christmas + hope + tears + joy + eternity

     I have been thinking about heaven a lot lately; how in comparison this world is dark, and foggy, and temporary. So very temporary. I've been thinking about how all the Christians will be living together, forever, in heaven. 

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

That verse from Revelation literally brings me to tears of joy. In heaven, death and mourning and crying won't exist. I can't count all the times I have cried on this earth because of a painful experience I went through. Thinking about how, in heaven, I won't have a reason to do that anymore, is beautiful. I can't even say how beautiful that is. NO PAIN ANYMORE. In heaven, we'll experience joy after joy and we will walk day by day by day forever in this perfect, untainted, eternal joy with the light of our beloved Jesus as the sun. 

     I can't wait to see my Jesus. 

I can just imagine running into his arms, and finally seeing him who helped me through the trials of life on the earth. Oh, to actually SEE with my eyes my wonderful Savior! To have walked by faith and not by sight for so long, being "strong in the Lord and in his mighty power," and then to have sin banished from me and all pain and suffering gone. Forever. I'm crying as I write this. :)

     It's amazing to me that Jesus left all that splendor and joy and perfect peace and happiness in heaven to appear in this dark, gloomy, foggy, sin-saturated world. And all for love. He experienced a painful death completely opposite to everything in heaven, and thus opened the door for us to have hope of being free from ultimate death. It's amazing. It's amazing that Jesus would love us so much. 

     I think this is really what Christmas is all about. The hope of being with the Savior for eternity. Jesus came, he ministered, he died, he rose, he ascended, and he will return. Whether we reach our true home through the death of our bodies, or if we live until he comes again into this dark world, we, as Christians, will finally live the life of Eden; the life Adam and Eve lived before they fell. We will finally be relieved from the suffering and pain and grief of this fleeting life. Finally. Then we will see our God. Oh, beautiful, beautiful thought. 

     I think about all of the pain I have gone through and am experiencing now, and think about how I cry out to Jesus to help me. I think about how he does help me, though it may not be the way I expect or want. Then I think about how when I leave this sinful world behind, I will SEE that very same Jesus who was listening to my pleas for help, and I will rest in his arms and be free of all pain forever.

     I repeated myself quite a bit, I know. I just can't get past the wonder and the beauty of it all. 

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Revelation 22:20

On that note, Merry Christmas!

-Sarah :)

all things

     Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:11-13

     I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 

I was interrupted while writing the previous sentence by a most uncomfortable sneezing fit. :) I am currently sick with a cold, and have been for the past couple days. At first, I was thinking it would be over the next day and I would carry on as normal. But when Saturday rolled around and I was still sick, I started wondering how long it was going to take for me to get better, I'm really, really tired of being sick. Anxious thoughts come unbidden to my mind: I have loads of homework to do before Monday and Tuesday, and this weekend happens to be the weekend my family is decorating for Christmas. I also was going to have an violin audition for my youth group's worship team, but I might have to reschedule because I'm sick and because I didn't get my piece ready in time. 

     In all this, the passage from Philippians above is helping me through. I'm learning to be content. I'm learning to be content with being awake half the night because I can't breathe through my nose; I'm learning to be content with trekking through the Christmas tree farm with a headache and a nauseous stomach; I'm learning to be content with having to still do school while I'm feeling sick. 

     I know how to be brought low. . . 

I can do ALL things. Through HIM who strengthens me. I don't know about you, but this verse gets me pretty excited. Sure, I'm discouraged sometimes; we all are. Some more than others. Sometimes it seems like you've tried to be content for so long, but it isn't working. 

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 

1 Peter 5:6-7

     Jesus has enough strength for everyone, all the time. He has enough for me to get through an annoying and uncomfortable cold and still be joyful. 

     Rejoice always.

I forget all too often the significance of my blog's name. REJOICE. Always. In all things. Including illness. Because Jesus works in all things. 

-Sarah :)

fiery trial part 6 (blessings)

     We pray for blessings, we pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for your mighty hand to ease our suffering

     

     As I continue further along the path of suffering, it's easy for me to focus my attention on how I am being disappointed again and again. It's easy to give up trying to be strong – trying to make it through. 

     Far too easy. And far too tempting.

I want what I want, and I want God to give it to me! Why should I try to conform my will to his, when I'm sure he can't know best?

All the while You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

The thing is, he does know best. I have to believe that. I am starting to, but it's hard. I would even be tempted to say it's too hard.

     But even as I'm writing this, I'm realizing that I have been depending too much on my own strength to make it through this trial. What makes me think I can carry myself through something I didn't even bring about? Am I that full of myself, that I would assign that much power to myself? It's a problem all Christians face at one time or another. We try to handle things by ourselves. But we can't handle things by ourselves. 

     It's not my place to take over; to be sovereign. It is my place, however, to fill myself with Jesus, who is sovereign, and with the power that he gives me to walk through my suffering. Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” I will not stop putting my hope and trust in Jesus. I know he will fight for me. 

     I know that what I am experiencing will result in his blessings. He will give me something much greater than anything I could ever imagine. I must believe that. I must keep my eyes on Jesus. 

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near

And what if trials of this life

Are Your mercies in disguise?

     I look forward to the wonderful things God has in store for me. I pray that he will give me the strength and wisdom to keep walking in the path he has set for me, without looking back. It is exhausting to think about the whys of the doings of God; he is incomprehensible, and as such, I will not try to understand his reasons for directing my life the way he does. 

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear

We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

     It's all that I can do to keep these beliefs from dashing to pieces. I have to fight to keep my eyes on Jesus. But I'm fighting with his power, not my own. Romans 8:31 says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" I sing songs about God's love for me and his sovereignty, sometimes just to remind my doubting heart that it's true. 

     It is true, even if that seems hopelessly preposterous. It's not. There is a purpose, and God is working all things out for my good because I love him. 

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst

This world can't satisfy?

     And so, I lean on Jesus, knowing that he loves me and that he wants and intends to bless me. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” - Lamentations 3:22-24. 

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

 Are Your mercies in disguise?

Blessings - Laura Story

-Sarah :)

the fiery trial

     I'm here to post about my fiery trial.

Nota bene: In this post, I will not be pouring out my woes or using my blog as a medium to complain to all of my readers. I am simply using this example in my own life as a testimony to what our Father can do with the trials he allows to enter our lives.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. . . Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. . . Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

1 Peter 4:12-13, 16, 19

 
     I have been struggling recently with a certain trial that has come into my life. As far as I can see right now, I will not be able to do something that I want to do more than anything I can think of. Most of the time, I'm able to live my life normally, and forget about this desire to do something I can not do. But I can not avoid conversation that pertains to this, as it surely does up often. Once I am reminded of it, I can get overwhelmed by disappointment and anger. It's then that my view of God and of my faith starts to change.

     I have found myself asking, "if God loves me, why would he do this to me?" I have started to doubt God's love at times, and it's scary because I have heard of people asking that same question, and regard it as a "trial cliche" of sorts. My thought-process usually went something like this:

   

"I would never doubt God's love! After all, I'm a Christian, and the Bible clearly states that God loves us! Why is it so hard for those people who are going through trials to understand that?!"

    

      I have since learned that it is hard. Extremely so! I can lose perspective so easily, and just keep my eyes on what I want. That's when the world seems to come crashing down; when my world comes apart. All I want is that thing that I can't believe I'm not getting. That's all that I can see.

     But that's not all there is.

It's so important to remember that God isn't confined to my plan for my life! There is so much more that only God can see. I want him to say that I can do this thing! That I can have what I want! That this would be the best thing for me to do! God loves to give us good gifts, right? Yes – but, in truth, he knows what's good for us better than we do.

Here in this waiting room

Yearning for You to say go

And though I'm convinced that a yes would be best

This time You're telling me no

     Like I said before, it's hard! One time I considered bitterly how perfect my trial was for me. God gave me a great experience, let me look forward to the next time it could happen, and allowed me to be disappointed.

      But it's crucial to remember that God didn't do this out of hatred, or whatever! He's doing it out of love for me, and out of his infinite wisdom.

It's not that I don't have an answer

It's just not the one that I'd like

But through this time Lord I must keep in mind

You're always wiser than I

   
     God still loves me! He does. Even when he says that I can't have something I want. Think about it this way.

     God can see my entire life as, say, a map, showing every single thing that has happened and will happen from the day I was born until the day I die. He also sees me, walking along the little path on that map. He sees me experience something that he planned for me to do, and he sees me enjoy it to the fullest. 

     Sounds great! God loves it. I love it. Life is good! Here's when I start to see a little bit differently than God, the one who's holding and drawing that map of my life.

     I'm walking along this little path, and all I can see ahead is that thing that I want. I start running towards it: thinking about it, preparing for it, expecting it. And then, a big wall just drops down right in front of it. BOOM. The path suddenly starts leading me to the side. The wall made the path turn. Looking down the new path, I see a really, really dark forest. I can't see anything that remotely resembles what the wall blocked off; that thing that I wanted so much. Doesn't look promising.

     I start to walk down this path. In some strange way, that wall keeps following me, all the while blocking off what I want. 

     OK, maybe omnipresent walls is where the analogy ends.

The point is, As I walk through this dark forest of my life, I keep wanting to bang my head against that wall. To fight for what I want. To somehow break through the difficulty. To make it through and carry out my plan for my life after all.

     Meanwhile, God is watching me writhe in discontentment and disappointment, and then looks over farther down that path that I'm walking down. There's a wonderful surprise up there. A "light at the end of the tunnel." THERE IS ONE!!!!!! There is one. And God is guiding me to it. It's OK to leave my "wonderful" plan behind, because there's something so much better than that up ahead. Something better than that! It must be really something!!!! I'm reminded of a quote from Corrie ten Boom about God guiding us: "If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes." God knows we can't do this alone. He knows!

     

'Cause you have a much better purpose

And You have a far greater plan

And You have a bigger perspective

 'Cause You hold this world in Your hands

     Please realize that I really am struggling. I'm not quite to the point where I can believe totally and completely that God has something better ahead for me. That's partly why I'm writing this all down; to impregnate myself in this truth. It's hard to let go of my plan. So very hard. But I know God will get me there. And he will also help me to not entertain any doubts about his plan for me. He will help me to trust that there is nothing better than what he has prepared for me to do.

The things that I seek are from You

Like the strong healing touch of Your hand

But when You say no, help me trust even though

There's a reason I can't understand

      I'd like to think of Job, and the way he responded to his trials. (In case you are not familiar with the story of Job in the Bible, Job was a man who lost literally everything he had, even his health, as a test from God. Because God loved Job!) Though Job was experiencing deep pain and heartache, he said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” That's the way I want to respond! God can help me do that. 

     There will come a time when I'm through that dark forest and at the wonderful surprise. Right now, by the power of God, I'm choosing to look to Jesus and not lose perspective. I'm choosing to believe that what's up ahead is incredibly good. I'm deciding, should God see fit to have me experience another tribulation farther along in my life, that I will bless his name and believe that he is wonderful and sovereign, regardless of how I'm feeling.

     Aren't you glad that God doesn't fluctuate with our emotions? I sure am.

That's my story. That's where I am right now. I know, as Chris Tomlin's lovely song, "How Can I Keep From Singing" says, "I know I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart want to sing!" By God's grace, I "can sing in my troubled times." There's no reason for me to be cast down; I'm simply adjusting to a plan-change. While this is painful, it is not too painful for my Father to handle. He can carry my burdens for me. He wants to.

     Please be encouraged by the truth in this post; not that anything I wrote is so very spectacular. God gave me this post. He made the words flow out of my fingertips and onto the keyboard so that I can hopefully bless all of my readers. We are all on a journey; a pilgrimage. We're all going to face sloughs of despond and valleys of the shadow of death. But God's our Father, and we're alive and strong in him! And we can look forward to everlasting relief from trials in heaven. Forever happiness.

When that miracle comes 'cause Your answer is yes

I will praise You for all of my days

But when Your wisdom declares that a no is best

I will praise You just the same

"Waiting Room" by Jonny Diaz

 God bless you!

-Sarah :)

     

Isaiah 43:1-7 (my favorite trial passage)

But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
    he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
     I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you. 

For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
    Cush and Seba in exchange for you.   

Because you are precious in my eyes,
    and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
    peoples in exchange for your life.
Fear not, for I am with you;
     I will bring your offspring from the east,
    and from the west I will gather you. 

 I will say to the north, Give up,
    and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring my sons from afar
    and my daughters from the end of the earth, 

 everyone who is called by my name,
    whom I created for my glory,
    whom I formed and made.”

A QUICK LITTLE NOTE

      I'm afraid this little blog has been neglected dreadfully . . . you'd think I have some time, it being Christmas break! But no––nothing has really slowed down a whole lot. (New-year's resolution: stay on top of my homework!!) I hope to get on here and post a little more often, soon. Hopefully there will be a nice little Christmas post sometime in the next week? :)

     Today, I just got it in my head to sit down and post some lyrics from a Chris Tomlin worship song called I Will Follow. Please listen; wonderful song. All the lyrics are amazing, but the bridge really hit me today as I was singing it.

In You is life everlasting

In You is freedom for my soul

In You is joy, unending joy

And I will follow You

Merry Christmas, friends! I hope and pray that this unending joy will accompany you not just on the 25th, but the rest of the year and your new year! 

- Sarah :)

perspective in trials

"More than anything else I could ever do, the gospel enables me to embrace my tribulations and thereby position myself to gain full benefit from them. For the gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me. Wen I view my circumstances in this light, I realize that the gospel is not just one piece of good news that fits into my life somewhere among all the bad. I realize instead that the gospel makes genuinely good news out of every other aspect of my life, including my severest trials. The good news about my trials is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and do good unto me by improving my character and making me more conformed to the image of Christ.

"Preaching the gospel to myself each day provides a lens through which I can view my trials in this way and see the true cause for rejoicing that exists in them. I can then embrace trials as friends and allow them to do God's good work in me."

- Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer for Christians, pages 31-32

QUALIFIED

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:9-14

A QUOTE

"The purest and most exhilarating joy is the delight of glorifying God, and so anticipating the time when we shall enjoy him for ever."

- Charles Spurgeon

(I got this from a post on a friend's blog)

- Sarah :)

AM I A CHRISTIAN? (JOHN 14:15)

Do you ever ask yourself that question? A couple nights ago, I was listening to a message by Elyse Fitzpatrick, and she was talking about how everyone is going to die one day. She said that we would either go to a place of joy, or of sorrow and pain and regret. (Of course those aren't her exact words, but that's the gist of it.)

That got me to thinking (you know how "scary" stuff is always much scarier when it's 10:00 at night): What if I'm not a Christian? What if I do go to hell when I die?

So I talked to my parents, and they helped me so much. We talked about how you can tell whether someone's a Christian or not by the fruit in their life. My dad also pointed out something I never knew before. You know John 14:15? "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." My dad said that Jesus wasn't saying "If you love me, you'd better keep my commandments!" No, Jesus was saying that, if we love him, we literally will keep his commandments. The Holy Spirit will make you keep them! That was really encouraging for me because I knew I had the desire to keep God's commandments (that desire came from him, of course!) We already have all the power to keep his commandments. . . we just don't understand it. That made it seem really easy to fight off sin! If we have all the power (that is from God) already, we can easily win! And each time we sow to the spirit, it will get easier!

So, in conclusion (so that it doesn't sound like I went off on a tangent), if we want to obey God's commandments, we have the power that only comes from God. That is some pretty good assurance of your faith!

Hope this was encouraging!!!

Sarah :)

MORE ON REVELATION

"And [John] knew that the ending of The Story was going to be so great, it would make all the sadness and tears and everything seem like just a shadow that is chased away by the morning sun.

'I'm on my way,' said Jesus. 'I'll be there soon!'

John came to the end of his book. But he didn't write 'The End.' Because, of course, that's how stories finish. (And this one's not over yet.)

So instead, he wrote: 'Come quickly, Jesus!'

Which, perhaps, is really just another way of saying. . .

To be continued. . .

- The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones

PART 1: REJOICE ALWAYS

My quiet time yesterday was focused on the first command of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Rejoice always. Here is what I learned from this.

First, I found three verses that helped me understand this command better.

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. - Proverbs 17:22

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. - Habakkuk 3:17-18

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. - James 1:2-3

Then, I meditated on the verses and found out what I could about joy, and what it means to rejoice always! Here is what I learned:

Habakkuk tells us that even though bad things may happen to us, we can still be joyful because we don't have to put our hope and joy in those things, but in our salvation in Jesus Christ alone. Then, since we always have salvation, we can always have joy.

James 1:2-3 backs this up by saying that we should be joyful in the midst of trials, because trials test our faith, and that produces steadfastness. We should think and be joyful about the end result of our trials, instead of dwelling on how much misery we may be feeling.

The result of doing this is revealed in Proverbs 17:22, "A joyful heart is good medicine". Since, throughout the Bible, God tells us to be joyful, and joy is a fruit of the spirit, there are good consequences that come from obeying God by being joyful.

After studying the verses I found, I prayed that God would help me to look beyond the trial I may be facing, and at the good consequences that come from being joyful during the trial. I prayed that I would always find joy in the fact that I am saved and am one of God's children, because salvation is something to be joyful about, no matter what we may face.

I hope that this has encouraged you!

-Sarah :)