A "Sandy" Revelation

 Good morning, everyone!

Some great news to start with. My eye condition is not genetic, which is a good thing. When I return from my trip, I'll undergo testing for auto-immune retinopathy. This will take a few weeks because the blood is sent to an Oregon facility that specializes in rare eye conditions.

Yesterday, I was standing at the end of the beach where the ocean comes rushing in. As I stood still for a few minutes, I realized that the sand was swallowing up my feet. It got me to thinking about the pros and cons of sand. If you walk on the beach and through the sand, it can exfoliate your skin and smooth your feet. That is definitely a pro.

The con is what happens when you stand still between the beach and ocean. The longer you stand, the deeper you get in the sand. If you're not careful, you can get well and truly stuck. 

I believe this was a God-wink moment. The troubles in our life (trials and tribulations) are like the regular sand. They help exfoliate our lives and smooth out our relationships with people and God. However, if we stand at the edge and wallow in our trials and tribulations, and we sink in self-pity and bitterness, then we can miss the blessings around us.

As we've been told numerous times by pastors, we are either entering a trial, going through a trial, or exiting a trial. How we allow our Father to exfoliate and smooth us during those trials will make a difference in our lives. We will either be better or bitter.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trails of many kinds." James 1:2

Having a relationship with Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord helps me have a secure foundation, one that doesn't crumble when times get tough. My "house" may tremble and sway, but the foundation will not crumble. He is my Rock, my Strength, my All.

"...like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed, and its destruction was complete." Luke 6:49

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my GOD is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2


Have a wonderful day. Be a blessing to others and you will find you are blessed as well.

Love in Christ,

PB

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Are you where God wants you to be?

This morning, the Bible verse on my Bible app was James 4:17. “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” What exactly does that mean? If we only looked at that verse, it can be just about anything we want it to be. For example, if we know we ought to take out the trash, and we don’t, that is a sin. If we know we ought to call our parents, and we don’t, then that is a sin. This can go on and on and on. We could even use it to get our kids to do the chores. But, to truly understand verse 17, we need to read James 4:13-16. These verses focus on being too self-confident where we make our own plans instead of listening or following God’s plan. Basically, it is saying if you make your own plans, you better see them through, or you are sinning. I really like verse 14 stating, how in the world are we supposed to be planning for next year when we may not even know what tomorrow brings? When we were all teenagers, someone may have asked us what our five-year goal or t...
Read more

Eyes are everywhere, not just in the potato patch.

Over the past several weeks, between Bible study and church sermons, the messages have been about bearing fruit. Christians will be recognized by the fruit they bear. Everyone is recognized, known, seen by the fruit they bear, not just Christians. However, are you misidentified by the fruit others see in you? Would anyone identify you as a Christian by your fruit, or lack thereof? John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide…”  Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”  Sometimes, individuals may believe that how they act affects no one but themselves. They think no one is watching. UNFORTUNATELY, that is only the case if you live in a cave and never go to town. How many times have toddlers or kindergartners gotten in trouble for the 4-letter words they sa...
Read more

Don’t Give Up Too Soon

 Have you ever had to wait for the cable guy or other utility personnel to show up to your house between the hours of 8:00 and 5:00? You waited the entire day but had to leave at 4:45, and they showed up at 4:50. Aggravating, isn’t it? Life as a Christian can be the same. We are praying for our families, friends, or personal situation, and nothing seems to be happening. Nothing is changing. The problems still exist. The ailment has not been healed. So…we stop praying. We give up. Raise your hand if that is you. Don’t be shy about it. No one can see you. If someone is watching, he or she may think you’re having a worshipping moment. I’m raising my hand because that is certainly me.  It’s really hard being honest about my failure as a praying Christian. We want our prayers to be answered according to our schedules and to our desires. But, what if we’re not praying long enough? Exactly how long is enough? Long enough is God’s timing not ours. Daniel from the Bible prayed ferventl...
Read more