Can we get real about the carnal effects of hard times? I think we can.
In fact, as we engage in this topic lets allow our mind to compare the carnal-minded response vs the spiritual-minded response to difficulties and suffering.
We come to God underdeveloped, weak, immature, and uneducated in matters of eternal things. He invites us and we respond. We meet Him and over time allow Him to develop, strengthen, mature, and inform us. He does this most often through circumstance, and situational processing.
One of the most beautiful examples of process and the value that God assigns to process is found in the life of Christ. Luke 2 is an incredible account of "Process" in this way. Here we see the human growth, the spirit growth, and the plan of salvation processing to the exact point in time when it would become a reality for all of humanity.
The way Jesus made it through the most difficult parts of the process was to pray, "Not my will, but Yours be done." and this is how we will make it through process as well. Surrender. Make it a regular part of your process! Experience surrender, embracing that part of the journey will help you successfully grasp all that God wants for you. As you go through processing, please embrace the experience!
At this point, I feel led to clarify that this is not about placing yourself or remaining in abusive places - in fact, exiting those situations and places may be a necessary part of your process. Beautiful things come from those choices!! This is about surrender to Godly things, holy things, hard things. Abuse comes from and leads to a very different place. Abuse is destructive. We are talking about embracing that which is constructive. The opposite of that which is destructive.
It is suffering that blows away chaff, that burns and cuts away deadness with laser-like precision. One must submit to the process for the event to create change! Imagine the patient in a surgical suite fighting with the surgeon over what is "fair or unfair" - chaos and death would result!
Suffering is quite powerful when we allow it, when we trust the Creator's plan, when we choose to have spiritual-sight. Suffering and process can be immensly constructive in our lives. We will not allow it though, if we see suffering as only destructive and to be avoided at all costs.
A spiritual-minded sight allows us to guard against bitterness in the "Processing."
A spiritual-minded perspective allows us to guard against co-signing victim identity in the "Processing."
A spiritual-minded perspective allows us to guard against the temptation to remain comfortable, immature and untried in spiritual growth.
Here's to your growth process & mine!
#lizchatter
Comments