So don’t give up, resist, or demand immediate results by the removal of tribulations. Grasp His big picture. Hang on to Him as He hangs on to you. You will find what David learned in Psalm 63:3 about celebrating his tribulations: “Your lovingkindness is better than life. My lips shall praise You.” Let the detour become a doorway!
The Lord recruited me to be His mouth, hands, and feet to comfort hurting people. He is always looking for those who “get it,” those who understand His intent to comfort us in our trials so we can testify of His goodness! I definitely did not get it at first. How about you, are you receiving His comfort and passing it on? It’s never too late to start!
Some folks think they have every right to hold a grudge over someone who has hurt them. But are grudges wise? Our Creator has strongly cautioned against harboring unforgiveness toward anyone. In this video, Joe Fornear lays out WHY and HOW we help ourselves by forgiving others.
When we fight cancer, we have enough to navigate physically and emotionally without adding the stress of unforgiveness. After all, Ephesians tells us unforgiveness gives the devil a "foothold" in our lives, a military term for a base of operations of an enemy in our own territory. I realized the self-inflicted pain of unforgiveness could be as devastating to my soul as the cancer was to my body.
Job “sees” God, not physically, but His eyes were opened to God’s amazing ability to create and run His universe. Knowing God and knowing about Him are two different things. The path to truly knowing and experiencing Him entails pain, which strengthens our grip on God.
Job got the message and humbled himself to receive God's answer. God governs everything, how much more our circumstances! The book of Job makes me marvel at how big God is and how presumptuous I can be!
Always giving thanks FOR all things necessitates believing a good God permits everything in our lives including the hard times.
The key to thanks-giving all year lies in understanding the depth of our forgiveness. Gratitude stems from recognizing what we truly deserve versus the grace we receive. Jesus taught, “He who is forgiven much loves much,” and I believe this applies to our thanks-giving as well.
What if we knew, like Job, God is on our side and only permits cancer to lead us to higher levels of connection with His peace and joy?
When we're sick or fighting cancer like I did, we are most vulnerable to guilt and shame. Job clung to One Who lives and would take His stand on earth, his "Redeemer." We can too!