Laughter Lost Episode 9: Today's Forecast

Forecast's been true for me today... How about you?

Weight Lifting Champion

People sometimes ask me, why do you look so stressed? Why are concentrating so hard that you look like you are frowning? 

Answer: Because I'm using all my energy to ignore a multitude of pain; On top of that, I'm working just like you are...I have the weight of the world on my back.. If you don't believe me, try carrying it yourself & you'll look like me too.. 

Thank God that while we may feel like this, we have a God who holds the hold world together and asks us to lovingly cast our cares and concerns on him that we might find relief.

"Throw all your worry on God, because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

These are my days...

(c) Chronic Faith

My Days © ChronicFaith

It hurts to sit

It hurts to breathe

I can barely move

I can barely see

Can’t look outside

Can’t run or hide

Can’t wake up in the morning

Or sleep at night.

Can’t feel my fingers

Can’t feel my toes

Yet the pain that never ends

I have in crores and crores

Can’t do my job

Can’t study or read

Even my Bible looks like

It’s in Aramaic and Greek.

This is my life

These are my days

Can’t wait until tomorrow

Can’t wait till today ends.

Spring pokes its head...

Judging by the crazy winds and the cold weather outside, you might not notice it, but never fear!! Summer is coming!

Don't believe me??.. Here are a few hints of it I noticed on my walk today -

The coming of spring always makes me happy because it reminds me of three things:

1. There is an end to winter:
Even through the tough times you are going through, there is an end in sight. I can't promise you whether it will be healing in this life or whether you will have to wait in Heaven, but God has set a time for His return when He will take us home to be with Him forever in a land with no pain, sickness or tears.

2. There is beauty in the wait:
Just as these gorgeous spring flowers remind us that summer and good days are ahead, our lives and our attitudes should remind others that Jesus is coming.

3. There can be joy despite winter because of the truth of summer:
Even though things appear gloomy and we are unwell with no tangible end in sight, we can be joyful because we know that God has made a home for us in heaven. It is coming.. It is not question of whether but when!

So, lift up your heads, like these beautiful daisies in my garden, and keep your eyes fixed on God.

Why? Winter is almost at an end and Summer is coming!

Food for the Soul #2: Lone Prisoner

Here's today book spine poem: 

Lone Prisoner

The memory keeper's daughter,

A prisoner of birth.

The sky isn't visible from here;

Silent pain. 

Food for the Soul #1: In Tough Times

Today begins a week of Book Spine Poetry - What is this, you ask? It's small simple poetry created from the books on your book shelf by joining the titles of books stacked together. Click here for more details.

Here's mine for the day:

In Tough Times

Living with Fibromyalgia,

Nothing in my hand I bring;

How long, O Lord?

Rejoice!

God keeps his promises. 

The Best is Yet to Come

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

At a first glance of reading this, you might think whether this writer really knew much about suffering. How can his troubles be light and momentary, while mine are hard and never ending? If only he had seen my life – I am endlessly sick, I have no time for family or friends, I can’t work….  

Brother! Sister! Let me tell you - Paul, a passionate follower of Jesus, wrote this passage and he, by no means, had an ‘easy’ life. In 2 Corinthians 11:24, we read that five times Paul received forty lashes, three times he was beaten with rods, once stoned, three times shipwrecked and constantly in danger at sea and from bandits, countrymen, Gentiles and false brothers.  He went long periods without sleep, battling hunger, thirst and cold, all whilst facing the  daily pressure of his concern for all the churches.

That’s a long list; so why in the world would Paul think that these troubles were “light” and “momentary”. Was he delusional? Did he love being persecuted? Did he enjoy being shamed? Of course not! He was hurt by the pain he faced, just like we are.

So if that’s not the case, maybe, we should re-read verse 17.  “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Paul appears to be making a comparison between his troubles and the eternal glory we have in Christ.  What he is trying to say is that all these sufferings and struggles, as horrible and painful as they are, are nothing when compared to our inheritance in Christ. If these are our troubles, our joy in heaven will be that much greater!

Earlier in 2 Corinthians, in chapter 4, verse 14, Paul reminds us that God, who raised Jesus from the dead, will also raise us to be with Him and share in the above inheritance.  In 1 Peter 1:3-5, Peter, another passionate follower of Jesus, tells us about the glorious inheritance that awaits us because of Jesus – an inheritance that will never perish, spoil or fade. This is our joy, this is our inheritance – being adopted into God’s family and living with him forever. No harm or suffering in this world could compare to this joy that will be ours.

Does that seem a little incredulous?  Do you find that hard to believe?

Think of this – A woman in labour goes through unimaginable pain to have her child. This could take hours or even days. Childbirth has been described as one of the world’s most painful experiences; still, women go through this willingly all the time. Why?

Because of that moment - the moment when the nurse hands over the baby, when she holds him/her in her arms for the first time; she knows that it’s worth it. All the pain, hurt and suffering she went through cannot be compared to the joy, honour and the privilege of being a mother to that beautiful baby. It will be the same, if not more, with us when we go to heaven. I am sure that there will not be a soul in heaven who does not think that all of life’s suffering, were light and momentary compared to the eternal glory they then have.

Friends! What are your troubles? What causes you pain? Is it unemployment sickness, poverty, hunger or thirst? 

Do not lose heart. If you believe in Jesus and accept His death in your place, your eternal glory awaits you, because of Jesus’ sacrifice for you. 

Remember your troubles are temporary since your eternal life with Jesus will last forever and forever. Hold on to your inheritance, in faith, which is freely given to you through Jesus Christ.

This post is adapted from my contributions to EbenDavid Ministries & Charities newsletter.