Curse or blessing?

Hello and welcome! Here are a few things that are on my mind... Through the hard times, when you are sick, tired, desperate for a way out, don’t know what to do, when you feel weak and defenceless – that is when you get to the point where all you can do is rely on God. It’s the time where you fully leave your life in God’s hands, because you know that there is nothing in your power that you can do. To be entrenched in painful, long-lasting, hard things can actually be a blessing in disguise. A ‘blessing?’ indeed! I say this because of all the growing and learning that can happen when you have the right attitude. God can use the hard times – if you let him (instead of becoming all angry and bitter and depressed) – to draw us closer to him; to see our need for him, and so that we depend on him in prayer. Although all the things I have been through have been hard, God has brought me through it – providing me with the comfort, love, patience, and joy to get through it, and most importantly helping me to fix my eyes on Jesus. Don’t hear me wrong, I’m not saying that I’ve had the right attitude through it all, I’ve been depressed, angry, bitter and trying to do things in my own strength but God has forgiven me, has helped my heart and soul to heal from the hurt that has allowed me to let go of the anger and bitterness and forgive others as God has forgiven me. I’m soo thankful for God’s mercy and compassion shown to me through these times, and that he cares enough about little ol me to want to teach me and grow me, and make me more into his beautiful character! I can see the Holy Spirit working in me, to change, mould and transform me to be more like Jesus – and it’s soo exiting! : D. 

I would like to know, how do you react to hard things in life?

So I finally started reading ‘What is a healthy church member?’, and so far so good! I’ve decided to digest it chapter by chapter instead of swallowing it up in one go, and ending with a stomach ache of information overload! I’m trying to learn from my reading 11 books at the same time routine that I’ve had going on in the past! C-razy indeed! I do love a good book though... Anywho so what I’ve learnt so far from thee first chapter is the importance of personal responsibility in creating a healthy environment at church – which starts with your own perspective and attitude towards church. Also with really listening to what God has to say through his word, sharing it, praying about it and living it out.

Here are two awesome passages that have encouraged me whilst thinking through these ideas:

Psalm 119:103-104 “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.”

James 1:22-25 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”

Until tomorrow,

Your friend Liz : )