Life is full of simple pleasures. Of course, it's also full of numerous little aggravations. Almost every day we experience both. It is our choice whether to focus on the good or the bad.
We decide whether or not we are going to count our blessings or number our complaints. Which option leads to happiness and health? Which option enriches our lives? We all know the answer to these questions. Hopefully, we choose to count our blessings most of the time.
I know life is difficult sometimes. There can be days or weeks (or longer) when we feel like we are just moving from one mess to another -- and the blessings get really hard to see. These are the times when we need to try the hardest to see.
We need to search for a blessing of some sort because if we don’t, we might give up altogether. If we don't find any blessings at our darkest moment, we may forever become the pessimist. We risk becoming bitter and cold to others.
Once, a sister from our prayer group said something that really hit home to me. Another sister is going through a particularly hard time. She said something like this “I know from experience that the time when you don't feel like coming to prayer group is the time when you really need it the most.”
It made me think of the quote "When you think you are at the end of your rope, tie another knot." Have you ever heard that one? Where is all this going?
We can’t let ourselves become so embroiled in the bad stuff that we completely lose the good stuff God does for us. For instance, if we don’t feel like praying, and we may be at our absolute lowest, that is when we need God the most and when we need to pray the most.
It doesn't matter if we are hurting so much we can’t say the words. We can just close our eyes, and ask Him for help. The Spirit will take what is on our heart and give it to the Heavenly Father for us (Romans 8:26).
Prayer is one of the wonderful fringe benefits of being a Christian. We get a special audience with God anytime day or night. AND we get an intercessor too (Romans 8:26-27)! God loves us. We can always go to Him, especially when we are at our lowest.
We can have full confidence in our Heavenly Father. He is the perfect One to go to when we hit rock bottom. Hang on to Him. Don’t let go. Don’t give up or give in. Trust God.
“Indeed, we felt
that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to
make us rely not on ourselves but
on God who raises the dead” (2
Corinthians 1:9).
Christ above all things - Robin
