*flickrI don't know if it is me, but it seems that everyone has something huge they are dealing with most of the time. There are the illnesses...some so devastating and life-taking, the heart breaks of every variety, the challenges and crushing power of poverty, the crimes and wars, and injustices, the wickedness. It is getting worse all the time and it is frightening and overwhelming in ways that can just suck you into despair on so many levels.
What has me amazed is that the Savior of the world could even breathe under this weight, so huge and incomprehensible to us as we try to imagine it from our tiny personal perspectives. When I hear of the pains and sufferings of people I love and care for my heart breaks sometimes for their pain. What amazes me is my heart full of compassion is but a minuscule speck compared to the love and compassion our Savior knows intimately and feels so deeply for each and every one of us. There just aren't words to describe how I feel about that.
What amazes me further is that in spite of our smallness, I see human beings every day that struggle and rise above so much pain. I marvel that we can still find all the good in life, the reasons to smile and be grateful, the desire to survive and rise above, to press forward having faith in God, ourselves and others. We are so resilient and I know that is the spark of the divine within each of us. As we cling to the light of Christ, we gain some of the power that faith offers and we move forward, onward and upward. When I look at some of my family and friends I am so humbled by their examples, I am lifted up and taught constantly.
The amazing thing about it all is that good will overcome evil and the Lord's plan for our happiness will prevail. Knowing that we can each get out of bed each day, face the unknown, with confidence that we are not alone, He is with us, we have each other, and there is hope. We can know that we have a Heavenly Father that truly loves us, an Elder brother who would and has done everything for us, and that we can feel complete comfort in that, is what I build my life and expectations and future hopes on every single day.
Without it what would be the point of any of this? And that is the message I have for some beautiful people that I know are suffering today because they have shared it with me and reached out for some answers. The answers to every problem, every trial, every concern is the same.
Liz Lemon Swindle
It is Jesus Christ, his mission, his love, his example, his promise. He has done it all for us...why try to reinvent the wheel? There is no need if we will just avail ourselves of what already is. I have lived long enough to know that if we just reach out, reach up, reach around another, His hand is always there. Believing truly is seeing~and then seeing is believing! It goes both ways and truly is amazing! Hold on to the Light!
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Selfishness and human nature seems to kick in for self preservation at the horrors of life. I want to distance myself praying, "LORD, please don't let that happen to me!" Knowing the scriptures tells me that "GOD will not allow anything to happen to us that we are not able to bear." I then realize that it is not me, myself, that preserves who and what I am. Only GOD can do that if I allow Him to do so. I know I could not survive the trials, burdens, and pains that Job went through; but then by the Grace of our Almighty GOD, each of us could go through it all by His Mercy carrying us! I have found myself sometimes selfishly praying, "LORD, if I have to go through such anguish on earth, I would rather choose to not go through it even at the loss of rewards in Heaven." When I say this, my mind wants to go into conflict as if this is tempting my LORD. I guess it comes down to that "fear of the unknown" that is present in all of fallen mankind. That's what brings Christians to have faith in the grace and mercy of our Creator no matter what.
Christ "sweat" drops of blood at the anquish he knew was coming to Him as He prayed in the garden, "Not my will, but thine be done." Every story you see in "movie" form never puts the inference on the sin Christ took upon Him while He was on the Cross. It tells of the pain He was put through, His death, Resurrection, and Ascention, but the main sacrifice of bearing all of man's sins from Adam and Eve to the last person He will Create seems to not be the focal point other than Him saying, "It is finished!" No man could ever withstand that amount of sin being placed upon him! Only the GOD-MAN could withstand that to give mankind so great a salvation. He is who gives me the strength through the Holy Spirit to carry on. We are not of this world. We are only passing through. He knew me before the foundation of the world and I can never thank my GOD enough that I will spend Eternity with Him forever! This is my gratefulness that I will continue to marvel throughout my life. I shall always look to Christ Who is my example!
Christ shared with those in the temple that He was GOD. They ripped their clothes saying he blasphemed. Christ further shared, "If you've seen Me, you've seen the Father." "The Father and I are One (in the same.)" Christ is GOD. He is not a created being. He has always been as is the Father and the Holy Spirit. In Genesis (in the Hebrew text) "Let Us make man in Our Image" is talking about the GOD HEAD. GOD the Father is never changing, "The same yesterday, today, and forever." Personality. We also have personalities. GOD the SON is so because GOD placed Himself in the flesh of Man (known as the GOD MAN) yet He never sinned, but became the sacrifice for our sin. GOD could only be the perfect sacrifice, not anything created could do the job! Christ became physical just as we have a physical body. GOD is the Holy Spirit departing knowledge to those that belong to Him. Man has a spirit nature that GOD gave to us. Man is culminated into personality, body, and spirit. GOD Almighty separates Himself in these Holy Attributes. We become separated at death, yet our spirit and personality goes to GOD (to be absent from the body is to be present with the LORD.) GOD is Omnipotent (everywhere at the same time.) "Where can you go that GOD is not there? You can go to the highest heaven, GOD is there. You can go to the deepest hell, GOD is there." (Job) This is one of the greatest mysteries of GOD, of which we sill spent Eternity learning. In our fallen state, there are things that we now can not know (or understand), but then "We shall see Him for Who He Is (The Great I AM!) Our Awesome, Almighty, Creator, Savior, Holy Father GOD!
Thank You, Bonnie for reminding me of my faults, yet also my GOD Who has saved me from who I am, but One Day will be resurrected to His Perfection when we receive Our New Bodies! Love Susan
You are a bright shinning star. Thanks for your light Bonnie!
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