February 21, 2025
Sorrow and Suffering Meet Joy and Peace
Hey Everyone!!
Hope everyone is having a blessed Monday. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week...I can just feel it. I decided a few months back not to let Monday get me down...it is a fresh start...a new beginning, we have a whole week to look forward too...I know, some of you are saying "Is she nuts?" hehehe No, I just figure I have 5 good days and any one of those 5 days can be the day that the answer to my prayer manifests...could even be today...who knows...
A few weeks ago a dear friend sent me a daily devotional calendar called Hinds Feet on High places...The calendar always seems to display what I need to hear on the day I need to hear it...Well, yesterday I was in Barnes & Noble and low and behold, there was the book...I bought it and read the entire book in less than a day, it was TOTALLY amazing and parts of it hit so very close to home it brought tears to my eyes... I'm not
going to ruin the book and tell you everything, if you want it you can get it on the Just For Ladies site, I will be adding it to the reviews or visit your local bookstore and pick up a copy.
The story made me realize how I was much-afraid of everything that happened to me during this trial...I traveled through this last 8 months with Sorrow and Suffering, they were my constant companions and believe it or not they are the same companions that helped me to grow. When Jesus planted the seed of love into my heart I had no idea that Sorrow and Suffering were needed in order to make it grow and grow it did. I was forever fighting off the enemies, pride, fear, bitterness, self-pity, doubt and the rest of that gang...but each and every day the seed grew into more, I remember looking at the face of my mountain and saying to myself, this is impossible, there is NO WAY over this mountain and NO WAY around it...The only hope I had was Jesus, He showed me that even when I was faced with the steepest cliff I could still get over the mountain, when I was traveling through that desert of despair all I had to do was call Him, I started to realize that I could not get up over these cliffs with My Lord. I learned Acceptance, I was accepting this path, the straight and narrow one...the path that was going to lead me to the promise. One day I strayed off the path, I chose another that looked easier...the results were disastrous...not only did I not get what I was after but I had to go back and start where I had left off...it was then that The Lord showed me that even though His way is not the easiest, at times it will look as if the whole thing is a big deception, it will feel like He has left me every now and then and I will be left to choose the paths I want or the ones He knows are best, His ways are ALWAYS best. So...I got back on the path he chose for me, I came to a sea of loneliness, the enemy tried hard to turn me back then, but I called out to Jesus and He was right there He chased the enemy away, At times I thought He was leading me down the wrong path, maybe he made a mistake or maybe I didn't hear Him correctly, but no, I kept moving forward...towards the promise.
Then one day, I came to a gorge, my companions Sorrow and Suffering practically carried me at that point. This gorge looked just like a big grave and there was no way over it or around it, I had no other alternative than to jump into it...or turn back...NEVER...no matter what the outcome, I was not going to turn back. Sorrow and Suffering grabbed my arms and in we jumped and there before me was a new stop in my destination This was the Valley of Loss. I had to make an offering at this spot and the offering I knew I had to make was not going to be an easy one. I couldn't do it. I asked Jesus to help me...I couldn't feel Him. I asked for help in making this sacrifice and it seemed like there was a presence there, I opened my heart and I laid down everything in it on that alter...I let go of all of my human love and desires, I offered them up to God. I lifted my heart's desire, my most sought after prayer to Him. I woke up the next morning and I felt such tremendous peace...I had always said I Trusted the Lord...but I never really did until that day. I finally reached the point where I could say I loved Jesus above all else.
You know, the scariest thing in the world is to let go of something you love with all of your heart. God tells us in His word that He puts these fierce desires in our heart and when we learn to delight in Him he will fulfill them. Isn't part of delighting in Him loving Him more than anything else in this world? Trusting Him more than anyone? I have lifted my heart's desire up to God after 8 long months, I told God I loved Him more than I loved anything or anyone...this time I meant it. There is only one step left and that is reaching the promise he made....to fulfill those desires He put into my heart...He will do the same for you too...Do you trust Him enough to?
You will know you do when Sorrow and suffering turn into Joy and Peace.
Until we meet again...Keep on Keeping on!!!