Is There Light at the End of This Tunnel?

 

Where's the Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Every now and then I need to be reminded that God's timing is perfect.  He is not bound by time like we are.  That concept is extremely difficult to fathom for our finite minds.  When we're going through what seems like an endless tunnel, feeling almost trapped by the circumstances that have surrounded us, we can become overwhelmed because "nothing seems to make sense."  

 

The other morning I whispered to the Lord "There seems to be no light at the end of this tunnel."  Then I reached for a Bible verse on a card that is in a little "bread box of promise cards."  Here's the verse that I drew.  John 8:12 ~  "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."   It was as if the Lord directly responded to my prayer.

 

I had been feeling like "I've sought You, and Your Guidance, Father, each step of the way.  I have asked for Your will to be done, and yet I feel like my present circumstances make no sense....things don't seem to "feel" as if they are "working out" as I thought they would.  I feel like I'm "in the dark" as to the big picture of Your purpose. 

 

Can There be Light in the Darkness?

In John 8:12 Jesus says He is the Light of the world and if we follow Him we will NEVER walk in darkness.  The world in which we live IS dark because of sin.  However, if we follow Jesus step-by-step each day, we won't walk in darkness ~ we won't "walk" (or live) as the world lives:  continually in sin and darkness.

 

Even though we follow the Light of the world (Jesus) there will be times of dark storms that we have to endure.  With God's help, we can still walk uprightly, even in the midst of these dark storms. 

 

Darkness vs. Burdened

Perhaps I've been confusing my feelings of "being in the dark" with feeling burdened by life's circumstances. 

 

God hasn't promised to tell us why He allows everything that happens to us.  There will be times that circumstances leave us "scratching our heads, wondering 'why?'."  This feeling "in the dark" to the Sovereign will of God can easily become a burden if we don't quickly take it to Him with a trusting, thankful heart. 

 

In every thing give thanks, for THIS is the will of God. 

When things don't make sense,

when there seems to be "no light at the end of the tunnel"

~ ~ ~ ~

Be thankful in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

I Thessalonians 5:18

 

And when you're running out of steam: 

 





            The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
            The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
                                                  Psalm 27:1

                           You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
                          my God turns my darkness into light.
                                                   Psalm 18:28



 

 

I thank You, LORD, for even though things don't quite make sense, You are my Light; You are my strength; You are my salvation; You are my Hope and my Future; You are my Shepherd; You are my Guide; You are my Provider.  You are the One Who has promised to "teach me what is best for me," and to "direct me in the way I should go."  (Isaiah 48:17)  I believe Your Word to be true.  I believe that one day the "fog will be lifted," and I will understand what You were doing during these circumstances.  . . and I believe You will enlighten me soon, because "I would have fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."  (Psalm 27:13)  In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

 

 

Don't Forget This 'Accessory'--It's a Must!

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 
I Thes. 5:18 (KJV)

The other night I felt led to actually do something I've not done in a long time---and that was to draw a picture... nothing fancy---just something simple.   I was overtaken by the idea that our thoughts really have an affect on how we behave.   It's almost as if the devil has placed a "target" on the side of our head---each morning, before our feet even HIT the floor, he's got his bow and arrow aimed directly at our minds.  That's why it's just as important for US to have our hearts calling out to the Lord to protect us and  help us. . .as soon as our feet hit the floor, the enemy begins shooting those fiery darts, doesn't he?  So while we're getting dressed, physically, we really need to be putting on the whole armor of God...so that we can withstand the onslaught of our enemy's fiery darts.

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Ephesians 6:16 (KJV)

I am an auditory learner---I learn by hearing, but sometimes it really helps to visualize things... I guess that's why the Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart to get out a notebook and begin to draw.  What He gave me to draw was something like the following picture.   However, at the top, I had a few arrows, pointing towards the target, and for each arrow, there was a little "balloon" that I wrote a negative thought.   So, at the red arrow, pointing towards the target, I want you to think of some negative thought that you've been battling.  Could be a feeling of worthlessness.  Could be a thought of hatred (or an unforgiving attitude) towards someone who's done you wrong. 

Allow the Holy Spirit to point out SOME NEGATIVE thought that you're battling on a daily basis. 

Okay...now that you've done that....allow the Holy Spirit to point out the negative behavior that has been "born" from that negative thought.   Been thinking you are  worthless?  Maybe the resulting behavior is an unmotivated, lazy spirit.    Thinking negative, unforgiving thoughts towards someone who's wronged you?  The resulting behavior could be a bitter attitude towards not just that person, but everyone around you.  You are just in misery.    Feeling like your situation is too big for God?  Then you'll stop living by faith, and maybe even stop praying and seeking God through it all.   

Give the Holy Spirit some time to really help you nail down SOME negative thought(s) & resulting behavior(s) in your own life. 



We need to be aware
that our enemy targets our minds
and thought-life. 
If we allow negative, discouraging thoughts
to take up residence in our minds,
this will have a direct affect on our behavior. 
This is one tactic that our enemy will use to
render us inaffective in our Christian walk with God. 
We will never be living life
"to the fullest," as our Lord intends
for us to be doing. (John 10:10)



Okay, as I was looking at the diagram that I had drawn with some negative thoughts and resulting behaviors in my own life, I thought, "Goodness, I wonder if there's a way to place an invisible, protective shield around my thoughts and mind?"    Hmmm..."Funny you should ask that question, Tam." LOL   :o)  As soon as I pondered that thought, the Holy Spirit reminded me of "In everything give thanks." (I Thes. 5:18)  Then He proceeded to remind me of another verse that says, "Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6, 7 (KJV) 

Ahhh! That's the key: In everything, give thanks! Then His peace will guard our hearts AND our minds,through Christ Jesus.

So now, draw a dotted line around the entire cartoon "profile picture."  That dotted line represents God's peace.  But it's only placed there when we are thankful in everything. 

So... let's apply this.   When someone does me wrong...I mean, REALLY does me wrong. . . if I immediately say, "I will give thanks to You in this, Father, for I know that THIS is Your will for my life-You may not have CAUSED it, but You have ALLOWED IT.  You will do something wonderful from this, and get glory from this, if I am called according to Your purpose.   I am, therefore, I can actually THANK YOU for this situation."   Then as soon as I give thanks to God, He gives me His peace to guard my heart and my mind (thoughts)----and then my behavior is going to reflect a peaceful heart and a thought-life that is victorious through Christ Jesus!!



I will begin to BE that "new creature" that He has made me!
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
II Cor. 5:17.

.



As soon as I entertain ONE negative thought---out the door goes the thankful heart!   In the door comes the enemy to take me DOWN, down, down.   

And it's a LONG way down isn't it?!

The peace of God comes to our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, if only we'll be thankful in everything, talk to Him in everything, tell Him all our troubles.  Take every thought captive and ask Christ for HIS perspective on that situation.  Ask and it shall be given!  As soon as we ask Him "what would YOU think about this~or~that?" and we open His Word,  we'll begin to receive more of "the mind of Christ."   This is a key to living a victorious Christian life through Christ Jesus.   Being THANKFUL.  

If you have children or grandchildren, maybe they've watched the Veggie Tales movie "Madamme Blueberry. "  She had an ungrateful heart. . .and she was miserable...never satisfied.  Everyone around her was affected by her ungrateful attitude.  After she learned the lesson, they sang a song, "A thankful heart is a happy heart. " 

One final note:     Notice in Ephesians 6:16, we are told:  "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."  Look at the verse AFTER I Thes. 5:18 ~ (verse 18 says, "in everything give thanks....")   Verse 19 says, "Quench not the Spirit."  Seems like it'd take a lot of faith to be thankful in everything, wouldn't it?  Guess what?  We are either quenching the fiery darts of the wicked by having faith and being thankful ~OR~ we are quenching the Holy Spirit when we're not giving thanks in everything because we have no faith in God.  Letting our negative thoughts have control over us results in bad behavior, which ultimately results in quenching the Holy Spirit ~ and guess who's in "Open Season" ??   We are.

I'd like to add:

"A happy heart is a great place to start
walking victoriously through Christ Jesus."




Father, we thank You---for this is Your will for our lives---to be thankful in everything.  You want to give us Your PEACE, which passes all human comprehension.  This peace of God will provide ultimate protection to our minds.  Father, we are under attack non-stop!  Our enemy knows JUST WHAT BUTTONS to push, and what "thoughts" to give us. . . Please help us to NOT entertain those thoughts....because this will result in bad behavior, quenching Your dear Holy Spirit....rendering US useless as the church, the Body of Christ.   So many people are going to hell because the rest of us are wrestling our negative thoughts, and becoming inaffective as Christians.   Please grant us a thankful heart, in everything, Father.  We need Your protective peace to guard our hearts and minds!   Give us the mind of Christ, Father, so that we may know His perspective on every situation we are allowed to go through.  We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I Thes. 5:23 (NIV)

Hide and Go Seek

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  Colossians 3:2, 3 (NIV)

Just a little note to let you all know that I'm still "out here."  Just have a lot going on, with the semester winding down...well..let me rephrase that...it's not really "winding down"--that sounds like things are slowing down.  HA.  On the contrary!  Whenever it ends it'll be more like it's "Coming to a screeching halt."  LOL (But not for long!)

Anyway---so much has happened, and every now and then I jot a mental note "this would be a good blog post,"  but the time's not been afforded me to sit down and actually write it.  Maybe one day.  :o)

We have one last practical (Lab Exam) on the upcoming Tuesday.  It's gonna be a doozy!  SO, that's why you've not been hearing from me...It's pretty much "crunch time" til the end of the semester.  Hard to believe that it's almost MUNCH time...Thanksgiving--- So much to be thankful for, even in the trying times. 



"This is embarrassing," says Betsy, the VW.



I was thinking last night about how ironic it is whenever we're feeling "stripped down to the basics" that's when we really begin to APPRECIATE those basics in life.   Then I pictured a car, being stripped down for a new paint job.  It's old layers of chipped paint, dings, rust from the elements---all are being removed, smoothed out, stripped away for one purpose:  to reveal the basic skeleton of the car.  But why?  Well, hopefully to begin the priming stage, to prepare the body of the car for a new shiny coat of paint.

Are we feeling stripped down by the elements of life?  Are we feeling pretty banged up from the pot holes on life's road?  Has our "windshield" been hit by a large "rock" or "flying missile" from that dump truck in front of us and now we "can't see clearly"~~ we're dented and looking not-so-new?  Makes us want to hide, right?  Maybe it's time to seek a highly qualified Mechanic.   The Lord knows what He's after...and when we're feeling stripped down, "not-so-shiny and new," dinged up, rusted out---He's preparing us, priming us for a new paint job.   He's after something.  It's good to get stripped down to the basics sometimes---albeit very humbling, I know.  But take heart....God's not going to leave us exposed and feeling vulnerable---He's after much  more:   to make us NEW....more like His Son.



"Ahhh!  This is MUCH BETTER~and well worth being temporarily
stripped down to the basics," says Betsy the Shiny Red VW.





Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the
kingdom of God like a little child will
never enter it.” Luke 18:17

So, no matter what---this Thanksgiving, even if things are bare, and we're feeling pretty humbled by the "outward appearance of our circumstances" REMEMBER our Creator is priming us, preparing us for that new coat of paint.  Things will begin to look up... and UNTIL THEY DO, it would do us ALL SOME GOOD to LOOK UP to Him ...with trusting eyes, knowing He's up to something special in our lives, no matter where we are on the "Rocky Road of Life."

Thanks for your friendship and checking in on me.  Your comments over the past few weeks have been received with such a heart-felt gratitude that the Lord has brought y'all into my life, and how He's using this vessel to be an encouragement to others...to YOU.  :) 

Like Jesus said, we are "hidden in Christ," so let's be sure to set our minds on things above (on HIM) and not on our circumstances.    Kind of gives a new meaning to "Hide and Go Seek" doesn't it?  :)   

If I'm not able to write again...I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving.  No matter the size of the feast on your table, remember the Unseen Guest Who is there and be sure to tell Him THANK YOU for all He has done, and what He is GOING to do too!  (I'm still diggin' trenches, y'all!)  :)

Thank You, Father, for the times of being "stripped down"---for we know that You are busy working on us, just like You promised~~You will finish the work You started on this Body of Christians.  We're all in need of Your skillful hands to make us brand new in Christ!  Help us to remember that we're HIDDEN in Christ...so it's important to remember that others need to see HIM, and not us when they're looking at us. . .and as we're hidden in Christ, help us to SEEK YOU in everything...for YOU ARE in everything.. You allow every circumstance that touches our lives---even the ones that may bring a ding or a scratch---all of these things are allowed by You, so please get the glory in every aspect of our lives.  In Jesus' name, and for His glory and sake we ask...Amen.

Thought since we had a "bug" theme going, I'd add a pic of me and some of my SR classmates in 1989, with what they referred to in the yearbook as "Bug Fever."  LOL
BTW, "Betsy" was my little "yellow bug."  Mom and Dad bought her the Friday before I was born and I was driving her when she "clicked over 100,000 miles." 
It was a special moment.  LOL