more than just the pain ~ 7/31/20

Friday, July 31, 2020 (6:29 a.m.)

Holy God,

I got to learn a little on practicing resilience last night. There were words like mindfulness. Meditation. Letting go. Choosing. Counting.

Looking it up right now, I like this word! “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity”

Holy God, thank You! Thank You for providing opportunities for us to learn new things.

Single words used to describe being resilient are: flexible. Pliable. Hardwearing. Stout. Strong. Sturdy. Tough. Hardy. Quick to recover. Buoyant. Irrepressible [not able to be controlled or restrained].

Holy, Holy God, these are words I want to use to describe myself. I long to put into practice some of the things I learned last night about looking at more than just the pain of any given situation.

Yes Father. I am one who falls into the trap of laser focusing on slights. Disappointments. Mishaps. Mistakes. What a better practice it is to readily follow the apostle Paul’s letter of encouragement to the believers in Philippi.

Paul, himself, knew what it was “to be content, even joyful, no matter what his physical circumstances” (The Life Recovery Bible book intro). We all stand to learn so much from the Truth of his experiences.

Again Dear Lord, I have forgotten to actively look for the joy in our conditions. Pain, misery, hurt and heartbreak are all easy on which to focus. Here I ask You to help me go deeper in the ability of bouncing forward toward a brand new hope in all You have for us.

Philippians 4:4-5. “Always be full of joy in the LORD. I say it again - rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.” Oh that I would truly come to practice this regularly.

Verses 6 and 7 tell us so much. “Don’t worry about anything: instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

I confess to You right here Lord that I keep trying to guard my own heart and mind. That is absolutely not how it works, is it Father?

No. We are to put all of our trust and faith and hope in You. Not only reading Your Word, but practicing it as well.

I love You Lord. I love the way You continue speaking to and guiding us.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that… (Philippians 4:8)