At church yesterday morning, the preacher quoted C.S. Lewis when he said that the real test of our trust in God is if we trust Him and pray to Him and depend on Him in the good, easy times. It is easy, almost natural, to pray to God in times of distress or catastrophe. I wondered if this was true of me. Do I show my devotion to God even in good times? To answer that, the first thing I had to do was to go back and recall the most recent good times I've had. I've done a lot of fun things in the past 10 years, and had a lot of good days . . . but could I really consider myself to have had any good times? Even on the best and most carefree days, I still had to take my medication in the right dose at the right time. And there is always a problematic drama in a relationship somewhere in my life. In short, there is always sin. Problems can be forgotten for a while, but, like sin, they are always there, "crouching at the door." Only in Heaven, in God's presence, can "fullness of joy" be found. (Psalm 16:11)
I also went to church in the evening. As we sang beautiful old hymns filled with truth, I was vividly reminded of the very real epic spiritual battle that we are engaged in. There are only two sides: God's side, with those who fight for truth and goodness, and Satan's side, with those fighting for lies and evil. I pondered this reality, and was reminded of a bumper sticker I've seen a lot of lately. The sticker says that we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, but we are spiritual beings having a human experience. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells us that God has set eternity in men's hearts. We all will live forever, and we all will fight on one side or the other. Our choice has eternal consequences.
After church, in the still of the night, I was again reading through some letters my dear friend had written to me. In one, she copied out the words of a Swahili Warrior Song: "Life has meaning only in the struggle. Triumph or defeat is in the hands of God. So let us celebrate the struggle!"
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3 comentarios:
I have often thought about that.
TWW,
I had been meaning to get back because I'm pretty sure you're right - we do know eachother!! I at the very least remember dear, sweet Nichole. I read a lot of her story yesterday and I am both so sad and so hopeful for her! Please let her know I will be praying for her!
And by any chance are your initials JM, just like your husband's?? :)
Yes, ma'am. You sang at our wedding, and I have the pictures to prove it!
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