| |
| |
|
Just Between Us - FREE Spiritual Information for anyone interested. |
|
|
|
When Bad Things Happen (Part 2)
The good that Paul writes about is a commitment of life to the sovereign will of God. It is complete trust in God. It is a conviction that cannot be blurred even by the reality of human suffering. Unfortunately, unlike Paul, many of us do not trust God as our sovereign Lord. We spend so much of our time and energies running around trying to reason things out and only running into dead end streets. We have enormous difficulty understanding and accepting the obvious spiritual truth that being good does not mean only good things will happen to you. We think being "good" as it were, should exempt us from troubles and when it befalls us, we frantically search for hidden meanings. It is because we cannot find satisfying answers that a multitude of us are quite willing to toss our faith and God aside and spend the rest of our lives groping helplessly in the dark. I have witnessed, and I am sure you have too, individuals crack under the strain of personal tragedy. We have all observed the aftermath of accidents and other unexpected deaths which claimed the life of one member of a family and functionally end the lives of five others. Because of some illness, or injury or rejection or disappointment or death, I have seen people undergo radical personality transformations. They were unable to reason out their circumstance. Their faith was shallow and predicated on reason. If God is on the throne, then we can live confident that all things are working out for our good. If God is on the throne, we will see a good that goes beyond our finite understanding. This is what faith is. Faith is most clearly demonstrated when bad things happen. But we have trouble relying on God and trusting His sovereignty. We want to know everything. We want to know what we can't know and keep ourselves confused and pessimistic. Seneca expressed this tendency well when he said, "We fail to know what is necessary, because we utilize our time studying unnecessary things; we do not know what is good for us because we are consumed in studying only what injures us." We can struggle to ascertain all the answers and it will always be an exercise in futility for "who can know the mind of God?" Paul made it clear in 1 Corinthians 13:12; "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." The life of faith covers every single situation. Our endeavor to explain everything, establishing our own sense of well-being, will only throw all of life out of kilter. The affirmation comes at the point that we trust the sovereign God who created us, sustains us and offers us salvation through His incarnation and redemption in the person of Jesus Christ. For Christians, all things do work together for our good. We do need to be very advanced in years to look back and see how things we thought were so disastrous, worked out to a be a greater blessing than we could have ever hoped for. Now, we must note the fact that according to Paul, things work together for the good only to those who love Him. If we love and trust and accept God; if we are convinced that God is the all-wise, all-loving Father, then we can accept and manage any difficulty that comes our way, regardless of how trying it may be. Epictetus once wrote: Have courage to look up to God and to say, "deal with me Lord as you will. I am yours. I flinch from nothing so long as you think it is for my good. Lord, lead me where you will; put on me what you will; I will love and defend thee always before men." And Paul added another attachment to his assertion; things work together for the good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. The called are not merely those who receive an invitation, but they accept it, were born from above and know from experience the love of God. When bad things happen, the faith that had been idle while good things happened, kicks in. When the road gets rough and the hills become hard to climb - faith; when we must walk through the valley of the shadow of death - faith; when our world crumbles around us and we cannot see any way out of the mess - faith; When we hear of tragedies visited upon the innocents - faith. When we cannot understand the why's - faith. Christians understand that the Bible does not state or even intimate that we will not suffer. Jesus' life is our example life and His was a life of suffering. What the Bible does make clear is the promises of God. God has promised to be with us in our suffering and struggles. God has promised victory over temporal suffering in eternity. And that, my friends, is the key to understanding the reality of God's promise that all things do work together for good. God is present with us. He is in our every circumstance. God takes the pain, the hurt, the difficulty and walks with us through them - transforming our whole perspective on life. The essence of a surrendered life is the knowledge, the confidence, the faith that all things do work together for good in God's eternal plan to those who love Him; to those who are called according to His purpose. When bad things happen - FAITH! Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available soon. You are welcome to visit AMEN Ministries: Your Soul's Service Station for spiritual refreshing, soul edification, browse our newly expanded mini shopping mall or review our recommended books you may want to add to your personal library. Blessings to all!
MORE RESOURCES:
Spirituality - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Hear the Voice of God In this series I would like to take you through the Word of God to show you how we can all clearly hear the voice of God. I would also like to show you how to train yourself in hearing and being led by the voice of God. Seven Soul-Nurturing Suggestions for Busy Women Looking for some ways to feed your soul in the midst of all you do? Try one or more of these great ideas! 1.) Body Work/Movement: Tai Ji, massage, Feldenkrais, Reflexology ? there are tons of modalities which contribute to healing in soulful ways. Why Would You Want to be Enlightened? Yesterday, a marketing guru asked me a question that left me speechless.I had retained Bob to review the copy on my Mystic Warrior website from a sales perspective. Mind, in Time and Space One cannot make a decision in the moment of now. All decisions are made from the past, and then you work in the past to recreate a future that has already passed based on that decision. Anam Cara - Making Sense of Life We make sense of our world via the senses. The senses are gateways. Life as the Ultimate Psychedelic Experience Life is just a journey. Princess DianaWhether we are for or against psychedelic experiences, we have to be amazed with the possibilities and potential of a chemical that can expand our consciousness beyond our everyday awareness. Understanding a Tarot Card Reading Getting the most from a Tarot card reading relies on the reader's ability to perceive not only the symbolic meaning from the spread, but also the mystical significance. Although every card of both the Major and the Minor Arcana possesses its own individual symbolism within the representative images on the cards, it is the deeper, spiritual enlightenment of the cards that leads to a greater understanding. Love and Light Seems that everyone who writes to me signs their letters "love and light." It has such a bright uplifting sound to it. Romantic Relationships: A Spiritual Perspective Meeting someone so attractive, so beautiful. Your heart beats like the rhythm at the races and your knees become Jell-O. The Kabbalah of Transformation: Turning Darkness into Light THE KABBALAH OF PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION: TURNING DARKNESS INTO LIGHT"In the sixth century of the sixth millennium, the gates of supernal [heavenly] wisdom will be opened, as will the wellsprings of earthly wisdom, preparing the world to be elevated in the seventh millennium." The Zohar (a source text of Kabbalah)"The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self. 3:33am? What is it with angels and digital clocks? I fell asleep just after 11pm and am still trying to recover from the switch to daylight savings time. I really don't need to be up and working right now, or do I? I had asked my angels earlier today to help me write some more articles. Living Life Powered By My Own Intention, Knowing the True Essence of Security Since my departure from the traditional "Corporate Life" almost8 months ago at the young age of 42, I have been on a free-birdjourney to "find my bliss". In that time and my travels, I have continually been confronted with and struck by the fact that, although there is much talk about and studying of "the power of intentions", it appears to me as though many people aren't yet really "living it". Well Being and Your Authentic Voice In Corrogue I feel wonderful.As friends know I love singing. DREAMS, Does God Still Use Them Today? The bible has many accounts throughout time that He used dreams as a form of communication to His people. A few examples are Daniel, Joseph (old testament), Joseph (Mary's husband) and many others. The Spiritually Dead Church The spiritually dead church. Now, I am not talking about every church. Strangers In This World Christians all over the world will all be tempted in different ways. One problem we all will face is being tempted to conform to the world. Living by Faith Five verses specify that we are to live by faith. How do you do that? It is like entering a black hole. Fool for God The following article is an exploration of the Spring holiday season and its spiritual implications. In it will be a unique perspective with a special emphasis on the importance of owning our dualities for the purpose of transcending them. 8 Ways to Plant Spiritual Ideas Deep in Your Heart The fundamental aim of spiritual study is to get facts and principles into the Heart's fertile ground. Ideas must get through habitual and familiar filters; otherwise, the information is diverted from having its full power. Accessing Your Spiritual Guidance For the last 35 years, I have been working with individuals, couples and families, as well as business relationships. I have 8 published books on relationships and healing, some of them best-sellers.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
