In light of the recent economic crash & the seemingly imminent meltdown, this article I'm writing for activated may be a comfort. The following is likely to feature in an activated magazine sometime in 2009.
Enjoy the "rough" for now..
THE UPLOOK!
A good friend of mine once said “even when all is bleak around you, you can always look up”. What a true statement. Indeed there is always a way that we can be positive in the midst of adversity, however hard it may be to do so. The sky is no limit for someone who needs a new vision. Blindness should be the only hamper for not viewing the sky.
Time & again I’ve found in my life that when I was so absorbed in the moment of loss, anger, sickness, financial difficulty, or whatever my current “frustration” was, I had failed to take comfort in the fact that God had a future for me & that whatever today brings, we always have tomorrow. Sometimes that’s the only key: looking ahead to the future. Similar to how at times our only outlook may be an uplook, sometimes the best way to make it through the present is to look to tomorrow.
But don’t limit yourself to just looking at tomorrow--think beyond that. Rejoice in the fact that if you have Jesus in your heart, he’s given you eternal life. Then, after you’ve taken heart in that fact, educate yourself as to what that means for you. Refresh your mind & heart with the passages on Heaven in the Bible & rest in the promise of that which is to come. (see Revelations 21 & 22; 1st Corinthians 13:21) Instruct your heart with the vision of the future promised to you by Jesus that will result from your bond with him, your faithfulness to Him &, yes, even your suffering w/ Him—“If we suffer, we will also reign with him.” (2 Timothy 2: 12; Romans 8:17 & 18; 1 Timothy 4: 10)
Taking your heart to Him in prayer can also help you overcome the moment of distress, anguish, heartbreak, or loneliness, or the seeming failure you may be facing. There are so many ways to let our souls fly free from our undergoing troubles if we can learn to see things through the eyes of the Spirit. Remembering that we are spiritual beings housed in physical bodies can help us to search for spiritual solutions to our seemingly “physical” problems. Knowing full-well that we can rest in Jesus at any time & that we have His love unconditionally, can actually be a spiritual “life-saver”.
Many times when I seem to find no solution to my present problem, the one thing that pulls me through is just meditating on the magnitude, depth & personality of Jesus’ love for me. This always pulls me through--at least for that moment. And then if I can’t seem to find any other good in that moment…Well, I can always look up to the sky, focus on Jesus' love & remember that at least I have tomorrow. 'Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.'
Enjoy the "rough" for now..
THE UPLOOK!
A good friend of mine once said “even when all is bleak around you, you can always look up”. What a true statement. Indeed there is always a way that we can be positive in the midst of adversity, however hard it may be to do so. The sky is no limit for someone who needs a new vision. Blindness should be the only hamper for not viewing the sky.
Time & again I’ve found in my life that when I was so absorbed in the moment of loss, anger, sickness, financial difficulty, or whatever my current “frustration” was, I had failed to take comfort in the fact that God had a future for me & that whatever today brings, we always have tomorrow. Sometimes that’s the only key: looking ahead to the future. Similar to how at times our only outlook may be an uplook, sometimes the best way to make it through the present is to look to tomorrow.
But don’t limit yourself to just looking at tomorrow--think beyond that. Rejoice in the fact that if you have Jesus in your heart, he’s given you eternal life. Then, after you’ve taken heart in that fact, educate yourself as to what that means for you. Refresh your mind & heart with the passages on Heaven in the Bible & rest in the promise of that which is to come. (see Revelations 21 & 22; 1st Corinthians 13:21) Instruct your heart with the vision of the future promised to you by Jesus that will result from your bond with him, your faithfulness to Him &, yes, even your suffering w/ Him—“If we suffer, we will also reign with him.” (2 Timothy 2: 12; Romans 8:17 & 18; 1 Timothy 4: 10)
Taking your heart to Him in prayer can also help you overcome the moment of distress, anguish, heartbreak, or loneliness, or the seeming failure you may be facing. There are so many ways to let our souls fly free from our undergoing troubles if we can learn to see things through the eyes of the Spirit. Remembering that we are spiritual beings housed in physical bodies can help us to search for spiritual solutions to our seemingly “physical” problems. Knowing full-well that we can rest in Jesus at any time & that we have His love unconditionally, can actually be a spiritual “life-saver”.
Many times when I seem to find no solution to my present problem, the one thing that pulls me through is just meditating on the magnitude, depth & personality of Jesus’ love for me. This always pulls me through--at least for that moment. And then if I can’t seem to find any other good in that moment…Well, I can always look up to the sky, focus on Jesus' love & remember that at least I have tomorrow. 'Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.'
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