After the dust has settled

Pain is inevitable. Rejection is reality. Circumstances are not always favorable. Unfair situations prevail. People may hurt you, even by those you love. All these happen when you least expect it. I was tempted to disappear and quietly run far, far away. But God has been teaching me, as always. Sometimes I want to complain “Lord, why do you believe in me so much that you let me suffer like this?” Then I realized I should feel blessed that He refines me—teaches me to stand my ground in Him even when I am compelled to follow my human instincts (which I would like to say ‘of the world’).

I remembered asking God to give me focus and direction. One after another, distractions were thrown my way. God sure does have a weird humor like that. It just came to me that praying for focus and direction, I should be expecting the opposite to test me on that. Then Peter’s words dawned on me…

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.”

Yeah. Didn’t we just dissect that verse in Thursday BS group not too far back? Tsk. God wanted me to focus so He puts me in extreme pain so that I would fix my eyes on Him more, rather than the circumstance. I’ve been feeling physically exhausted, mentally drained, emotionally dried up, spiritually down because I have been looking at the wrong things (those that I’ve mentioned above)! No wonder I felt really discouraged. Yet I thank the Lord because He allowed me to grieve…to be human so I will learn.

Today I woke up with a renewed heart and mind carrying this lesson. The Lord impressed on me Paul’s advice as I was going through my morning devotion (I like how The Message translated it)…

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”

Ok, good and pure and all things that make my heart soar in the Lord. Gotcha! Now that the dust has settled, I can see clearly  the path ahead–and that is to run the race and fix my eyes on Jesus.

After this ordeal, I say “Praise the Lord for what He has done!”