Inspiration

I was inspired today to create a blog by my beautful friend Stephanie Blackiston. I was so blessed to be able to take part in the delivery day of her fourth child yesterday, February 13th. Hope is this beautiful child's name. It was such an awe-inspiring event that truly has brought hope to my sweet friend Stephanie and her family. It was so amazing to witness a new life coming into the world. Well, sort of witness. Steph, the most amazing, brave mother, decided to have Hope through natural childbirth, with no painkillers. She has 3 boys that were delivered with the help of an epidural. The reason she decided to make this brave choice is a whole other blogging opportunity. I will post her blog site in case you want to hear her story from her perspective. She was a trooper and baby Hope is beautiful just life her mommy. So on my drive home I started thinking about how so much beauty could come from such pain and suffering. How I'm sure Stephanie, while the pain is still fresh on her mind, is amazed at this sweet bundle of beauty that she now hold in her arms. As I think back on my life and the hard situations that I have gone through, how typical it is, that I have fresh perspective on my situation and how God always brings something positive from it if I allow Him to. It makes the good days so much more meaningful, almost like you can savor them. I pray I never lose that perspective. It made me think of these verses in Ecclesiastes chapter 3:

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what has been planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

All the seasons of life that we go through, God has something for us in each season that will make us stronger. I pray that even in the hard times that God will give me His perspective, to see through His eyes, to really absorb what He has for me in that season. Thank goodness that we don't have to do it alone. God, in all His love for us, came that we might have life, no,not just ordinary life, but life abundant. He came and died for our sins, to save us from death that surely our sin would bring upon each and every one of us, to bring us HOPE beyond this life. Can it truly be, beauty from the ashes of death? Only through Jesus Christ do we have that chance to rise triumphantly from death to life. So what do our sufferings offer us? Why can't life just always be easy? Would we turn to Christ if life was always easy? Why to we always try to rely on ourselves to get through life when Jesus asks us to come to Him.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

I encourage you today if you are going through something difficult, to turn to Jesus. He promised this life would not be easy, but that He would walk through it with you. I don't always choose to turn to the Lord when I need to. Most times I try to do it on my own and then find myself so discouraged that I end up crying out to God in desperation. God wants us to turn to Him first to save us from some of the heartache we bring upon ourselves. Let us view our difficult times as a way for God to teach us something and to trust that He is using it redemptively in our lives to make us stronger. Only God can somehow turn our ashes to beauty and use it to our benefit.

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

Romans 5:3-5

May God allow you to see your trial through His eyes and may He offer you His peace beyond understanding as you walk through it. May you know that His intentions for you are always good and always loving. If you are reading this and don't know Jesus and desire to have a relationship with this one that offers beauty for your ashes, life in the midst of pain, and eternally security, please contact me to find out more. On this Valentine's Day, may you know and feel His love reaching out to you.

God Bless, Suzy

"So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf."

Hebrews 17-20