“Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:3, NIV).

Isn’t it strange how opposite the Christian life often is from what we expect it to be?  We die to live.  We humble ourselves to be exalted.  We are to love those who hate us.  In almost every aspect of life, Christ has called us to be a counter-culture to the world we live in.

It is never easy.  We have been patterned from the day we were born to think, act, and feel like the world around us.  The natural thing for us is to respond to challenges as the world does.  To live as “opposites,” as Christ would have us do, takes daily commitment and a constant refocusing of our hearts.

Perhaps the most difficult challenge in this regard is having a spiritual perspective on sorrow and suffering.  The Lord has instructed us to view pain and difficulty as steps toward maturity (James 1:2-4), and persecution for Christ’s sake as an honor (Matthew 5:9-12).  We are called to have a different perspective on our troubles, because, as Solomon tells us, those problems can actually serve to strengthen our hearts.

Sorrow and pain will never feel right, just like we will never feel like loving our enemies.  The challenge is to rely on God’s wisdom and trust in His divine care, regardless of how we feel in the moment.

Kerry

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  Psalms 119:105 (NKJV)

We have all stumbled around in the middle of the night, our hands waving back and forth before us, trying to find the bathroom or kitchen.  The result is often a sore toe due to an unyielding couch or door frame.  What is amazing is that we walk those halls of our homes every day, and we know every step, yet we still can’t find our way in the dark.  We feel uncomfortable, even vulnerable, and we second guess ourselves about things we already know to be true.  That’s what darkness does – it shrouds mankind in uncertainty and doubt, and leaves us stumbling through life.

This is why Christ’s words in John 8:12 are so very significant.  When He says, “I am the light of the world,” Jesus is promising that His truth will illuminate the darkness and provide us with confidence as we walk life’s road.  As light cuts through the darkness and bathes the world with illuminating hope, so our Lord has cut through the cloud of sin an shown us a path we can walk in absolute certainty.

Yet light is used in two other ways in scripture.  The Psalmist calls God’s Word “light,” and Jesus, in Matthew 5:14, said that WE are the light of the world.  Therefore we see that Christ can only show blinded men the way through the darkness if we choose to shine for Him and point people to His illuminating Word.

Kerry

“O God, You Know my Foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You”

(Psalm 69:5)

Who is it that knows you the very best?  Typically, we have narrowing circles of relationship that become tighter and more exclusive with those who know us better than anyone else.  Yet even those who are closest to us don’t know every thought, fear, or feeling.  In many ways, it is not truly possible to “know” someone in the fullest sense of the word.

What if someone did?  What if there was a person who saw ever image that flashes through your mind and heard every word you think but never utter?  Would we be comfortable with it?  I doubt it.  We would feel vulnerable and exposed, and our natural distrust of others would cause paranoia and anxiety.

Yet, there is such an individual.  He knows our every foolish thought and shameful attitude, and He loves us in spite of it all.  Is it any wonder then that humility is the only way in which we should ever approach God?  He loves us in our brokenness, so we approach Him with contrite and grateful hearts.  What an encouragement to know that there is one who TRULY and FOREVER loves us, so that, with Him, We never have to pretend to be anything we are not!

Kerry