HeyAJ

Right thinking has to precede right feeling; or else, if the felt reality comes first, then the thinking has to be in keeping with what is being felt.

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"When you're faced with an enormous disadvantage or handicap: admit that disadvantage, see how you can change that into an advantage, and use it for the glory of God" - Ravi Zacharias

Ravi tells the story of a wife who, despite her husband leaving her for another woman, continues to love him. She loved him so much that, when his health began to fail, she helped his new wife and children move into the US (to continue living comfortable lives). All this she did because of her love for Christ.

Found this version of the hymn, and it made me appreciate it even more. The 4th stanza is still my ultimate favourite.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit, Till released from flesh and sin, Yet from what I do inherit, Here Thy praises I’ll begin; Here I raise my Ebenezer; Here by Thy great help I’ve come; And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood; How His kindness yet pursues me Mortal tongue can never tell, Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.

A friend asked me today if I fear God’s will in my life. The right answer would have been to say, “Of course not. He only has my best in mind.” But truth be told, I was. I was very afraid because I knew that God’s will may not always be what I had aspired for or dreamed of. His best for me may come in a scenario which I am terrified of, a situation or setting that will have me down on my knees begging.

As the words poured out and popped on my screen, I felt a deep cry and plea in my heart. I was not ashamed for admitting weakness; but I was grieved having realized I’d submit to my fears more than to a loving and good God. 

Matthew 10:27-31

27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

I don’t believe we can ever be totally stripped of fear, nor is it not wrong to be afraid. We worry; we get anxious. We don’t know what will happen a second from now.

But you wonder how, even after experiencing such heartbreaking tragedies and sorrow, people like Horatio Spafford can say:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.

Here is a man who, despite being faithful to the Lord, loses much of his properties and his son and daughters to tragic accidents - “works of nature”. How can all be well?

As John Piper said: 

"He knew Christ loved him. He saw it in the cross. And when he gets to the end, he has Christ coming back with a great triumph not to judge him but to save him and to raise his daughters from the dead so 'it is well with my soul,’”

Let it be, Lord, that whatever my lot may be, it will be well with my soul. May I be found steadfast in You. May my fears lead me to abide even more in You. May I draw strength and joy from Your perfect love.

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.

Tired of being compared to other people? Tired of comparing yourself with other people? It sucks, but it’s addicting. You either fish for comments or criticize yourself. You just aren’t good enough. You might never be.

But are you really that bad?

We live in a world that bombards us with people who are undeniably living a well-lived life. We open Instagram and see the posts of friends and personalities who are out there enjoying the world. We go to Facebook and see videos of people changing lives through their generosity and dedication. We open YouTube and immerse ourselves in the beautiful creations from the other side of the world.

All that talent. All that opportunity. All that money. All that we aspire to have. All that we’ll never have.

But we still dream anyway. We try to replicate the lifestyle we wish we had.

Is that wrong? Not at all! The moment you stop dreaming is the moment your death begins. You have nothing left to live for, Each passing day becomes just another 24 hours gone.

I get it, life’s a bitch. Most of the time, it actually feels like its goal is to remind you how you’ll never succeed. It’s rather creative in feeding your frustrations. 

What’s frustrating you, though? Is it because you can’t be like them, or because you can’t be who you want to be?

The people we look up to didn’t become superstars overnight. We get enamored by their talent, but often forget the time they dedicated to perfect their art. Yes, talent plays a role, but talent that is not developed cannot be utilized either.

Simply put, instead of trying to be like someone else, be the best version of you. You may not have all that you wanted to have, but you decide what you do with what you do have. We often think, “Oh, if only I had the time,” or “Oh, if only I had the money!” Guess what, you actually have both. As they say, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

Time won’t wait for you, so why sit waiting for a miracle? Go out there. Give it a shot. Don’t stop yourself from learning something new. Give yourself a chance at something you love. Be the most awesome you can be!