Headlines for Today~Gird Up Your Loins...

Haiti less than 2 months ago

Chili~Today

When I wake up in the morning there is usually something I want to write about on my mind first thing. This morning I was thinking about adversity, the Last Days, and the 2nd Coming of Christ. Then I clicked onto my computer and saw the news about the major earthquake in Chili 8.8 with the effects threatening to be having some affect on 1/4 of the globe! I read that the effects may even be felt as far away as Japan. The Pacific Islands including Hawaii, Alaska, Coastal California may be hit with a tsunami...Hawaii being the most lightly target for now with La Jolla, CA and other coastal towns bracing, just in case.


I don't know about you but that makes me feel very small and insignificant when I think of the power and force behind these natural disasters. They seem to be coming at an ever-increasing pace. The prophecies of the last days are happening right before our eyes. As faithful Christians we look forward to the 2nd coming of Christ and our humanness also allows us to dread what will be and already is coming before hand. Sometimes it makes me want to just gather all the chicks back to the nest where we can just be together to weather the storms coming. We just want to make sure there are no empty chairs, that we are all on the same page and embedded in the same faith in Jesus Christ. That we can be together as a family and support each other close at hand. It is probably not to be in this life, but it is what we want.

Personally, I feel like for the last several years the trials and adversity suffered by families and individuals seems to be increasing quite rapidly too. Is that just me or do you feel it too? My prayer list get longer and longer.

30 years ago there were not as many people affected by the huge things as there seem to be now. Just about every family we know has something major to be dealing with~things that are life changing and very difficult. Things that are wide spread like birth defects, cancer, autism, devastating illnesses, unemployment, loss of homes, substance abuse, divorce, human slave trading and trafficking, increasing crime in every corner of the globe, etc.

The paradox to me is that traditionally and historically these types of things have brought people closer to God but looking around it feels like just the opposite is happening this time. What I see is the faithful getting more faithful and the unbelievers seem to be increasing in their pride and thoughts that they can handle life on their own. They are all for living it up, doing your own thing and the heck with any kind of moral conscience. Is this just me or do you agree?

The biggest perplexity to me comes when I wonder why people choose not to look to Christ. It is just that 'looking to the serpent on the stick and living' as we have read about in the old testament scriptures...is too easy? Are people just too stubborn to admit they might need divine help? Or even worse, to admit there actually is divine help? I know I say this all the time, but it really is odd to me.

A friend of mine is suffering a devastating loss of employment and loss of her home right now as she lives in a cottage on the estate in England where she has been employed as a chef. The family in the big house is splitting up, the property being sold and she and her husband are left out in the cold. No job, no house. Of course this has knocked them for a loop but this wonderful LDS couple has such strong faith and it will see them through this rough spot in their earth life.

On one of her two really down days I wrote this on her post as a comment....

Painting by Greg Olsen

"I once heard a talk, I think it was by Sherry Dew and she talked about living a life so intuned with the Lord that when you awaken in the morning the Devil says, "Oh, No, she's awake!"

One of his biggest tools is discouragement and when we awake refreshed and full of faith it so pleases the Lord and disgruntles the other one. That is you, Marie. Full of faith and pressing forward with a prefect brightness of hope. I love you and things will work out.

When I have discouragement I try to remember that picture by Greg Olsen where the little girl is reaching up to Christ and He is leaning over to give her a hand up. He is there and you are reaching up! I am so proud of you.

And sometimes you just have to keep thinking in faith until you truly adopt that paradigm into your heart, hook line and sinker, that God really is in charge. That is when the fear leaves and the peace comes. I have had to do that many times with Hazel's health issues and other things too. It is incredibly amazing to be lifted up by the strong arm of the Lord."

Marie is so strong and she and Todd (who is in his 70's) will survive and prosper and their faith will lift them up. Is there any other way to deal with the adversities of life that really help? If so, I am not aware of them. A little oil in our lamps each day helps us to be prepared and prayers for others really makes a difference.

I have more thoughts on this...maybe tomorrow I'll do part 2.