Hope When It Hurts

This was such a timely devotion for me this morning. But God’s timing always is just right. 

“Jesus knows the pain of loneliness. He knows the loneliness of being misunderstood, the loneliness of being rejected by his own family, the loneliness of praying in agony while his closest friends drifted off to sleep nearby, and the loneliness of being abandoned by his Father. And he did it all for you.”

As I read this devotion, I was reminded of Paul's teachings to the church at Corinth of this truth...

“We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”

2 Corinthians 4:10-12 NIV

Because we live in a broken world, we WILL be broken at some point in our lives. We will face heartbreak like death, divorce, abandonment, disappointments and even disillusionment. But Jesus can use the brokenness -  if we let Him. One of the comforts I bring to my mind in my state of brokenness is that He knows our pain - intimately knows our pain.

Paul also encouraged the church at Philippi to focus on their heavenward calling. "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14. 

Below is how I bring life application to this verse.

[Chris' paraphrase] -This one thing I do....stop looking at the past. It’s over. Mourn for the loss. Memorize the joys. Learn from it, then leave it. Press on to a greater goal.

There is an upward call on your life that is greater than the struggles you face today. And I know that these pains are not wasted in this life because God's Word promises that there is an eternal weight of glory being produced in your sufferings. The comfort is that Jesus knows. He knows the pain, the rejection, the loneliness. He took that path, the way of the cross, for you so that you could be made new, so that you could take hope along on your path to Him. 

Look at this treasure! God gave me this gift today - my mountain view this morning. It's not the mountain top yet, but that's coming later. Today would have marked 22 years of being married to Kevin. It’s not just that he wouldn’t want me to get stuck in this life, always looking back having sadness overshadow any possibility of joy. More importantly it’s that God doesn’t want me stuck. He still has a purpose and joy - for all of His children. But we have to know, we steer where we stare. We fixate on our focus. So every moment I have a choice. I can choose to continue to mourn my losses and the hurts and loneliness I’m experiencing at this present time. (And grieving does last a lot longer than you would think, but it doesn't have to consume-and that's another blog entry. :)  Or I can grab onto my Hope in Christ and the upward call He has placed on my life. I can press on as I try to stay the course.

The path is uphill most of the time. And the road may be lonely a lot of the time. But because I know the promises of my Sustainer, I know the summit will be glorious. 

New favorite worship "fight song!" Enjoy some Vertical Worship - "Yes I Will" https://youtu.be/NrTv39-lG4M