THAT PAIN YOU ARE IN

 

 

My son in law had total spinal reconstructive surgery recently. He started off with a spinal curvature of 73 degrees and his doctors were able to correct it to less than 15 degrees. That is pretty amazing we are told. His surgery went great and in the words of our daughter, “God allowed that surgeon to do some amazing reconstructive things on Shannon's back, but man, did they do a lot to him”. They both knew going into the surgery that he would have to endure severe pain through the healing process and for the most part, they were prepared for it. His determination was and has been amazing. He was up walking 2 hours after his surgery and even the doctors were very pleased. Everything had been going pretty well, until several nights after his surgery when his pain became unbearable.  Earlier that day he had been given a blood transfusion that lasted 6 very long hours. His Hematocrit had gotten so low, he could hardly move at all. It was at that point that the doctor told Shannon that he had every right to be frustrated with his pain and that he could not imagine how he had managed it as long as he did and with such a great attitude. He also informed them that during surgery Shannon’s good shoulder was accidentally fractured when they had to use a chain to force his bad shoulder to match his good one. His doctor also told them that he reconstructed his chest cavity wall because all of his ribs were too close or touching in the front area of his chest. They removed four ribs and spaced them all out, by drilling holes and stutchuring them back. Brandy shared that they now see how God is using this whole season in their lives as opportunities to share Christ with people and what God has done for them!

 

While at first, they couldn't understand what God was allowing to happen to them, but they do now and it is very clear to them. “We have a story”, Brandy said, that must be shared! As I watched Shannon agonizing over his pain, pain that I could do nothing about, I was reminded that most of us collapse at the first grip of pain. We sit down at the door of God’s purpose and enter a slow death through self-pity, while the misplaced sympathy of others helps us to our deathbed. But God refuses to do that. He comes to us with the strong grip of the precious nail pierced hand of His Son and says, “Come here and enter into fellowship with Me, arise and shine”. That is what I see Brandy and Shannon doing right now and pray that they continue to rise up and shine through their current painful situation. If God can accomplish His purposes through a broken back, then there is nothing else to do but be thankful?

 

While God does not always spare His children of pain, but so often uses it for a better cause in our lives as well as in the lives of others, we can be assured of this; that He never leaves nor forsakes His own and His seed never begs for bread! We are daily being called into a more intimate fellowship with Him. Why shouldn’t we experience the pain that we may be in at this time to drive us to Him. Through those doorways God is opening up ways of fellowship with His Son. You may have but one question to ask yourself today sweet friend. Is God’s purpose worth your pain? For if not, you will count it all loss as you ask, “where is God in the bitterness of broken romances, the anguish of jobs lost, the struggles of all the refugees in the world, the hunger of millions people all over the world?  Or, you may think that free will isn’t worth what it costs. But God wants you to understand this; that you have a choice to walk with Him or to walk away from Him. Our pain on any level is excruciating for God, yet many times He must restrain Himself to intervene in the way that we think He ought to, for He has a greater plan for that pain that we can even imagine. “In all their (Israel’s) distress he (God) too was distressed.” - Isaiah 63:9 Remember this, God is not absent in His silence in your life. Eventually if you continue to seek Him, you will find your answer or you will become content in His purpose for your pain, knowing that His ways are far greater than our own!

 

Loving on you sweet Friend,

Bren

WHEN THE TRUTH HURTS

Most people have a certain view of themselves that they like to maintain. So when someone points out a negative trait that does not accommodate their preconceived views of themselves, it makes them very uncomfortable. It’s kind of like the lady who was walking down the street to work and she saw a parrot on a perch in front of a pet store. The parrot said to her, "Hey lady, you are really ugly." As you can imagine, the lady was furious and she stormed past the store, to her work. On the way home that afternoon, she saw the same parrot and it said to her, "Hey lady, you are really ugly." Well, as you can imagine, she was incredibly angry and offended. The next day the same parrot again said to her, "Hey lady, you are really ugly. "The lady was so angry that she refused to be confronted by the rude parrot every time she would pass by it and went into the store and confronted the owner. She told the him that she would sue him and his store and kill the bird if the bird continued with his snide remarks. The store manager replied, "That's not good," and promised the parrot wouldn't say that again. When the lady walked past the store that afternoon after work, the parrot called out to her, "Hey lady!", she paused and looked straight at the parrot just daring him to repeat his rude remarks, and responded to him, "Yes? and the bird replied, "Yoooou know!”.

 

Sometimes truth confronts us with that which we do not want to know or think about. For example, it is true that someday we will all die. Yet most people accept that fact on a superficial level, but they may never really embraced the truth of that fact. Truth also hurts when it requires us to stop doing what we want to do, or requires us to start doing what we don't want to do. It cuts through excuses and requires us to do what is right or sacrifice our opinions for the sake of truth itself. Some avoid the choice altogether by blurring the line between what is true and what isn't. Our world has become so full of blurry lines that many people don't realize the reality  between truth and lies any longer. John 8:32 tells us that we can no truth, by knowing the author of all truth. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. Unlike the lady that was being confronted by the parrot, God’s Word is all Truth and can be trusted to tell us what we need to know about ourselves. Not to offend but to sanctify us through His truth. For His word is truth according to John 17:17. But remember, once it confronts us, we are never the same again.

Like the lady in the parrot joke, truth can be very painful, when it focuses on our own shortcomings and responsibilities instead of allowing us to focus on everyone else's. It emphasizes our own need to change and grow. In the midst of conflict, we like to believe that we are right, that we are innocent and that our suffering is the result of someone else's insensitivity or guilt. But truth causes us to see ourselves as naked and as helpless as we are. At times we are all sometimes wrong and sometimes guilt. Like the parrot, sometimes we use our emotions, words, and even our actions to hurt others. It is painful to see ourselves as we are; so much so that some people never do. Out of sight out of mind. It doesn't hurt, if you don't believe it. Jesus came, and still many were not prepared to receive his light. The darkness seemed to offer protection from the painful truth of their spiritual condition. But that "protection" was a prison of sorts. Like a straight jacket that couldn't be removed, it encased people in their own self-righteousness. That jacket of sorts, was like an armor that prevented them from being washed and clothed in God's righteousness. In a movie theater, lights come on softly and slowly when the film is over. But have you ever sat in a darkened room watching a movie or videos and when they're over, someone suddenly switches on the light? The natural impulse is to be irritated with the person who turned the switch on. It helps when we get some kind of warning before the lights come on to be prepared for when it happens. In that way, those that are sensitive to light can have time to partially cover their eyes for a moment to prepare for the light.

 

The same is true with our spiritual eyes. God, the source of all spiritual illumination, has called out to us again and again to prepare for the moment when He would switch on the spiritual light for us. John the Baptist urged people to turn from darkness and allow God to switch on their spiritual lights, to "repent for the kingdom of God was at hand. He gave warning as God always gives warning before He sends judgment. Many listened and responded. Those who heeded his announcement admitted they were in darkness, and turned from their wrong attitudes and actions in preparation to receive God’s light. When God shines truth in your heart and you reject it, be very careful, for He will not tarry with men always! Bend today under the mighty hand of God in your life and He will exalt you in due time! I Peter 5:6, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time”.

 

Loving on you today sweet Friend,

Bren

CHARACTER vs. REPUTATION

As far back as I can remember, I have wanted to please folks and be accepted by them. Though we may go about it in different ways, we are all reaching out in some way to be accepted.  There is a drive in us, that pushes us to work at being accepted in one way or another. God is very aware that we are like this and encourages us through His Word, to be careful in how we reach out to attain that acceptance. Galatians 1:10 reminds us of this,  “For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.” You see, you and I must decide if it is the love and acceptance of people that we are striving for, or simply finding favor with God and in turn, He shows us favor with others. But never the less, without question it is His favor that we should be reflecting and that not of our own, if we bear the name of Christ as God’s children.

 

Throughout history, there have been countless numbers of scandals and in almost everyone, if not all of those situations, there was a key moment of decision when some type of allegation surfaced between someone’s character and their reputation. Ideally, each of us would like to have both. A strong character, and a good reputation. However, sometimes our circumstances may force us to choose one or the other.  If we choose our reputation, then we allow the most important issue to be, “how something may look or appear to others”, and we will immediately go into damage control and will take actions to limit any news getting out. This can easily lead to the, “it’s more about me than about the One that lives in me”. If we choose character, then our integrity will lead us to do the right thing and that alone speaks highly of our reputation. It is kind of like putting the cart before the horse if you choose your reputation over your character. Once you choose godly character first, that becomes your code in life and your good reputation will follow behind, and in the proper order. So it is always worthwhile to be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. Our reputation isn't what the crowd is saying like they did Saul and Paul: "Saul has killed his thousands and David his ten thousands." That's not a real reputation. That's just flattery, current events of the moment. Rather, your intentions should be concerning your reputation, one of faithfulness, of a servant, of a pursuer of God.

 

You see, many of us want our reputations to change based upon our inclination or our statements. But it's very important for us to see these reputations has built through change in our lives. Ecclesiastes 7 says, "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth." Why would the day of our death be better than the day of our birth? It's because when you're born, you haven't done much. You messed your pants and threw milky spit up on people, big deal. But at your death, somebody has something to say about you. Don't you want your reputation to be that you walked with God? What is your reputation? The main requirement of a steward is that he be found faithful. 1 Samuel 18:30 says, "Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by." That's what brings glory to God. That's your reputation. We can see actions, we can see direction, we can see gifts, we can see resolve. But a reputation is consistently built over time. We're known by our doings, by our fruit. The apostle Paul made it very clear in Galatians, that he was not striving to please people, but God. You will have opportunities throughout your life to uphold both your reputation and your character. Sometimes you might have to choose one. May you always desire to please God and make the choice that honors Him.

 

Loving on you today!

Bren