Tag: rain

Tis’ The Season

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Tis’ The Season 

As I finish my half a year back in school I find myself feeling tired. I have found my motivation severely lacking. The enjoyment of school seems to be waning as one week after another I get closer to graduating. While it doesn’t make sense to me why my motivation has been so lacking, I find myself going into this CHRISTmas season hopeful of the break, looking forward to rest, and finding things relaxing to occupy my time.

Sadly many of the events this season I look forward too most have been canceled. I don’t generally look forward to very many things so for something to not work out, really gets to me. Thankfully there are still things I’m looking forward to during this break. CHRISTmas is still coming, along with the candlelight service, the annual church breakfast service, and the church cantata. Finally at the end of the Christmas season is my Appalachian Trail hike. While I’m looking forward to the 6-8 day hike, I can’t deny that some concerns over the recent weather have been raised. With the snow that fell concerns were light, but going further into the season it’s been almost nothing but rain. The rain on the hike would be a miserable experience. I am praying earnestly that the weather is either dry, or snow.

Hope and cheer is the key phrase this season, and how much do we have to hope for? 1 Peter 1:3-4 (NKJV)3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,” We have hope for the Lord Jesus Christ, and know that there is nothing else in this world that gives us more hope. Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)31 “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” 

The days come and everyone experiences a lull in their season, and perhaps after 6 months of non stop work, the stress caught up to me. The joy of the Lord, and knowing that Jesus Christ gives us eternal hope, and that nothing in this world can remove that from life. The Christmas joy is forever and for all those who know and love Jesus Christ have a lifetime of hope. This season the Christmas blues may hit, but remember that a moment of blue doesn’t mean you have to be in a season of blue. It’s okay to have a day or so where you’re feeling the holiday blues. Maybe you miss a loved one, or you miss some old friends, no matter what’s causing the blues just remember it’s Christmas, and it’s all about the baby born to give us the ultimate hope and joy. So Tis’ the season to be Jolly, and find your joy by remembering what’s important this holiday season. It doesn’t matter if it’s snowing, or raining, something in between, or what season you’re in, Christmas is here, and that means there’s lots to be joyful about.

The Rain

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The Rain

The rain brings forth life, it makes the grass grow, the plants flowers, it fills the wells with the water we drink. When we think of relationships, life, we are left with images of sunny days, and to represent the bad, stormy ones. The rain comes all the time. It is feared by some that the rain will take everything, and sometimes it does. Are we afraid of the changes that come from a long rain? The flood, the raging waters that can destroy everything we hold most dear. Matthew 7:25-27 “25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” We must learn to build our lives on a solid foundation. Do not fear the rain for if you know your stance, know the platform in which you live your life, nothing can destroy you.

 There’s a saying in the military ‘Embrace the suck’. It means own the struggles. Embrace the hardships, the heartbreaks, the tragedies, and learn how to turn the horrible things into advantages. Akido and Jujutsu are very common martial art forms that use an enemies energy and movements against them. In such fashion I believe we can use the attacks of the Devil to our advantage. If we loose our job because of someone, or the whiles of the Devil are playing games with you, find a better one. Change your direction. If a relationship falls apart then find one that suits you better.

If we embrace the rain and use it, let the terrible things give us strength. Own the anger and don’t let it rule you. Habakkuk 1:2-4 “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! 3 Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. 4 Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.” The question is why does God allow this to happen. God answers in verse 5 “Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.” Being prepared for more, the battle the awaits us, is it possible that the rain is perhaps a blessing and we just can’t see it? I’m sure if we look hard enough we can actually see our blessings even in the deepest of tragedies.

After the hardest rains we are left with beautiful sunshine, beautiful rainbows, and a sense thanks to have survived it. When it rains go out into it and dance. Have faith you will not be harmed, have faith that in this life there are simple truths. Those truths are this life is but temporary in nature. When this life ends the rain is no more and sunshine is all we will know. If we do not embrace our challenges how do we know our true potential? You may not have ever liked the rain, but now I urge you to look at your challenges, your personal rain clouds differently. What is it doing for you, find the lesson to be learned, the changes you can make. Instead of sitting inside and being sad about the rain go out into it and dance and sing. Not saying every challenge is easy to overcome, but at the very least try.

Lamentations 3:22-23 “22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

When it Rains it Pours (Finding Gods Grace)

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When it Rains it Pours (Findings Gods Grace)

So let me tell you about my month. It started off much like every other month, same old routine, going to work, coming home, taking care of the fur creatures I call my kids, cleaning, and trying to relax when possible. Without going to into detail as the why, the how, the when, all those other W’s, safe to say I felt a little like Job and Paul combined. In a month I was put in a place that was pretty horrible, lost my position, gave up a great deal, was put through an awful lot of mental and emotional stress. My car was damaged, and then had a major issue with mice, yes I said mice, (I live in the country) Then once I finally thought I was going to get my car back, another problem popped up, thankfully of the very few things left under warranty the thermostat was.

Every step of the way God has not let me sink under the weight of the world. With insurmountable odds financially, emotionally, and even at times physically, I have had so much negativity in my life over the last several weeks, it was hard to see any kind of light at the end of the tunnel. As it seemed that my situation would go from bad, to really bad, to holy crap bad, to My God My God why have you forsaken me. But as I kept praying, kept the faith, I never asked God why these things were happening to me? The important thing in our walk with faith is the understand that not only will we have storms from time to time, but the occasional hurricane as well. As some areas of the world are constantly hit with monsoons they know and expect the rains to come and not let up for months. Is our walk with Christ any different?

No matter how bad things got, today of all days I would see the light at the end of the tunnel. With a settlement of $365 to move forward freely in life that would be a small price to pay to have things finally go my way. But the challenge would remain, where would I get that? A guardian angel would have it in my account within 10 minutes. Then my car, with everything that went wrong the tires (being slashed) the fuel coil being damaged, then the thermostat going out, all at the same time, it seems that a lot of Jesus came my way because it looks like at most, if anything at all, I’ll have to pay $200. Not too bad considering everything that was wrong, and that’s not a sure bet right now. The important thing is the bills will miraculously get paid, the car is now fixed and ready for the long trip to Texas, it seems that many of the other obstacles I had are now behind me.

I’m not saying it’s time for open calm seas, but I’m saying God is Great. Just when it seems that the problems I would face would be more then I could manage, God as always arrives precisely when He means to and takes away the burdens quicker then they arrived.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” In this we do not know or understand that God will be watching over us always. It’s a difficult concept for our puny little human brains to wrap our heads around. No matter the folly in our hearts, our spirit should always be lifted by the Lord on high.

Lamentations 3:25-26 “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” It may not happen when we want or when we think it should, but the good of Gods graces come when the time is right. We must learn to quiet ourselves and understand it’s beyond us. We always want to be in control, but we aren’t in control of much. If we think about it, we aren’t much different then Bane and John Daggett from Dark Knight Rises. Daggett is upset that things haven’t gone according to the plan. Or, was it the plan? It was his plan and he didn’t like it when it didn’t go his way.

“Bane: Our plan is proceeding as expected.

John Daggett: Oh really? Do *I* look like I’m running Wayne Enterprises right now? Your hit, on the stock exchange, it didn’t work, my friend! And now you have my construction crews going around the city at 24 hours a day! How exactly is that supposed to help my company absorb Wayne’s?

Bane: [to Stryver] Leave us!

John Daggett: No! You stay here, I’m in charge!

Bane: [puts his hand on Daggett’s shoulder] Do you *feel* in charge?”

Don’t we all feel that way? Isn’t it funny when God more or less asks us the same thing? Do we really feel in charge of our lives? Of course not, and when we really feel the world spinning out of control, that’s because we feel we’ve lost that edge, that purpose or place, our power. Just remember who has all the power. It’s certainly not me. If you think you have legitimate power, you might want to rethink things.

Sometimes we just need to let it go and give up our worries and concerns to God. Do our best to take it one day at a time, handle what we can, but believe that God’s in control.

Defeat

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Defeat

 In a war you won’t win every battle. You won’t have a successful run every day all year. When the world feels like it’s against you, when it feels like everyone you know is turning their backs on you, when your loved ones betray you, best friends leave you, just know that these things are temporary set backs. John 15:18 “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before [it hated] you.” We all go through pain and suffering, we all feel low at times. Does the tree feel defeated in the winter when it looses its leaves, it looses its looks? No, the tree accepts the natural order of the seasons. There’s a season for love, a season for pain, a season for joy, and when the seasons for pain and suffering come around just know that like the spring rains, the spring warmth, the blossoms always come back, the leaves and the greens always defeat the gray.

Think of pain slipping away as rebirth. Each time we suffer, each time we feel defeated we are given the opportunity to go through our own rebirth. We have the chance to be who we want to be, fight for what we want. We can always redeem our situation. Redemption is only a course of action so why not take it?

Psalm 144:1-2 “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples[a] under me.” You can overcome this world and fly like an eagle because God will never leave you or abandon you.

In the last 12 months I’ve learned what pain feels like, I know what despair feels like and what I’ve learned going through all that is even in the fight to recovery you’ll have your bad days. It’s not a matter of having bad days; it’s how we handle it. The bigger question is if we let those bad days breed and spread. We cannot allow negativity to infect our lives like a virus. We must learn to focus our energy towards positivity, towards the grace of God, towards the wonderful gifts God has given us in our lives. If we ever question anything about our lives never questions God is with us. Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” No matter what the world does to you always follow 2 Corinthians 4:8 “8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.”

 Through it all the storm wages on and passes by, the pain will fade but the scars will always remain. Keep them as a reminder of the battles one, or even the mistakes you’ve made. Learn from them. Hebrews 10:35-36 “Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” God’s love will always surround us. God’s love is our security blanket to keep us warm, to keep us safe. This life is temporary, Gods glory, Gods promise is forever.