You want to be whole and you want to be healthy. You’ve tried, but you’ve failed. We have people who help us, who listen to our story, who give us advice, but we still feel crummy, like a failure, like we will never get better. That’s a sad state to be in. Hope is in short supply.
God cares. He really does care. He doesn’t want you to be lost and alone, neither do I. I’ve written a few posts that may be of help in giving you direction. I’ve despaired. I know the pit can seem bottomless. But God meets you at the bottom. I hope you grab onto Him. He won’t let you fall. Your life is not a failure. You life is a seed ready to sprout to new life. Trust God to help you. I wish you well as you put your hand in the hand of the One who stilled the waters.
The Christ-life is a hidden life. What happens in secret outworks in public. Who you are in Christ has a lot to do with your inner life. God’s desire is to lift you out of the dungeon of despair into the supernatural light of His presence. In His presence you can experience eternal joy and everlasting love. This provides peace in the soul no matter any circumstance or loss. Like a flame burning, sometimes brightly, other times dimly, Christ provides a constant light for the journey.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. –John 14:27
Christianity can seem sort of rigid and boring or tedious and limiting. Sad to say, a cross-section of church goers have become disenchanted with the same ol’, same ol’. Maybe with good reason. But it’s really not about the church as much as it is about our own spiritual lives. Spiritual life can be rich, lively, life-giving, life altering, genuine and real. When that is the case, it lights a fire in you that will not die down and you will not cave when the going gets tough. That’s why I’ve shared my personal story throughout this series.
When I was on empty was when I became open to be filled. God fueled that with His energy and life. He did it. Like a key turning on with a resounding movement forward, from dull to lively, God enlivens the soul. His grace and goodness awakens you in places you did not know you had. This spirit fueled enlivening cannot be quenched. You may falter, but He never stumbles. He may be quiet with a heavenly silence, but you know he’s there. He teaches us to trust as he makes our faith into sight. A surprising twist of events comes when you awaken to God’s presence and sense Him being with you. It’s not unusual to talk to Him throughout day.
Christ is the answer, I mean, Christ IS the answer. No question. Father, Son, and Spirit offer more than we have come to expect. But there is a catch. You have to want it. Life can drag you along as you dredge through its nastiness. You wonder if you’ve got what it takes to manage it. Right? Been there, done that?
Well, sorry to disappoint you, but you don’t have what it takes, at least, you don’t in the flesh. But God does, He has what it takes. Yahoo! When you lean into God and truly trust Him for the journey, that’s when you discover that you can manage it. You can give it to Him and be at rest with it. Christ is living bread, water, and life.
I have a friend, a pastor’s wife, who can teach us what it is to depend on God in the hard times. She has two types of lymphoma and is still here after a year of fighting it. This month she posted a video on Facebook where she talks about her illness. She smiles and jokes, and thanks and praises God that she’s still here. I look at her and see joy despite the suffering. She lost weight and hair but she’s not lost her smile. That’s the Jesus touch.
A mind focused on Christ has strength.
Christ carries us through. Love, grace, goodness, strength, courage, and hope are some of the Christ-life benefits we can always tap and rely on. Christ is in this with us. This is cause for rejoicing. He WILL NEVER forsake us. Never.
Christ is the answer to what troubles the world. The sufferer can know Christ’s presence and be encouraged by His peace. Christ can break areas of bondage and rebuild broken lives. He can. I’ve seen Him do it. Troubles don’t disappear, but you are not alone in going through them.
Rebecca Davis blogs at Here’s the Joy. Recently she posted a three part series on sanctification and parts of her own spiritual journey from fundamentalism to enlivened faith. First she presents how Christians mistake striving for spiritual living, which it is not. The link to the first post in her series is here. Part 3 is my favorite. She explains what I am trying to explain quite well and with a compliment of supporting verses. For further study, I recommend you read them.
I close out this series feeling I have failed to communicate well why my heart sings. I leave you with this. Your faith can be living faith besides saving faith. A deep reservoir below the surface of common faith awaits for you to plunge into its depth. There you will partake of Christ’s abundant life. Amen.
Possibly, a video of me talking about my transformation would be welcome (if you’ve not seen it before). I used my IPad to film it since I had no other means of doing so back in 2013. It makes the point in a different way, how God uses what He teaches us to benefit others.
We’re in this together. All of us are works in progress. May God richly bless you in your spiritual journey.
