And So We Beat On...

June 5, 2017

Day 150: I Was Blind, But Now I See:
"They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, "Do you believe I can make you see?" "Yes, Lord," they told him, "we do." Then he touched their eyes and said, "Because of your faith, it will happen." —Matthew 9:28-29

In day 150's lesson, Anderson suggests that we "Ask Jesus to open [our] eyes and give [us] a vision for what he has planned for [our lives].  I feel as if whenever I've done that, I have mistaken the plan. I have read more into it than what was there or was completely wrong about what God possibly had in mind.  So, I don't know.  Perhaps it's better to just wait and watch God work, lay our requests before Him and be confident that He always has our best interest at heart, whatever the answer may be.

Day 151: Secret Past:
"It was our weakness he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!" —Isaiah 53:4

I appreciate Anderson's lesson regarding secret pasts. We don't know what someone else is dealing with, what demons they face. It is always best to approach people with compassion rather than judgement.  I think we all make judgements about people, snap judgements, judgements due to our personal experiences with them and others like them, but it's important to remember that everyone has a story to tell and we do not always know what that story is, even if we think we do.

Day 152: Trusting Through The Storms:
"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." —1 Peter 5:7

Trusting through the storms of life can be difficult, but it can also be freeing.  I have been in my fair share of storms. I am currently in one.  It's been brewing for awhile and it just came to a head today. I had to tell my brother point blank that he can't be around my son and use feminine pronouns. It is psychologically damaging to my kid and I can't have it.  All my brother said was Ok. I'm still uncertain what that Ok means, but I assume, based of our previous conversations, it means that he just won't be visiting us when we move to Canada.  I am fine with that. It's not my preference, but I will not have anyone insensitively causing my kid pain or harm because of a personal conviction they have. He can hold his convictions as tightly as he wishes and chose them over loving and respecting my son, but he can't hold them over us and expect us to endure.  I just can't. Though I love my brother and want him to be a part of my family's lives, my child is my world. God has given him to me to love and protect and that is exactly what I plan to do until the day I no longer breathe.

Day 153: An Encouraging Word Calms The Soul:
"Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them." —Ephesians 4:29

This scripture is a good one to remember, especially in light of all that has been happening in our country and even in my personal life as of late.  It can be hard to be encouraging when you, yourself, feel so discouraged by the behavior of people, the things they say and do.  I don't always succeed, but I try to see things from other people's points of view. I try to understand them, their reasoning and their perspective and not simply descend into a profuse string of profanity to soothe myself.  The release that profanity provides is short lived and at some point, you still need to come back to logic and reason, sympathy and compassion.

"And so we beat on, boats against the current..."