The complainer that I am

I love this verse - Phlippians 2:14-15. I find myself doing lots of complaining about my "problems". The Lord didn't allow me to have these problems so that I could complain about them night and day. He allowed me to have these problems so that I might grow and see Him in the solution of these problems.

To quote from Larry Jones - The brightest victories hide in the darkest places

I tend to gripe and complain about many things. It is certainly not one of my virtues. However, I do know that the Lord allows us to suffer consequences and deal with problems so that we can be the shining star in a world of suffering and hopelessness. We can be the cure for suffering and hopelessness. There is no such word as "hopeless" in the Christian faith. As long as we have Jesus, we have hope, we have salvation, we have eternal life, we have a fortress, a tower of strength, a refuge from the storm.

I can't tell you how many times I have forgotten what Jesus can do for me in the midst of my distresses. I run around in circles, when all I have to do is seek the Lord in prayer and present to Him the problems and crises that are haunting me.

The Lord goes before us and knows what we will have to face. He is prepared to give us the strength, faith and fortitude to get through the storms in our lives. If we never suffered or longed for something, what kind of growth would that be? How strong would we be if we never had to work and strive to be better - to beat down our enemies? The Lord has been giving me quite a workout these past two years. I do feel stronger, my faith has grown, and I know the Lord has been with me throughout all the turmoil and strife. I'm still not "there" yet. He continues to teach me and show me His love and mercy. I feel like I can be a light in this world - maybe giving off only the brightness of a lighted match, but a lit match does give off some light.

I have my weak moments and go backward sometimes. I Let Go and Let God and then grab things back because I think God is taking way too long. I guess this life of mine is one of trial and error, but I do know one thing for sure - the Lord loves me and forgives me and allows me to try again!!!