#notourcircumstance

[takethisheartofmine]

“In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” 1 Peter 5:10. . . It’s amazing how often we completely miss the point of Christianity. We come into it seeking freedom, comfort, and ease, and completely ignore the MULTIPLE times Jesus talks about “carrying our cross daily” and “dying to ourselves” and “suffering for His name.” I mean, let’s be real, who really goes into any religion/lifestyle EMBRACING the invitation to pain/suffering/sacrifice? And yet the beauty of the gospel is not in the ease or freedom from pain, but the promise that God, in His goodness, can somehow enter into that same pain and suffering, and transform it into strength, restoration, and TRUE freedom and light in Christ. . . I confess that I’ve been wrestling with God a bit in terms of why, despite knowing and believing in His goodness, I still experience such sadness, disappointment, and pain (the question of a lifetime, I know). And as I continue to sit in His Presence and wait on Him, I’m not sure I have a clear answer (apart from the typical answer of: this world is still broken and God’s kingdom hasn’t fully come just yet). But what I do know that my assurance is not in MY emotions or my circumstances or even the world I live in, but in the God I serve whose truth, promise, and glory is somehow able to wash away this brokenness and transform it into new life and HOPE in His Spirit. . . If none of that makes sense: God doesn’t guarantee freedom from pain/suffering, but He does guarantee freedom IN HIM, in His promise to turn our “mourning into dancing”, our pain into joy. . . #reflections #1peter5 #YOBL #yearofbiblicalliteracy #firmfoundation #inChrist #suffering #healing #joy #hopeinHim #notourcircumstance #Heisourrock #ourtrust #dailybread #fountainoflife #dancer #believer #daughter #ofthemosthigh (at East Village, Manhattan)