Difficulty and Miracles

That hard thing you woke up to. It’s not the end. It’s the path. A path to what? It’s the path to a miracle you may not see coming.

Whether you’re battling pain, your health, financial trouble, or something else entirely—trouble never seems far away. Life is hard. That’s truth. But we live in a world where most people seem afraid to acknowledge hard things as a normal part of this life. They are. Life is hard. Difficulties aren’t the exception they are the expectation.

Expect difficulty. Lean into it. Not because you were hoping it would find you, but because you’re not afraid of it anymore. You can’t afford to spend your life dodging difficult things. Not only will it render you weak in a way you may never understand, it will Rob you of the miracle waiting on the other side.

No one knows peace like the one in the middle of life’s raging storm. No one knows warmth like the one trapped in the frigid wasteland. No one understands the miracle like the one standing on the precipice of disaster.

Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Don’t turn back.

As hard as whatever you’re facing right now may be, as hard as what comes next might get—your miracle is waiting for you in the middle of the insanity.

There’s an amazing stretch of scripture in the Gospel of Matthew. In chapter nine Matthew recalled a moment when Jesus healed several people in short succession. Each of those people were smack dab in the middle of a crazy difficulty. It was when things were terrible that the miracle showed up. That’s when things changed for them.

We shouldn’t go looking for difficulty. But we shouldn’t spend our days dodging it either. Your difficulty is fertile ground for the miracle that’s coming. Hold on.

“Out of difficulties grow miracles.“ - Jean de la Bruyere

Baby Eyed Faith

   I have always had strong faith. Faith just comes really naturally to me. That isn't to say that I have not gone without struggles. And I find myself deep in doubt more often that I am comfortable admitting. But overall I am quick to grasp faith in God, his goodness, and his personal impact on both my eternal and temporal my well-being. But I know after countless conversations over the years that I am not necessarily the norm in the faith department. Staring into our one month old son's eyes last night I started thinking of this verse from Matthew's gospel in a different way. 

And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3 NIV)

My son Jonathan is a month old. This early in his development his vision is roughly 20/400. He sees nothing but a blur past the twelve to eighteen inch mark, and colors are largely something he will not even begin to appreciate for three more months. What does this have to do with faith?

Jon doesn't have to scramble, cry, and worry for everything in his life, it is provided for him. He doesn't have to fret for his safety and well-being. It is provided for him. All my son has to do is sit back and be. 

He just has to be my son. The very fact that he lives and breathes, that he is mine, bestows upon him the guarantee for protection and provision given to the fullest measure of my ability.

Even in my easy approach to faith there are moments of darkness. There is apparent blurriness. There are times when I do not have the answers and no answers seem forthcoming. Those are the moments when even walking by faith seems impossible. 

In those moments we must simply be. We must belong to the Father. We must realize that just being his guarantees us the fullest redemptive measure of provision and protection that is His to muster, which is all of it.

It's yours. Just be His kid. 

That doesn't guarantee you a steep bank account and a lavish life. But it is an unshakable eternal promise worth SO MUCH MORE.

May 15 - Peace Speaker

Read: Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mark 4:39 ESV)

I have been in a few terrifying storms. It kind of comes with the territory when you live in Arkansas. Still, I have never been in a storm that was so bad I feared for my life. I have also never been stuck out in open water during a storm. As such, it is pretty hard for me to imagine the kind of fear the disciples were experiencing. But, I have been through some pretty trying times in my life. And while I haven't experienced the kind of palpable fear produced by a literal storm, I have weathered a few stormy seasons. I have found myself fearing the precarious nature of my situation. I have found myself asking Jesus to save me from the storm.

Growing up my best friend's mom used to always sing this song talking about Jesus as the peace speaker. It was a beautiful song, but I never really understood the fullness of the words until late in my college career when I entered a very difficult season of life. Jesus was undoubtedly my peace speaker in those days. Even on the days when I was consumed or distracted by the violent environment of my troubles Jesus was working on my behalf. He was speaking peace into my life, into my future, and into my situation.

Looking back on those days now it is hard to imagine having made it through some of life's tough moments without being able to call upon the peace speaker. Like the disciples in the boat, it is reassuring to know that Jesus makes the difference. Also, like the disciples, I can't always understand what Jesus does; but I have found another kind of freedom in not being burdened with the selfish or prideful desire to want to. Jesus speaks peace into chaos and order into confusion. I hope that I can always listen.