Good morning everyone! It has been so long since I last wrote in here and an update is long overdue! The pain in my neck has begun to increase again and I am hoping it is just from the keloid treatment; the scar is also begging to raise up again (like it was before surgery) and hopefully it is just irritated/swollen from the treatment as well. I have come to terms recently that if the LORD wants the keloids to come back, they will come back! This is totally out of my control and I just need to wait patiently for his plan to be revealed to me. My scar is a physical reminder of everything that I have been through but now that the pain is back I am reminded more often than before. When I turn my neck the wrong way or when the sharp pains start, I am reminded of my journey, and how magnificent the LORD is. Although I prefer not to be reminded in a painful way, I need to realize that there is such a bigger reason for this, a reason that I cannot even begin to comprehend. I read this in my Jesus Calling devotional book and it was a much needed splash of cold water in the face! (I totally recommend getting this devotional book because is not too long, or too short, but always leaves you satisfied yet longing for more. The perfect ingredients for a devotional book!)
Give up the illusion that you deserve a problem-free life. Part of you is still hungering for the resolution of all difficulties. This is false hope! As I told my disciples, in this world you will have trouble. Link your hope not to problem solving in this life but to the promise of an eternity of problem-free life in heaven. Instead of seeking perfection in this fallen world, pour your energy into seeking Me: the Perfect One. It is possible to enjoy me and glorify Me in the midst of adverse circumstances. In fact, My Light shines most brightly through believers who trust Me in the dark. That kind of trust is supernatural: a production of My indwelling Spirit. When things seem all wrong, trust Me anyway. I am much less interested in right circumstances than in right responses to whatever comes your way.
Be humble, because we deserve nothing. This is extremely hard to understand because we are selfish and broken humans who most of the time are unaware that nothing in this world is our own and ALL we have comes from the LORD. When something bad happens or does not go our way we become upset because we are confused why our God would let something bad happen to one of his children. In our minds we think that we are good people, right? We are broken people dead and consumed in our sins who fail the LORD each and everyday. So, the question should not be "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" but "Why does God give so many blessings to sinners like us?" In this life we are going to have to face many problems, but they do not compare to the problem-free life we have ahead of us in Heaven. Greater things are yet to come, much greater. We become so accustomed to the numerous blessings in our like that when something does not go our way we get upset with God because we think we deserve better. James 1 states that trials are a blessing from the LORD and we need to use them to the glory of God. Like the devotional said "My light shines most brightly through believers who trust me in the dark." Whatever trial or bump in the road that has been planted in your life, I promise you that the LORD is using you in bigger ways that you can imagine. It is all a part of you becoming the person you were designed to be. Now its your turn to view your trial as a blessing and let everyone around see his light shining through you. Bring glory to his name and let his love be known! "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast and trusting in the LORD." Psalm 112:7. I hope everyone has a blessed day!
