We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.

Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.

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Journal for Today-JDV

June 25, 2010

I struggle with the concept that I must have sorrow in my life. I struggle with the notion that I must feel the pain and experience the difficult times of life. For years I prayed that God would keep me from the trials and difficulties; that sickness and financial pressures would be removed. I prayed that my family and friends would be well and that days would be smooth for me and mine. I hoped and prayed for positive diagnosis,  great jobs and wonderful events and circumstances. And yet I know that the Lord has told me that in this life I would experience difficulties.

I am  being led to understand and internalize the notion  that life’s difficult circumstances will never go away, but that God will and does give us the power and courage to joyfully live in difficult circumstances that are a part of day to day living. And as we live inside and yet above difficult circumstances, God is glorified. He is glorified when we can live joyfully inside of difficult circumstances.

And Jesus says…”I came to give you life and life more abundantly, but I did not come to change this world. I came to honor and glorify the Father, and to change you. You can walk in this world, be a part of it, but you are no longer bound to or by it. When you see Me in the circumstances of this life, you know that the Father and I are holding you up. Others can see this as well and the Father is glorified.

When you “pray without ceasing” you are connected to Me, in anticipation of all the world can throw at you. And you can be joyful in the knowledge that in a world full of trouble, I will provide the peace, hope, courage, grace, knowledge and wisdom to overcome the world. Look for me in all things and you will find life exciting and surprising; even in the midst of sorrow. Let Me be God by expecting Me to deliver you or to protect and delightfully surprise you in a world full of sorrow.