The Challenge & The Blessing

52 Week Project 2012 ~ 3/52

A theme of contentment--giving thanks in all circumstances--has woven its way through the third week of my 52 Week Project, and waking up to the freshly laid blanket of snow outside, I'd say, wrapped it up quite nicely. 

This family of trees has gathered in our front yard since before we built our house here over 11 years ago. I can remember passing countless Spring afternoons rocking away on the hammock under the shade-casting branches of these trusty trees; summer memories of sword fighting with their fallen branches and then playing fetch with our dog Trudy who'd always interrupt the game; fall days filled with the fierce competition for first place in the classic Edelman family game of Catch the Leaves; snowy days like today that make me slow down from the hustle and bustle of life and pause....

Closing my eyes I breathe in the crisp scent of winter bliss and let out a deep sigh of contentment as the gentlest of smiles glides across my sleepy-eyed face; thus, concluding my much needed moment of escape.

I've been challenged this week to transform those brief moments of escape, of silent bliss, of peaceful contentment, to reflect my everyday-state-of-mind. The challenge initially came to me while sitting in a wooden pew of a church out in Reading. Pat and I wanted to check out this church because he was interviewing for their worship leader position later in the week. Visiting the church was slightly a spur of the moment decision, but I thank God for bringing us there that morning. I went in thinking I wouldn't enjoy a traditional church service, let alone a sermon on finances. Thankfully, though, God knows I enjoy a challenge; hence, my strong conviction by this verse the Pastor mentioned. Hebrews 13:5 states, "...be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you' (Deut. 31:6)" (NIV).

I went through the rest of my day pretty much headache free, thanking the Lord for that blessing along with the blessing of participating in the Body of Christ, fellowship, and prayer; music, food, and friends; life, love, and happiness. Everything! In addition to the challenge of contentment God presented me with that morning, He also gave me a renewed perspective. From there, He encouraged me that living with a heart of thanksgiving will provide the joy and hope necessary to sustain me through whatever trials may come.

And surely, the trials came. Before gaining victory in this challenge, God decided to test me--starting first thing Monday morning--when I woke up with a really sore throat. (Because I have Lyme disease, my white blood cell count is extremely low, which makes it hard for my body to fight off other viruses and bacteria. It's always bad. That's why I hate getting sick on top of everything else. So, being sick and content is very challenging for me.) In order to confirm that I grasped the concepts of this lesson of contentment, I spent the entire week in bed sick as a dog with really bad headaches again. At least that was my reasoning as I lied awake in bed. It's easy to give thanks when the days seem good; however, when the days are bad, long, or painful, maintaining an attitude of thankfulness grows much more difficult. I convinced myself that this sickness was all part of the challenge, though, and I became determined to finish well.

My Memory Verse:
"The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion"
Psalm 116:5

Ironically, this week's devotional had me read Psalm 116, memorize verse 5, and meditate on the following quote by John R. Claypool: "Thankfulness is...a resource rather than a burden which can be used by God to enable us to overcome obstacles rather than to be overcome by them."

Looking back on the week now that most of it is behind me, I curiously wonder if that "challenge" God gave me on Sunday morning was really his way of blessing me with the resource he planned on using to sustain me through this sickness. I think... Yes!

Thankfulness: a blessing in disguise.

Psalm 136:1 says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever."

~If you've read this post, please share something you're thankful for by posting a comment below. Don't be shy!
May thankfulness spill from us.

The Best TastyKake Ever

Today I had a TastyKake. A chocolate KandyKake to be exact. Dark chocolate on the outside with chocolate cake lined with vanilla cream on the inside. After six or so weeks of a strict, low-fat vegan diet, I thought I deserved a treat. Besides, it was a miserable, rainy day, and my head already hurt. That was my reasoning. So I went ahead, indulged my craving, and let me tell you...nothing could have tasted better.

I felt a little guilty afterwards, knowing I'd pay for it later, but it was so worth it. The highlight of my day even. So much so that I'm writing about it now, on my blog that I rarely feel inspired enough to post. But it was just that good. And the whole ordeal got me to thinking.

As sinful human beings, we are more prone to give into temptation when we are weak, run-down, tired, and hurting--although rainy days don't help either. It's times like these that we lose sight of the goal and fail to persevere toward the finish line. This seems to go in cycles too. I can at least speak for myself that it does. One day I'll be strong and able to resist temptation, whatever it may be--even as simple as avoiding sweets because they're bad for me--and then the next day I'll be weak and indulge in the best TastyKake of my life! I've been thinking about this all day. Like many things, I knew there was a deeper, spiritual meaning just waiting to be uncovered, because "everything is spiritual" as Rob Bell would say.

Just a moment ago, I found this online devotional posted on a friend's Facebook page, and I clicked on it, hoping to read something inspiring, refreshing, strengthening. I believe it satisfies my quandary. Here's a little excerpt:

Delayed 

"Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs; . . . they shall afflict them four hundred years; . . . and afterward they shall come out with great substance" (Gen. 15:12-14).

     An assured part of God's pledged blessing to us is delay and suffering. A delay in Abram's own lifetime that seemed to put God's pledge beyond fulfillment was followed by seemingly unendurable delay of Abram's descendants. But it was only a delay: they "came out with great substance." The pledge was redeemed.

     God is going to test me with delays; and with the delays will come suffering, but through it all stands God's pledge: His new covenant with me in Christ, and His inviolable promise of every lesser blessing that I need. The delay and the suffering are part of the promised blessing; let me praise Him for them today; and let me wait on the Lord and be of good courage and He will strengthen my heart.

     --C. G. Trumbull

                                     
Is God delaying something in your life? If so, be encouraged and take heart because delay is part of His pledge. We will be tempted by the TastyKakes in our lives to give up on God's plan for us when we are in the midst of the battle; yet, the hardship is part of the blessing. This is not a masochistic philosophy. However, I've learned that although pain comes when God prunes away the dead branches from my heart that bear no fruit, when I abide in his loving arms, He faithfully restores me and I thrive as a result (John 15). Even when we can't see Him working on the outside, we can have faith that he is doing a good work within us. That's the other part of the blessing of His promise to his children.

God is the potter. We are the clay. Our job is to be moldable. He is constantly working to refine us, and it's easier if we listen and open our hearts to His. In what areas is He desiring to mold and refine you today?

"Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.

We are the clay, you are the potter;

we are all the work of your hand."

Isaiah 64:8