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A Practice of Delight

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Hard Pressed But Not Forsaken; Frayed But Not Forgotten

Posted on by Deborah

Some days my soul feels it can’t stand seeing any more suffering.

Sickness.

Sadness.

Sorrow.

Selfishness.

Sleepless nights.

Suspicions.

Surmising.

My prayer list is full right now of friends and dear people carrying burdens caused by hurts from this list.

That’s a lot of words beginning with s.

BUT there’s another word.

SOMEDAY.

Someday soon.

I spy out of the corner of my eye the tiny, beautiful figure in the Nativity manger and I remember why He came.

I’m reminded this Christmas season that we know how this story ends!

Our life stories can feel confusing and shadowed and we find ourselves groping along dark corridors lined with doors and we don’t know which doorknob to turn.

Questions without answers. Queries without responses.

Concerns without comfort. Decisions without direction.

I think Job knew how this felt.

I feel the anguish of David’s heart and soul as he poured out his words into his Psalms.

Words and writing are powerful tools.  They offer solace and space and a place to pour out. And in the pouring out, the writer finds his feelings and finds His God and finds needs met.

Stories and writing, they tell tales. And someday, somewhere a reader comes along and relates. He says, “Me too.” “Me too.”

I’ve never known Job, but I know him. I say “Me too.”

I’ve been mourning the Apostle Paul’s death for two months now! I’ve never met him, yet I’ve met him over and over and over inside wispy Scripture page. I’ve read and re-read 2 Timothy and it tells the story of Paul’s life coming to a close. And after getting a glimpse of his heart and his Jesus, I don’t want to say good-bye to Paul. I’m mourning a man I never met, who died before I was born.

That’s what good stories do to you. They grab you and don’t let go. That’s what good testimonies do to you. They make you stand up and sing, “Hallelujah!”

Look! Over there! The beautiful, baby figure is still wrapped up in the manger reminding me.

SOMEDAY.

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Someday soon.

He’s coming back to fulfill the end of this story.

Of HIS story.

Of my story.

Of your story.

These verses rest softly on me.

2 Corinthians 4:7-18 ~ emphasis mine

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.
 This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.
We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.
Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may
also be seen in our bodies.
Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.
So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.
But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said,
“I believed in God, so I spoke.”  
We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus,
will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you.
All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and
God will receive more and more glory.
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are  being renewed every day.
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.
Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.
For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

 

 

Another  word that starts with s.

Small.

Our troubles are small.

They won’t last very long.

This shows me the story of God’s timetable. So different from how mine feels.

It’s in the perspective.

Because sometimes I want to say, “God this trouble FEELS like it has lasted a LONG time. It doesn’t feel so small to me.”

“It hurts.”

“My friend has been through so much. Did you miss that God? Were you possibly busy somewhere else?? Because there ARE a lot of people in this world. And I know You said You even see the sparrow, but sometimes these tears come, Father, and Father, not to complain too much, but it’s really hard sometimes to fix my gaze on WHAT I CAN NOT SEE. You know, Father?”

“But dear, dear Father, I am all about You receiving more and more glory. Because even though I question and I falter, deep in my core I hang on so tightly to Your Truth and Your Faithfulness and I believe that You ARE good. All the time. Every good day….gifts! Gifts.

My eyes flit back to the beginning verse.

Fragile jars of clay. “Oh boy do I feel fragile at times!”

I feel BROKEN a lot of the time. Just a lot of clay pieces scattered everywhere.

BUT WAIT!!

It says we ARE NOT crushed or abandoned or destroyed.

Fragile. Yes.

Forsaken. NO.

Fed up? Possibly.

Forlorn. Maybe.

Forgotten. NO.

Frayed and fatigued at times.

But we Finish strong.

Forever His.

Isn’t that the BEST ending ever?

I love happy endings.

He leans in close and He whispers to me, “You’re headed towards one, dear heart.”

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7 thoughts on “Hard Pressed But Not Forsaken; Frayed But Not Forgotten”

  2. Hi Deborah,
    I’m visiting from Coffee for your Heart today and I’m so glad you shared the hope we are all reminded of at Christmas! I’m so grateful we are not crushed, but lifted up in his everlasting arms and cared for and loved so deeply! Merry Christmas to you!

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