A Couple of Thoughts from the Journey
Over the past year my family and I have been on the rollercoaster of trying to find a new job. For 25 years it was doing something that I loved, and actually, my family loved being a part of. In these past several months I have come to one or two personal epiphanies. While the circumstances that drove me on this journey have not been overly joyous; for me the lessons have been invaluable. So I will share these quickly and briefly for though not wordy, I find that they refresh my soul as I ponder them.
1) God authored life and meant for it to be all that it is. Joy, grief, pain, healing, having much and having little are all part of the package and each circumstance allows us to draw close to the father from a perspective that reveals more of Him to us.
2) Life is good because God is good. This is not a religious statement in any way. I have come to find that God the father is way better and far more than the institution really tells us He is. Think about it, if God even put His Son on a cross to demonstrate His love for us, then whatever the circumstance or season of life, it will be good because He is good.
Reach for Peace
Chaos, unrest, tension, stress, confusion; all these words seem to regularly find use in describing out culture, our world and our lives. It would seem that one of the great needs among humanity is peace. This definition from Webster’s speaks of the peace we need; freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions. Via the media, the messages from other people and the general circumstances we experience.
The Apostle Paul speaks of how to access the peace we long for. Philippians 4:8-9 “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Fear Blocks Love
Fear is a powerful weapon against walking in love. The only antidote to fear is love. Not humanly generated, emotionally flaky love but God resourced and perfect love.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.(1 John 4:18)