A man may be perfected through suffering or be made worse through suffering; it depends on his disposition.
When starting a new support group, I ask participants to define a few words. Two of those words are good and bad. A quick google search provided me with the following: good – “to be desired or approved of”; bad – “of poor quality; inferior or defective” and “not such as to be hoped for or desired; unpleasant or unwelcome”. The synonyms are more direct with words like healthy, fine, sound, fit, robust, sturdy, strong, and vigorous versus substandard, poor, inferior, unsatisfactory, inadequate, unacceptable, imperfect, defective, faulty, and miserable. These are consistent with most participants’ responses. Admittedly, for a significant portion of my life, I would have agreed with these definitions. However, God has brought me to the place where I understand that, in our haste to categorize, we are often missing two key components: complete information and perspective. Specifically we often lack all of the finer details and regularly forget the eternal perspective which can significantly change our overall view of any given condition, situation or trial. In that light, my health may be substandard, poor and inferior, but I would not classify my situation bad.
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It’s February and for this month I’m doing a “best of” series to allow time for me to update the website, get ahead on some writing and spend some time on my soul. In a sense these plans are a type of resolution. By now some people are still pressing on with New Year’s resolutions, some are faltering, and still others have given up. Resolutions vary widely but common ones are getting organized, taking better care of their bodies, overcoming bad habits and seeking better attitudes in the New Year. Some are successful while others are not. The difference is diligence and fortitude.
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No one enjoys feeling weak, whether it is emotionally, spiritually or physically. There is something within the human spirit that wants to resist the thought of weakness. Many times this is nothing more than our human pride at work. Just as weakness carries a great potential for strength, pride carries an equally great potential for defeat.
Tasks that I wanted to complete yesterday, or at least start in a substantial way, got transferred to today as I just couldn’t function anymore. Acknowledging my weakness, I went to bed in an attempt to get rested and start early today. That didn’t happen either as my body demanded more rest than I had allotted time for. Needless to say, I have felt that I was behind and thoroughly depleted all day. Strength is one of those things that we take for granted when we have it, but causes great frustration when it’s lacking. However it’s not just physical strength…sometimes we need the strength meet a need or change a habit or maybe we need the spiritual strength to live the life to which God has called us. Whether we are trying to live a life that honors our Lord, overcome a challenge in our life, or just get through the day, strength is often a pivotal factor that determines how successful we are.
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Do not strive in your own strength; cast yourself at the feet of the Lord Jesus, and wait upon Him in the sure confidence that He is with you, and works in you. Strive in prayer; let faith fill your heart-so will you be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.
You may have noticed that I usually post scripture during the week that coincides with the theme of the post. That is not the case this week as this isn’t the post that I planned to publish. My body is just too exhausted and my brain is just too foggy to pull that one together. Ironically it is about strength and I currently have none. Consequently, this will be more brief than usual and may be a bit of a repeat from this summer’s posts, but it is what God has put on my heart today in various ways.
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Renewal is rooted in faith, not in resolutions! They are made for New Year’s and forgotten on an average of thirteen days later, say the surveys. Faith is the result of a decision about Christ. I cannot make a new me or a new you, but Christ can make you new and me new, as well, if we decide for Him.
My wife and I went to the gym on New Year’s Day to work off some of the holiday calories. While there, I observed the eclectic mix of people. There were familiar folks who, like me, are there on a regular basis; there were some who, like my wife, are less regular due to a busy schedule and used the holiday as an opportunity to get in a good workout; and then there were those who were clearly new to the gym, but who have most likely decided to try to exercise more in 2018. After all, it is that time of year for resolutions. We see the New Year as a time to start fresh and seek to improve our lifestyle in various ways. However the success achieved will depend on the driving force behind the desire for change. As Christians we’re called to daily renewal and transformation so that we live in a manner that is honoring to God and a blessing to us…it is a better way and a way to flourish. No matter what changes we seek to make in our lives, for us to accomplish our goals or to simply live well, we need to maintain our focus in three areas: our renewal must be God centered, we must be engaged and we must maintain a proper attitude.
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If this is to be a Happy New Year, a year of usefulness, a year in which we shall live to make this earth better, it is because God will direct our pathway. How important then, to feel our dependence upon Him!