And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. -1 Peter 5:10 (ESV)

God gives us amazing learning and teaching opportunities through His children. My little boy’s been battling wave after wave of illness, probably caught from fellow classmates.

Finally, after trying every over the counter remedy on his symptoms, it was time to see the doctor. After determining the infection could be treated with antibiotics, he wrote us a prescription for it.

And, of course, it didn’t come in cherry or some other kid-friendly flavor, like the over the counter medicines did. My boy balked, ran, and even hid in fearful expectation of the next dose.

He asked why this new, yucky medicine didn’t taste good? I told him that sometimes the only medicine to get us feeling better wasn’t sweet…but we’d be stronger and healthier after we took it for the whole course.

And with that, I could see what God wanted to remind me of: that tough seasons and times may be the nasty-tasting pill prescribed for us to get us through to the other side. It’s too easy to want sweeter and easier, but life is sweeter on its own after we experience the bitter, harder road.

Today’s soundtrack

Laura Story’s “Blessings” poses the question: What if our blessings are in the raindrops and tears?

Did this song move you? Consider buying it on Amazon Music »

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. -2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NIV)

Have you ever prayed and prayed for something painful to end, but it doesn’t?

We all have a thorn in our sides that just won’t stop. It may be physical, mental, or emotional affliction–or maybe all of them. For the apostle Paul, when he wrote to the Christians in Corinth, he told them of the thorn that he begged God to take away from him.

But God’s response to Paul was this His grace was sufficient for him. God works best in our weakness, when we’re not striving in our own strength…when we’re not believing we’re responsible for how well our circumstances are going.

God often will allow for that thorn in our sides to accomplish His purpose, and because His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, and because He sees how this thorn works out in the grand scheme of our life and the lives intertwined with it, we can trust that His plans are good.

Paul goes on to say:

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. -2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV)

Trust that God is allowing this for a reason. His silence does not mean He doesn’t hear. He’s lining things up according to His will and timing for our walk to best glorify Him. This pain He may intend for our strengthening, to open our eyes, or to warn us. One day we can look back and see it clearly, as He already does, and we can thank Him now and later for His perfect plans for us.

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! -Psalm 126:5 (ESV)

Sometimes it feels like you’re getting buried alive, doesn’t it? (It’s not just me, is it?) It might be work. It might be home life. It might be all of that and more.

You might ask God, “Where are you?!?” and wonder if He’s abandoned you because you haven’t measured up.

But no, that’s all in your head. God has been, and is, right there with you, but you just have to let Him work in and through you.

The weight of all those worldly things may be just what’s needed to slow you down and even break you…to give you perspective that you can’t do it all on your own.

When you get buried, you’ve been trying too hard and too long in your own strength. Now you can–maybe once again (like me)–see that you can’t do this on your own. And that little mustard seed of faith that got buried with you now is taking root…and that giant tree that will sprout from your little seed of faith will be a testament to how you gave it all to God to grow you and live above your circumstances.

When you’re up to your neck in busyness, stress, and worry, it’s clear that it’s time to let God run with it. He’s got the situation right where He wants it, so He gets the glory and the credit for overcoming it!

He must increase, but I must decrease. -John 3:30 (ESV)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28 (NIV)

My show was so tired. It had jumped the shark years before…a predictable storyline that was so repetitive…so shallow and formulaic. No meat or spiritual depth or meaning that was underlying the action. In its 40th year, my banal show was begging for a reboot.

New characters, new life, new everything

My show was completely rebooted when Jesus came on the scene. He completely upstaged me and everything else. I was unplugged. My show…was no longer my show at all. It was the Jesus Show! I became a supporting character, and in that role, my storyline flourished, because the core problem was that my storyline was incorrectly focused on me as the star.

The scale of the show completely and exponentially exploded. It went from navel-gazing to epic…to a grand scale interlinking other shows in a colossal story where you could see shows criss-crossing, interleaving, and intersecting here and there to tell a much larger story…to achieve a much larger purpose.

The show lit up like never before. The atmosphere went from dark and dreary to bright and vibrant. My character was infused with new depth and Spirit and character and courage and faith…and more and more, it was becoming evident through words and deeds in the storyline. The show’s storylines now were so deep in purpose and meaning, though watchers would have to wait to see how the complex, interwoven stories would play out.

But it was also engaging like never before! The show turned off some old audiences from the format change, while some new audiences came on board. I learned that though the audience for my character may have decreased, its numbers were now made of solid brothers and sisters who understood that it wasn’t about my character, but that my character’s supporting role was to help put more light on Jesus, the main character. And I can see the overall fan base for the Jesus Show growing; the direction and trajectory of the show only continues to shoot ever upward. The Jesus Show succeeds on all levels.

Ready to reboot?

If you’re tired of your show, introduce Jesus to it and let him steal your show. Step back and let Him increase as you decrease, as John the Forerunner said. The Jesus Show has amazing highs and dramatic lows, but they all are very purposeful and intentional in outcomes for God’s children (Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11). So fear not, God is with you (Isaiah 41:10)…let Him steal your show!

Today’s soundtrack

Toby Mac’s “Steal My Show” asks the Lord to take it away!

I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? -Jeremiah 32:27 (NIV)

The prison you cannot touch

I come from a family that truly knows how to harbor resentment, make it flourish, and carry it for decades…even past the death of another person. Talk about nurturing poisonous pain!

As a child, I was raised by parents could never be wrong. And from that, I inferred that it must be me who was always wrong and at fault. You can imagine the stage that set for adulthood.

Going hand in hand with this thinking is the debilitating way of looking backward in regret, living and reliving the past, just torturing the soul in self-condemnation, self pity, and guilt.

These conditions create invisible prisons for the mind and soul that may as well be cages and shackles of iron to keep us contained.

God breaks you free

But there is nothing too hard for the Lord.

There is nothing the Great Physician can’t heal. No pain or wound too deep. No rift or schism He can’t bridge. No prison from which He cannot free you.

After 40 years, my eyes started to see that resentment, self-condemnation, and regret were all sin burdens paid for in full by Jesus on the cross. And that truth only gets clearer with each passing day.

Though my sins were like scarlet, He made them white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).

Get off the old cycle and on the new

For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. -Psalm 92:4 (NIV)

If not for Him, I would continue the cycle with my son. The cycle of sin and pain stop where God begins, and He has His hands outstretched to lift us up out of our prisons and into the freedom of His love.

And now that we are free, fellow believer, let us honor the Lord in starting healing and loving cycles…cycles of light and growth and change. Can you see the morning sun rising on your life after the years and years of night?

Today’s soundtrack

MercyMe’s “Hurt and the Healer” tells how God’s glory meets our suffering:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. -Psalm 91:1 (NIV)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. -Philippians 4:4-9 (NIV)

I’m revealing a very personal page of my testimony here in the hopes that it will help you or someone you know.

The verses above were given to me by a fellow agent who could see I was really struggling…emotionally on my knees. I realized that, when facing the relentless rain and hail, I wasn’t always above the circumstances as I thought I was. As much as I strived to fix my eyes on Him, I was getting cut and torn to ribbons.

What really happened is that I took my eyes off him and was lost in the rolling waves. And that is because…I was hardening my heart to try and protect myself from harm. I was doing it in my own strength. I wasn’t trusting God to take care of the situation, to protect me.

And as I knew in my heart and was told by my fellow agent, I’d separated myself from God by doing this. I wasn’t walking with Him. I was walking alone, with Satan cackling the whole way.

Striving is the key word I used above. Another verse comes to mind for when I strive:

Be still and know that I am God. -Psalm 46:10

Just stop. Stop.

When you’re facing a burst—or a season—of hardship on earth, don’t try to avoid it. Face it, not with your heart’s shields and walls up, but with the full armor of God on you to catch the heat so it doesn’t reach you.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. -Psalm 18:2 (NIV)

Retreat into His Word. Call out, mutter, whimper Jesus’ name. Think of all that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. This is His command for how you should steer your will. Let His Word and His holy name be your shield and refuge so you can stand your ground and remain standing. Trust in His long view of your life and of those around you. Now is not the destination, but merely a stop on the way. These are steps in the tough climb to the next mountaintop, with plenty of good things to learn—and bad things to leave behind—on the way up.

I want you to know that I may be down, but I’m never out. And the same will go for you as long as you stop when you realize you’re not walking the walk you thought you were. Just get back on the path, because He is patiently and gently waiting for you to rejoin Him.

God always comes through. He never fails. Just suit up, be still, and take refuge in Him.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. -Colossians 3:12

You never know how complex the lives are of the very people you walk past every day…in public, in church, at work, and at school.

People are in pain. They’re misunderstood, dismissed, written off…sometimes by themselves. They are at this point in their lives after years and years of untold stories: joy, regret, celebration, sorrow, betrayal, and heartache.

These are the same smiling and strong people you see, in just as much pain as those who show it plainly. Yes, even the man/woman who barks at you and snaps for no apparent reason.

As believers and agents of light, we are one of these people in the crowd. But in us, as with some of them, is the flame of the Holy Spirit, which reminds us to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord as we walk through this very dark world. When we do that, and give Him our burdens of pain and sin and remorse through prayer, we shrug off the weight of the world, and His light shines brightly by us reflecting it to those around us. He is glorified and made known.

This is a great privilege to be His adopted child, and also our amazing mission to light up the world.

We all have long storylines with ups and downs in them, but God wants us to focus ahead, on Him, not look back on the pains of the past. He wants us to walk a new storyline, one that’s straight and narrow, but bright and more rewarding than any other.

Before you head out into the mission field, don your spiritual armor, piece by piece. Then, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Give God your burdens and carry the spark of His light to warm others in the cold and darkness.

The amazing husband and wife team from Australia, known as Pocket Fuel, wrote a great devotional on this very topic. Here’s an excerpt:

Our ‘position’ as Christians should never cause us to think we are elevated above anyone else, but rather it awakens within us the ability to come underneath to support, help and shoulder the burden of others… bring hope in heartache, peace in fear, family in loneliness, and ultimately the life giving power of God to a hungry and thirsty world.

Read the whole devotional »

Today’s soundtrack

Brandon Heath’s “Give Me Your Eyes” asks God to help us see everyone’s struggles through his lens of love, compassion, and kindness.