Overcome With Joy

I am overcome with joy because of God's unfailing love,

for He has seen my troubles, and cares about

the anguish of my soul.

Psalm 31:7

 

Has your soul ever cried out to God in anguish?  Perhaps during some tragic event; perhaps in the midst of some circumstance in which you found yourself; perhaps you had reached the point where you had just had enough!  If you remember Romans 8:26, God hears the groanings of our soul when words fail us.

 

Guess what?  God not only hears our soul, He loves us so much that He will bring comfort to our us without fail.  Like any true parent, God loves us without fail and wants to calm our anguish.  Therefore, when you feel overwhelmed and have had enough...God understands, loves, and will always draw near to us.  

 

That's calming and comforting to know. 

So...You Like To Argue?

Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,
    or you will become as foolish as they are.

Proverbs 26:4

Ever know anyone who enjoys arguing just for the sake of arguing?  No matter what the issue, they will take the opposite stance of everyone else, just for the sheer enjoyment of arguing.  And guess what?  We fall into their trap time after time after time.  

Let's face it, we don't like being wrong!  We don't like being anything but right! Why? Because we are just that full of......we can call it "pride" if you want, but we know what we are truly full of stinks and makes pretty good fertilizer.  Yet we will quite literally beat each other to death just to prove that we are "right."

A number of years ago, Monty Python's Flying Circus did a skit called "The Argument Clinic" that does an outstanding job of showing how arguing just for the sake of arguing is among the most idiotic exercises in futility ever. I have talked with several people who love to argue and have not been given a reason why they get so much enjoyment out of just being disagreeable.

But notice what Solomon tells us: If you engage in stupid arguments then guess what that makes you?

We need to reach the point where we are wise enough to concede that we are wrong (if we are truly in the wrong) and apologize.  BUT we also need to become wise enough to understand that not every argument is worth the fight.  Sometimes the best way to settle a petty argument is to simply smile and walk away.

But What Do I DO With It?

You keep track of all my sorrows.
    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
    You have recorded each one in your book.

~Psalm 56:8

November 17, is a date that has become, and continues to be, one of the most painful of my life.  You see, it was on November 17, 1981 that my conversations with my Grampa ended.  God called him home and my life changed that day.  

To say that I was angry would be such an understatement!  I was angry with him for leaving me.  I was angry with everyone who told me that "it was his time" or "your pain will end."  I was angry at those who piously quoted Scripture to me as if that was supposed to remove the pain!  I was especially angry at God for taking my Grampa from me.

I was angry for YEARS and YEARS!  With every single loss I endured, I grew more angry.  Did I talk with anyone about it? Of course not because "men don't talk about feelings."  So what did I do with all that pain? Just kept stuffing it down and, on the outside, pretended everything was okay.

It wasn't until I was almost 45 years old that I heard something that finally broke through the pain and anger.  I don't remember the speaker's name, but what this wise person said was: "Let's say you have a broken arm with the bone protruding.  It hurts like nothing you have ever experienced.  Are you going to sit there and be angry and upset that it's broken?  Not a good idea, because it will get infected and cause you even more problems.  You could dull the pain with alcohol and self medicate, but does that fix your arm? Nope!  Your BEST course of action is to go to the doctor who can fix your arm.  Setting the arm is going to hurt, no doubt!  And it will take a long time before you can use it again.  And you may not be able to use it the same way you did before.  But over time the pain will subside."

It was at that moment that I realized that God was reaching out to me.  My heart was broken and I had spent all these years being angry that it was broken instead of going to the Great Physician who could help.  

Now, have I recovered?  Not completely, but I'm better than I was.  Does it still hurt? Yes, very much.  And each time the pain comes, I run to the Great Physician and pour it all out to Him.  Am I still angry? I have my moments.

God records our every tear.  God records our every pain.  God loves us so much that when we hurt, so does HE!

"In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation." - 1 Peter 5:10

 

If you are hurting, take your broken heart to the Great Physician.  Show Him your pain! Show Him the broken pieces of your heart!  Show Him the flood of tears your soul has shed!  Let Him comfort you!