Ever find yourself suffering or hurting and feel like you’ve done nothing to deserve it? I know I have had, and I remember being angry and thinking or even saying “that’s not fair!” and asking “why me?”
I can be fairly hard headed, so it took me a long time to figure out that life isn’t always fair, infact there are many times when it can be very unfair and downright hard. But, what I have learned is that rather than asking “why?” I shoud be asking “what?” and “how?”.
What is God trying to teach me as I go through this trial?
How is God trying to grow me as I face this tough situation?
You might say that I needed a “check up from the neck up”. My attitude was all wrong, and my poor attitude was preventing me from discovering my own greatness and stealing my joy.
I think this short 3 minute video will encourage you to push through the tough times, go the extra mile when faced with adversity, find greater pupose and joy, and continue to be happy in life and at work.
Are you unhappy? Are you stuck in a rut? Are you discouraged? Is joy missing from your life?
If so, you need to find an opportunity to serve and give of yourself. It is impossible to give without receiving. Don’t beleive me, try it. Not sure where or how to start; here are some ideas. I must warn you though serving and giving is addictive and it will make make your face sore from smiling and your heart swell with happiness and joy. Oh, and one more thing…include your spouse and your kids. It will change their live too!
And, as an added bonus for you, enjoy this 90’s feel good song from the New Radicals – You Get What You Give. Don’t forget “you’ve got the music in you”!
There is a season in everyone’s life of walking through the valley. It is lonely, dark, discouraging, and exhausting. Have you been there? Are you there now? Do you know someone who is there right now? Even though it is in our nature, as human beings, to want to fix things, sometimes all that is needed or desired is our presence. If you are in your mourning booth, I hope you have someone who understands that you might just need their presence and nothing more. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone and let them know that you need them by your side. If you know someone who is in their mourning booth, realize that although they might understand and apprecitate your advice, encouragement, and humor, it is possible that all they really desire and need is your presence…to know someone cares enough to stay by their side as they walk through the valley.
A very dear friend of mine, after reading the November 11th post, Happy Life and Work Through Sowing Tears, sent me the following message of encouragment from Os Hillman. It is the perfect follow up to the November 11th post; I hope it encourages you to be Happy in life and at work!
“The second son he named Ephraim and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” Genesis 41:52
When Joseph was elevated to rule over the Egyptian kingdom, he revealed some profound truths gained from the experiences of his years of adversity. He named his first son, Manasseh for, he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household” (Gen. 41:51b). His second son was named Ephraim because, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
Whenever God takes us through the land of affliction, He will do two things through that affliction: 1) He will bring such healing that we will be able to forget the pain, and 2) He will make us fruitful from the painful experiences.
God does not waste our afflictions if we allow Him the freedom to complete the work in us. His desire is to create virtue that remains during the times of testing so that He can bring us into the place of fruitfulness in the very area of our testing. He has never promised to keep us from entering the valleys of testing, but He has promised to make us fruitful in them. He is the God who turns the Valley of Achor (trouble) into a door of hope (see Hos. 2:15).
If you are in the valley of affliction, now is the time to press into Him. When the time comes to bring you out of this valley, He will heal your memories and bring fruit from this very time.
Sugessted resource:Fear Fighters by Jentezen Franklin
Will you live in FEAR? Or will you live by FAITH? Fear has the deceptive ability to influence and affect our daily lives and the world we live in. What do you fear most in life? What are the greatest threats facing you? Crime? Violence? The economy? Failure? Death? Eternity? Fear Fighters will help you identify and defeat the very source of fear that threatens you from living in peace and joy. This incredible book will open your eyes, build your faith, and empower you to reach out to those around you with the light of truth and hope.
“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” - Psalm 126:5
Psalm 126 describes an interesting process that goes against our natural tendencies when we are taken into a difficult period in our lives. Whenever we are hurled into a crisis that brings tears, our tendency is to retreat or recoil in fear and hurt. However, there is a better way that God tells us to handle such times of travail.
Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. “He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him” (Ps. 126:5-6). God is telling us that if we will do what is unnatural for us in these circumstances, He will make sure that what we sow in tears will return in joy. This is one of the most important lessons I have learned when faced with difficult circumstances. Rather than sit back and allow self-pity and discouragement to consume us, we should plant seed during this time. Reach out to a person who needs a friend. Invest in the life of another. See where you can be a blessing to someone. Give of yourself.
The psalmist acknowledges that we are doing this while we are in our pain. However, during this time we are to sow seed. That seed will return to us in another form. Here is what will happen when we do this. “He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.” We will receive joy and fruit from the seed that we plant during this time. Sheaves represent the fruit of a harvest. We will actually get a harvest from this seed.
“You must not let the circumstances destroy you! Too many in the Kingdom are counting on you to come through this because of the calling on your life!” Those were the words spoken to me by a friend one time when I was in the midst of a very difficult business and personal circumstance that was threatening to destroy me emotionally. This person saw what God was doing and the fruit that God wanted to bring from these circumstances. Sometimes we need others around us to push us through the difficult times. If you find yourself in a difficult place today, see where you can sow some seed. Soon you will be reaping songs of joy and be Happy in life and at work.
Suggested resource The Upside of Adversity by Os Hillman.
Can God actually use prolonged difficulty in our lives for good? Os Hillman says yes! After a seven-year journey filled with disappointement and adversity in his personal and work life, Os went from the pit of despair and unhappiness to operating an international speaking and teaching organization for workplace leaders that has taken him to more than 20 countries. Like the Joseph of the Bible, Os let God use a long string of personal calamities-what he terms his “Joseph Pit”-to form him for leadership, influence and service and bring real happiness and joy into his life and work.
I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – My great army that I sent among you.” – Joel 2:25
There are seasons in our lives that involve times of famine and times of restoration. Solomon tells us that He has made everything beautiful in its time and that there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under Heaven. (See Ecclesiastes 3:1,11.)
God brings about both the good and the bad. The seasons of famine have a divine purpose in our lives. They accomplish things that only these hard places can accomplish. But there is a time when those hard places have accomplished their purpose and He begins to restore. God did this with the nation of Israel after a season of famine and devastation.
Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for He has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – My great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will My people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will My people be shamed” (Joel 2:23-27).
God wants each of us to know that there is a time when He will restore in order to demonstrate His gracious hand in our lives. He is a loving Father who tenderly guides His children through the difficult places. If God has taken you through a time of leanness, know that He is the restorer of that which the locusts have eaten. Wait patiently for Him to bring this about in your life. He will do it.
Reccomended reading:The Joseph-Daniel Calling
Like Joseph and Daniel in the Bible, God is calling men and women to serve in strategic positions of influence and power in the workplace for His purposes. This book addresses the dynamics of this calling, God?s economy, and the challenges of these uniquely called Josephs and Daniels. Among other agendas, they will be facilitators of the release of the wealth of the wicked into Kingdom initiatives.
Do you have distractions in your life? Of course, we all do.
Distractions are the poison of life. Thye keep us from seeing and being a part of God’s work in and around us. Author Leighton Ford knew this, so he began a journey of longing and looking for God. And it started with paying attention.
In the pages of his book, The Attentive Life: Discerning God’s Presence in All Things, he invites you to journey with him as he seeks to rid himself of distractions and live the joyfilled, purposeful life God intended.
I encourage you to read this book!
Ford will walk with you, helping you pay attention to God’s work in you and around you throughout each day and in different seasons of your life. He will help you to realize that spending time alone with God, away from the normal distractions of life, will bring you a peace never before experienced. You will learn to abide rather than strive. You will learn to trust God more and worry less. You will learn to hear God’s still, quiet voice and be confident in your focus and pupose each day.
So, If you’re busy, distracted, discouraged, disillusioned, and tired of rushing through each day, you might be feeling disconnected from God, unable to see how he’s working and how you fit into his work. But the way toward him starts with a pause and a prayer with intention and attention and becomes a way of life, awake and alive to the peaceful, powerful presence of God.
I hope you enjoy The Attentive Life by Leighton Ford.
Lifa and work can get complicated and steal our joy. When that happnes we can’t discover and experience the greatness God intended for us. Here’s a little reminder about maintaining your joy…not letting your circumstances determine your attitude, remembering to pray and move your feet, continuing to chase after our dreams, remaining courageous and perseverant, holding onto our faith, never growing weary of giving and sharing, always being kind and gentle, cherrishing the simple things and moments with friends and family…being who God created you to be!
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“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth . . . .” Ephesians 6:14a
The economic meltdown that began almost a year ago begs a central question: What is the truth about our situation? The new president and his advisers have worked for months to find the answer to that question. And they continue to think more money is the answer. How bad is the damage? What will it take to make things right? It seems new versions of “the truth” about our situation emerge daily.
Granted, the economics of an entire nation are murky at best. But what if you were tasked with the job of defining truth about every person, every situation, every fact, and every possibility? When we look at our world, it is obvious that there are many versions of “truth” at work—creating the resulting discord and chaos. Oprah promotes a new gospel using the same words like repentance and Christian as an example, but defines it radically different than Scripture. She is very dangerous. As Steve Camp sang in his song “Where have you gone to my America” he sang..”And the talk show host is the Holy Ghost.”
Jesus Christ, in a prayer to the Father, said what truth is in just a few words: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). God’s words, found in God’s Word (living and written), are the standard of truth concerning whatever they touch. The Bible may not address everything in all of history, but whatever it says about whatever it addresses is true.
To navigate the uncertain parts of life, you need an unchanging source of truth: God and His Word. When questions arise, make sure you answer them with the answers God has provided.
“Though all truth is not in the Bible, everything in the Bible is true.” Unknown
Maintaining a cheerful heart is very important to being happy in life and at work. It is often not so much about our circumstances, but how we respond in the midst of those circumstances. Another way to put it might be that what we achieve is not nearly as important as what we overcome. And, it takes the right spirit of thankfulness, attitude of gratitude, and cheerful heart to overcome many of life’s toughest circumstances. The questions then becomes where does this strong yet peaceful spirit come from. It comes from a personal relationship with Jesus!
“The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes”…Paslm 19:8
With this joy in our hearts and light in our eyes, we can “Serve the LORD with gladness”….Psalm 100:2
When somebody is eighty-four years of age and is still able to do just a little bit of the work she loves, that is a great privilege,” said the inimitable Corrie ten Boom before adding, no doubt with a smile, “but I am able to do so much!” According to her coworker, Pam Rosewell, Corrie was continually thankful to God for every opportunity to serve Him, and she went about her task with an enthusiasm hard to equal. “How she enjoyed life,” Pam later recalled, “…and what a sense of humor she had! We spent a lot of time laughing; she was very young in spirit.”
“He who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.”…Proverbs 15:15
“A cheerful heart is good medicine”…Proverbs 17:22
Every day has its share of burdens, and many of us have aches and pains. But a cheerful heart is as irrepressible as a cork in water. A joyful person just cannot be held down. What a privilege to serve the Lord with gladness and to use our gifts for His glory, doing so with a merry heart. We can moan and complain about life or we can keep life in perspective and enjoy it. Paul learned the secret of contentment, and so can we. That choice is yours and mine.
The future is glorious. The best is yet to be, and you and I have the privilege to help hasten the coming of Jesus…..Corrie ten Boom
