Forlorn But Not Forsaken

I thought I knew what I wanted to do

And embarked on a path to do it.

Along the way I heard people say

"There is no way, he'll never see a day

When success isn't flitting away."

Before too long I believed their song

And replayed the tune in my head.

My feelings were wrong; I didn't belong.

Doomed to average instead,

Flitting away in my head.

Just what to do I did not know

Nor were there answers in sight.

The lack of light put my hopes to flight

Twas dark as night; life was a fright

As plan after plan ebbed in might.

In endless repeat the circle complete

The hope that I held would lapse.

And wouldn't you know the trouble would grow

Worst at the first and ne'er any better

Disaster! Defeat! Collapse!

In an instant it happened as quick as that

An eruption of grace spewed forth.

Fueled by the notion of theistic motion

A refreshing potion of merciful lotion

Flowed from the bountiful source.

Ah! Hope is not lost, it's still on its feet

Resolutely marching ahead

To offer its power in life's darkest hour

From quagmire to fire

Intent on victory instead.

How do I love thee...

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." The words of the sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning are familiar and sometime perplexing. Especially when we compare the love we share with each other to the love God expresses to us on a daily basis. It's easy to get caught up trying to make human analogies for God's love. But whatever expression of love we can imagine is miniscule next to the reality of God's love as seen in the pages of Scripture.

John writes that God is love. His character is saturated in love. His will is predicated on love. His grace is rooted in love. His mercy is tempered in love. His peace is contingent on love. Is it any wonder why we are incapable of fathoming how great is His love?

Paul wrote to Titus informing him that God cannot lie. If He says He love us, then it must be true. And He does tell us he loves us over and over again. Because we can't understand why or how God loves us does not take away from the fact that He does.

The next time you are feeling unloved by the world, Remember that God loves you with a love so powerful that it is beyond your imagination to believe. Hold on to that thought and never let it go.

Count it all joy?

Can you remember the last time you were truly grateful for the trials that dart in and out of your life. Not many people would answer that question in the affirmative. Yet that is exactly what James suggested in the epistle attributed to his name. "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials," he writes in 1:2.

What's to be happy about when at best aggravation or at worst serious dilemmas rear their ugly heads in your life? The circumstance du jour is brought about by the hostile environment shared by humans, animals, and nature. It is evil in the world fostered by created beings whose sole purpose is to defeat the work of God on earth. To accomplish that goal these beings will stop at nothing to destroy anyone or anything obstructing their path. What they intend for evil, God turns to good.

The apostle Paul suggested the trials suffered on earth were but light afflictions endured for but a moment (2 Cor. 4:17). Such suffering can't compare with the glory which God will reveal in the believer in heaven (Rom. 8:18). Enduring trials is a condition granted to believers on behalf of Christ that they might suffer for His sake (Phil. 1:29). "In the world," Jesus said, "you will have tribulation. " If left there optimism might be difficult to imagine. However, Jesus finished the statement by saying, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John: 16:33).

The trials we experience form our character. In that sense we are to rejoice. It is generally after the fact that we can objectively exam the guerilla attacks to see the positive aspect of the growth process.

Tough Times Don't Last but Tough People Do! Perhaps you've heard of this saying and book title. This exhortation to grinding out the difficult circumstances in life appeals to the American spirit of never giving up. However, real life doesn't always work that way, especially in an economy that is demanding more than many people can give.

Well intentioned people borrowed money to purchase houses under the premise they could continue to draw a salary from their employer or continue to operate their businees at a level whereby they could maintain their monthly obligations. Unfortunately their employer experienced a business downturn and was forced to reduce payroll by eliminating the very job relied upon to meet monthly expenses. The business owner and the worker want to maintain their integrity by faithfully remitting the funds necessary to make agreed upon payments to all creditors. Due to circumstances beyond their control, they are simply unable to accomplish their desired goal of repaying the debt to which they had commited. The result is anguish that oftentimes leads to depression.

There is no easy answer to this scenario except to realize that all decisions are good when they are made. Some decisions just turn bad later. There is nothing you can do about a decision in the past. The time is gone and you can't go back and correct that mistake. The only remedy is to not make that same mistake again.

If you find yourself in a financial quaigmire, you are not alone. Millions of other Americans have joined you, maybe for the first time in their life. Continue to work hard and try to emerge from the burden of debt that has encompassed many Americans. But all the while thanking God for what you do have and ministering to the needs of others. When your focus is on the person and path of one seeking their own selfish ambition, you are in for a long arduous time. While we travel the same sod, let us encourage, exhort, and empathize with one another.

Remember, we all have problems. Some problems are just more socially acceptable than others.