For starters, don’t get me wrong. (A brilliant phrase, I love it.)
When things don’t turn out as I planned, when serious problems arise and when the pressure hits I have been known to duck for cover, cry like a wailing baby or just completely zone out. So what I’m saying is not a pie in the sky notion with no bearing on real life experience.
It was another one of those pressurised occasions when demands on my time and resources were particularly stretched. It was reaching breaking point and I knew the signs were there that I was going to struggle big time.
Then it happened.
There, without permission emerged a broad grin on my face.
Now I understand some who knew the context would question this action in the light of the issues. They may very well question my sanity. With possible good reason.
Yet here’s the reason for the smile. As it happened I was reminded about things from an eternal perspective. That is that in the light of eternity, in the face of the risen Saviour and soon coming King, this heartache was relatively minor. It’s not to say Jesus didn’t care about the problem or the strain it was causing. On the contrary He cared a great deal, primarily because it stood the very real risk of keeping my focus away from Him. So being conscious of His presence was very important.
It worked as well. When I became more conscious that He was with me, reminding me that I can only do what I can do and nothing more and that as long as I was faithful to Him, He had the rest in His hand, then I wouldn’t need to ‘go under’. I could indeed remain standing. I could in fact smile at these various pressures and demands and see them for what they are – set-ups to rely on Jesus all the more and on meself a lot less.
Even when things go horribly wrong, that real acknowledgement of His presence puts things in perspective. It has not robbed me of knowing Him. It has not caused an irrevocable break in relations. He’s still happy to relate, to heal, to nurture, to serve, to guide and lead not into temptation but to deliverance from evil.
As I mentioned earlier, I mess up, I still do so and feel awful after it. Yet what is allowing me more and more to smile these days is just the very real presence of a Redeemer, Lord and Friend who has not condemned me, has not rejected me, and will not give up on me.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 