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Good morning!

How do you feel about painful truths? For me, there is joy in the wincing sometimes lol

Revelations that bring understanding or shine light are so exciting but they can also create a sense of “uh-oh” …. Let me explain…

I’ve been reading another book by Merlin Carothers called “I Give You Power.” His claim to fame is the Praise solution to everything that life has to offer: the good, the bad and all the inbetweens.

He talks about how our weariness through many of our circumstances gives witness to what we believe about God. If we are weary or discontent or discouraged, we are saying that God isn’t managing things very well and we think they should be different. How smart we think we are!

This weariness is quite close,  but maybe a little more sneaky, to grumbling. While outright complaining is more obvious, weariness shows up in many subtle ways. We may put on a good show for public purposes, but behind closed doors, we may let our family know how long and hard our day was, how much we had to endure, how much pain we are in…..etc.

I haven’t quite determined where the line is, though……to share what is going on in life or what people can pray for with us….and when it becomes a negative witness to what we believe about how God is handling things in our life. I do get the sense, though, that the more I trust that God knows exactly what He is doing, the more that these difficulties can be seen from the perspective of opportunity. Opportunity for growth, for deepening trust in a greater plan than I can fathom, for richer faith in the One who is still in control.

So, as I continue to contemplate this, I’d love to hear from you. Does this sound just way too Pollyanna to you? Or could it be that our joy in all things is exactly what people need to witness as they look at our lives and realize that God is really able to give any and all of us peace and joy in all things!

Jesus ignored the shame of the cross in order to save us. He kept His eyes on the finish line and trusted in the Father’s will. We are encouraged to also refocus on God’s greater plan, not allowing weariness to overtake us. We are certainly expected to be more than conquerors in this life! Praise the Lord!

Hebrews 12:3

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.