It seems like it will never end, and it most likely won't. People pray with and for us, but it doesn't go away. We cry out to God for relief, and the answer comes back like this, "My grace is sufficient for you". And then the condition of human fallibility hits us, we are in for The Struggle.
The question is not when it will come, but how will we handle it when it does? This is a world where things don't always even out in our eyes, but in God's vision it is in perfect balance. Bad things happen to good people even in the middle of them doing the best they have ever done. And people trying to change, those of us who have visited hell here on earth and survived, there always seems to be one thing that hangs on to us and won't let go. So what are we to do? Maybe take heart in what the Apostle Paul wrote: Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor 9.5-10 No magic here, just reality. Think of it this way, your spouse or your child is tortured and nailed to a cross to show you how much they love you. Before they die, they ask you one thing, to remember how they handled themselves in the middle of their worst struggle. Do the same as I did, in other words. That is why those words, "My grace is sufficient for you" should sustain us in whatever struggle we are in. Jesus showed us how to take the pain then Paul showed us how to turn it into gain. Because others are always watching us to see if we act like what we believe in. And, how do we grow if we never learn how to handle The Struggle? Or just say it like this: When I am weak and the struggle overwhelms me then He is strong within me to handle what I must go through. He did it, they did it, I can do all things through Him who gives me strength! Selah!
1 Comment
April Bowman
2/9/2019 05:26:48 pm
We all are faced with our own different struggles, but thanks for the reminder that we can all get through them the same way!
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Glenn YankowskiGlenn is an ex-Marine Viet Nam vet who is also a recovering alcoholic, clean and sober for 30 years. He has been involved in start up and ongoing recovery ministry at North Atlanta Church and Campus for the last two decades. He has a passion for outreach and to spread the message that the answer to lasting and fulfilling recovery from addiction is in a relationship with Jesus Christ. He and the ATB team are available to assist in your questions or needs on an individual basis and will do so maintaining complete confidentiality. You may e-mail him at sgtski@bellsouth.net. Archives
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