I recently had a blow -- with a diagnosis that
I had a rare form of crippling arthritis. As this uninvited guest took
over my days and nights with chronic pain, my faith was pushed to the
breaking point. Thankfully, God in His mercy has stretched and grown me
in extraordinary ways. While needing help to get dressed can be very
embarrassing and humbling, it builds character.
When life throws
us a curveball, it can knock us off our feet, or even worse, put us out
of commission. So, why does one person choose to throw in the towel
after a single blow, while another decides to get back up and fight the
good fight? Because one person accepts God's outstretched hand and the
other rejects it. Daily, we need to be reminded that man brought
suffering upon us by choosing his own way over God's way. If we hold
fast to our faith that God loves us and wants the best for us,
especially during hardships, He will empower us with His Holy Spirit.
Therefore, as C.S. Lewis wrote, "Hardships often prepare ordinary people
for an extraordinary destiny." For this reason, everyone loves
heart-warming movies where the underdogs triumph over their adversaries.
They inspire us and motivate us to climb back into the ring and face our
own demons head-on!
Although no one welcomes hardships, those who
have reached for God's outstretched hand understand and even feel a
sense of joy knowing the truth of what Paul wrote:
"Not only
that, but 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 ESV)
If we are struggling today, let us accept
God's outstretched hand. He is lovingly and patiently waiting for us to
make that choice.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Your love is strong.
You have told us that Your plan is not what we would work out, but You
reach down in love to pilot us when Your plans don't seem to make sense
to us. May we experience the joy that Your presence offers, for Yours is
the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Lois Macdonald
Kingston,
Ontario, Canada
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.