes I was foolish.
But there is one thing I’ve picked up on. Not always, but often these spells of being parched and dry and defeated precede big life changes. As Jesus put it so eloquently in an episode of The Chosen, ‘The testing of your faith strengthens you.’
It’s as if a time of trial is needed, like a bridge, to get us to the next milestone in life, so we can move on to new opportunities, blessings, commitments–whatever may be in store on the next leg of the adventure.
May you emerge from your hardship into a better life, better equipped to play your part in the kingdom. And may you be granted sight to see that most of your time is spent in the high places, in the fullness of life. It’s just that the dark times, no matter how brief, leave the deepest marks . . . until the Day when all will be made new.
Write On,
Fellow Traveler
“It’s as if a time of trial is needed, like a bridge, to get us to the next milestone in life, so we can move on to new opportunities, blessings, commitments–whatever may be in store on the next leg of the adventure.”
I’ve never heard of a trial referred to as a bridge to the next milestone and I don’t think I’ll ever think of a trial in the same way again. Trials, while never pleasant, truly are a growth opportunity and, if we let them, a bridge to become the person God is refining us to be. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and stretching me to look at trials in a new light.
Well said, Sunshine. I wish I could say I had this mentality during most of my trials, but it’s taken a long time for God’s ways to sink in. I’m humbled to be in the company of such fine folk as yourself as we forge ahead. Keep spreading the light!
We often think of life as hills and valleys, we yearn for the hills, to stand atop the majestic peaks to look out with wonder at all that is around us, we want to pitch our tent on the mountaintop, to claim it as ours, to never leave, but as we gaze down at the beauty of the valley, our eyes miss what is evident all around us, nothing, there is nothing on the mountaintop, no life, the mountaintop grants us perspective to see the life that teems and abounds amidst the toil and grind of life in the valley, most of our days are spent in the valley, life in the valley can he hard, it takes effort, vigilance and fortitude to struggle through the toil of life in the valley, but the struggle, the toil reminds us of what is found in the valley, life, breath, sweat, living, we may not be able to see the life around us in the valley as easily as from the mountaintop but it is there, all around us, as you journey through the valleys only to crest the next peak, to glimpse the life around you more clearly, may your brief time on the mountain grant you greater clarity for what is around you and increased grit to keep toiling through the mud, vines and brambles that can be found amongst the fertile fields and vibrant plains of the valley, keep travelling one weary step at a time for every journey has a destination
Such astute perspective, spoken like a sage of old. May all us travelers keep this vision in our hearts, in all things. Pleased to join up with you on this journey, Sage.
It is in the midst of the tornado that we discover the depths of our roots and the strength of our foundation.
Amen. Concise wisdom–how great to have a poet join the company! I know none who ever invited a storm, but many who look back with gratefulness and awe at how they were brought through it. Welcome, Poet.