Man of Sorrows

What a name...who would ask for sorrow? Who would want pain? No one willingly signs up for these things, and yet when these things come into our lives, we have choices to make. How will we respond, and what will we do? Will we scream at the night sky and yell at whomever we think is causing this pain? Will we question, beg and cry? Will we finally come to terms that God is God and we are not? And in our meekness as we humbly say the words that "we are not in control" will God then fill us with peace during our pain? In many cases, as believers struggle through their pain, trial and suffering, this is exactly what happens. To be poor in spirit? Who would want this? But why does God tell us in Matthew in the be-attitudes that we are "blessed" if we are poor in spirit?

"Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in ever way; in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distress, in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger, in purity, understanding, patience and kindness, in the Holy Spirit, and in sincere love of God, with weapons of rigorousness in the right hand and in the left, through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report, genuine yet disregarded as imposter's, known yet regarded as unknown, dying and yet we LIVE ON. Beaten and yet NOT KILLED sorrowful yet ALWAYS REJOICING. Poor, yet making many rich, having nothing...and YET, POSSESSING EVERYTHING." - 2 Corinthians 6: 4-10

Wow right? This passage amazes me not because I am anywhere near this, but because this standard is achievable through Christ Jesus our Lord. "
"Be perfect for I am perfect " Christ said. This phrase kept running through my mind when I was being tempted to rage in my trial this past weekend (and week.) I was attacked by a plague similar to Egypt in many ways and as each force of nature hit my family one after another, one had to stop and think..."God what are you doing here?" and "Why is this happening? What does God want me to see that I am missing or have been missing" Let me say my friends, my eyes have been opened. My heart is no-longer looking the other way at my disfunction. Just as Pharaoh missed his opportunity to please the Lord and live a life filled with all of God's goodness because his heart was hard, this too could have been said of me. Cleanse...this is what the Lord has said to me. Rid yourself of the clutter that eats your life, and steals your joy, stresses you out and puts unnecessary burden on your and your family. Live free in ME alone. De-clutter your head, your heart, your home and your life. Then you will be able see what you have and be thankful for it. Truly thankful.

So man of sorrow? What a name...but it's a name that speaks joy in the end. It's a name that possess the joy of Christ when you have seen your sorrow through and learned all that you need to learn from the sorrow. Be perfect for I am perfect. I realize that we cannot be perfect. But in the face of trial, it's common and natural as a believer to say, "GOD! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" And His answer is..."everything." because as we posses everything that this world has to offer, we are poor in Christ. But when we are rich in Christ and poor in the world, this my friends is when we have it all. I'm not saying it wrong to own nice things, or enjoy the blessings that God gives you here, but to have the stuff be your purpose, and the things that clutter your home be the items of joy, then this is where we go wrong.

As the plagues crashed down on my life, with each one I realized the next level of purge that needed to take place. Get rid of the junk.

What is crazy is that rules give you freedom. Sounds opposite I know, but it's true. If you have lines in place, your know where you can go. If you have no lines, no rules, no budgets, no guidelines, then how will you know where you shouldn't go? And isn't it stressful to be lost? That was my problem. I was on the road that didn't know, to place I was unsure of, in a car I didn't recognize and I expected to be at peace with my adventure. Well, no peace could be found there in this place.

SO today, as I sit, knowing I did what God wanted me to do, and although I did not respond as I should have for a very long time, I feel I am where God wants me to be now...and it feels so much better than where I was even 5 days ago.

A wise pastor said that if we can say, "Thank you Lord" in the face of all of our trials, it would be a good thing. For if everything comes from Him, then when we are experiencing must be His best. (even when it doesn't look like it, or feel like it) BLESSINGS CAN COME IN RAINDROPS. So as the rain comes down, and the dark sky's rage...know that His best can lie in those clouds. And peace can reside in the storm, strength comes from being weak in ourselves, and peace comes from laying it ALL down. So I say, Thank you Lord. (and I do mean it).