My blog has moved!

You should be automatically redirected. If not, visit
http://simplyamusingblog.com
and update your bookmarks.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Hold On

Sometimes life isn't easy.

Even when you're a Christian.

No, let me rephrase that - especially when you're a Christian.

There's nothing I have found in the Bible that promises me an easy and care-free life just because I've accepted Jesus and made Him Lord of my life. In fact, my Bible has the nerve to tell me that it rains on the just and the unjust alike!

The most obvious example I can think of is Job. The Bible says he was blameless and upright and shunned evil, in fact, he was the greatest man among all his people, both in wealth and character. And we all know what happened to poor Job - he lost everything he owned, his family was killed, his friends spoke badly about him...yet he remained faithful to God throughout his sufferings. But he was more than restored in the end - he had twice the blessings, and not only were his children in Heaven, he was given 10 more and lived to see four generations of his family. He held on.

Or David - he was annointed King and then spent eight years on the run from Saul who was trying to have him murdered. David could have taken his men and killed Saul at any time, but he was faithful to God waited until Saul died before he took his rightful position as King. Eight years. He held on.

John was exiled on the isle of Patmos after watching most of his friends die from execution. History tells us that several attempts were made on his own life - he was persecuted, boiled in hot oil (or water - depending on what commentary you read) and finally exiled to Patmos. It was at Patmos when he was at his loneliest when God gave him the book of Revelation. He held on.

My point is that even though you are doing what God wants you to do and you're hurting, don't quit. God is revealing His character to us line by line, precept upon precept. The only way you can know the quality of something is if it's tested and proven itself. It's hard, but don't quit. Hold on.

Everywhere I look these days, I see families hurting, barely able to make it from one paycheck to the next.

Families whose budgets are stretched so thin that the only place left to cut is in their food expenditures, where frugality is no longer a choice, but a necessity.

Families losing their homes to foreclosure, because they had the wrong kind of mortgage or because the main income earner lost their job.

I see mothers with higher stress levels than ever before, having to make hard choices between paying their light bill or buying groceries for their family.

These same mothers are doing their best to hold it all together, to be everything for everyone at all times, because as women, we feel we are the glue that holds the family together.

To these women I say this:

This earthly life is like the pains of a woman's labor - push through it. Some day, we'll look back and remember the labor and not the pains.

When you think about giving up, remember you're about to birth something that only God can get the glory for.

Count to ten.

Breathe.

Hold on.


Photobucket

Look on the bright side! Subscribe via RSS.

10 comments:

Megan Cobb said...

There is always the promise at the end. Like hot chocolate when you get in from shoveling the driveway in the -17 degree wind and driving snow. Great post, Karen.

M

Unknown said...

Great post! You are so right. Living the Christian life is really NOT easy at all. It can be hard to wait on God sometimes. But I just don't know what I'd do without having God to lean on! We are in hard times right now, but we won't be forever!

Flea said...

There are so many lessons in each of those stories. And the timing belongs to God in each. A friend of mine just wrote about Job's loss and the end of that time and his complaining, critical friends. God turned to his friends and told them to give Job expensive things, using them as the starting place to restore Job's riches. After God had asked Job to pray for those friends. Pray for the people to whom he'd been so close who were cutting him to the quick. Killing him with their words, which seemed wise.

Each hardship is a journey. Some journey's don't play out well this side of heaven, sadly. Some are lessons. Some are testimony to the grace and goodness of God. Some, like with Abraham, we go through in faith, never seeing what God does with it.

Thanks for the food for thought!

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Very good post, Karen. Quite fitting for us as we are squeezed through the financil wringer while trying to buy a house. :D

Natalie Witcher said...

Thanks, Karen. He has been faithful through so much and he's not going to change!!! yea, God!

Mama said...

This post is a fabulous reminder of God's grace and protection, even when the path is treacherous. I wish every struggling family could read it be uplifted. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I needed to be reminded of that kind of wisdom this week. Can you say 3 Deaths and a Bankruptcy? Not nearly as cute a story as 3 Weddings and a Funeral!

Thank you for the perspective.

Candace said...

Thank you Karen! We are going through a dark spot and I keep reminding myself that God is in Control! Sometimes it is hard to remember that. Thank you for the reminder!

Heather {Desperately Seeking Sanity} said...

So I needed to read this... tonight...

Lisa @ The Plain-Spoken Pen said...

Karen, thank you. I needed to hear this.