Spiritual GiftsWritten by Joyce C. Lock
I was minding my own business, other day, or at least, I think I was ... just getting a few chores done. I'm not sure if I was listening to a Christian radio broadcast or not, or what else would have even prompted this thinking. But, this verse came to mind ... love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:12. I already knew however God has loved us is way He wants us to love and that doing so is our way of thanking Him for how He has loved us. Though, thought came to mind that, except for ways God has loved us, it is impossible for us to know how to love. I think I already knew that. However, somehow, word 'impossible' stood out and, suddenly, it dawned on me ... If it is impossible to love, other than how God has loved us (and that does seem logical, as love is who God is) that would also mean that (in area of Spiritual gifts) we would have first had to receive a Spiritual gift before we would have ability to share that gift with others. And, I thought, duh! Will we never be done learning that we don't know as much about God as we think we do?
| | Pain is Pain, No Matter Its FaceWritten by Laurel Aiyana
Pain and suffering have become a reality no one escapes, as sad result of living in a fallen world. We all experience it in many forms. It manifests differently for each person. Many try to compare pain and list it hierarchically in terms of worst levels of suffering, but when it comes down to it, pain is pain, mo matter its face, and Jesus died for our sins and suffering, and he doesn’t differentiate between types of pain. He is here to comfort us all. I was raised in a middle class household. I wasn’t physically abused or sexually molested, but we’re all broken, and my parents weren’t perfect, and I suffered tremendous emotional abuse as a result of their brokenness. I didn’t feel entitled to feel this pain because I hadn’t been badly beaten, etc. But, then I started hearing people say that emotional abuse can be most damaging. I didn’t quite believe it as I had heard stories of women who had been raped, others whom were victims of incest, and other horror stories. I didn’t feel that I had a right to feel my pain – that it didn’t seem to compare to some others sufferings, so I stuffed my hurts deep inside. Despite all efforts, however, pain comes out in other forms. It’s like a disease – it infects every relationship and action. One wise person told me – pain is pain. The Lord doesn’t differentiate between hurts, and only help those dealing with certain types of pain. We’re all in need of healing from our brokenness, whatever form it takes. Sometimes, I still don’t feel entitled or worthy of healing when I look at poor and impoverished, oppressed in third world countries. I keep thinking, I should be able to cope, as I have not suffered those atrocities, but I still have my own pain that must be healed, and masking it only keeps me in same state of brokenness, and I have lived with curse of bad relationships stemming from stuffed pain. We all have our Goliaths in our lives to face. They may be different for each person, same for some. But no one is immune from trials of life. We all dream of living in Garden of Eden. It’s life we were designed for, but cannot have, until Lord’s second coming. There is, however, healing available to all of us, and help in those fiery trials. Each victory demonstrates how real Jesus is in our life, and that living in promise land can happen in each of our lives. The Israelites had to fight to live in promise land. It wasn’t just handed to them on a silver platter. We all have to bring our problems to foot of cross. All healing starts there. We need forgiveness for sins, and to forgive ourselves and our human failings and brokenness, and we need to forgive others for what they’ve done to us. There’s freedom in forgiveness. Prayer and community can help us with this process. When we’re in pain and really suffering, our faith can waiver under all pressures. Sometimes, we need to have others to have faith for us during these times, to see us through. Sometimes we just need to be carried, til we can walk ourselves.
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