“You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a mater of life and death to you.” C.S. Lewis
For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5
Wuther: “(of wind) to blow fiercely.” Dictionary.com
You don’t know how you’re going to feel about something until you’re experiencing it. Often times we assume we know what someone is feeling by trying to put ourselves in their shoes. We try to imagine our mom, dad, brother, or sister dying. We imagine we’ll be comforted somehow. Somehow we’d get through with joy and maybe happiness. Maybe we’re right. Maybe we could experience the worst with peace. But maybe not. To quote C.S. Lewis from his book A Grief Observed, “When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be-or so it feels-welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside.” Those are grim words from the man who wrote Surprised by Joy, a book about finding joy in God even in the darkest of times. They’re grim words from a man who had just lost his wife to cancer. They’re grim words from a person going through grief. It’s in those times of despair that we are given the opportunity to grow towards God. Look at Michelangelo’s depiction of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It’s the portrayal of a man lazily holding his hand toward heaven, as if he half heartedly believes he needs it. It’s the portrayal of God and heaven earnestly trying to reach out and touch man, but knowing the decision is partly ours. We will feel alone. We will miss God. We will wonder and doubt whether He exists at times. The decision to reach out is ours. Lets make that decision an earnest one. One that longs to touch the Father. It’s easy when times our good, in times when we feel spiritually aware, when we feel God whether we want to or not. It’s in the darkness that we are given the opportunity to reach with all our might. The drowning victim doesn’t lazily reach out for help as if to shake another’s hand while on dry ground. No, they grasp in the panic that they may miss the saving reach. God has His mighty arm extended towards our rescue. He longs that we would constantly reach out for His saving embrace. Maybe that’s why it feels as though the door is slammed in our face. Maybe that’s why we feel alone when we need Him most. We always need Him. There is not a time when we safe and free from danger. However, there are times when we feel a need for Him more than ever. During those times, don’t let the silence turn you away. All of life is a lesson on getting closer to God. How would we ever get closer if we never learned to reach with all our might. Let’s enjoy the moments of gratuitous joy. Those moments of free bliss. The moments of unearned harmony. But lets never forget to reach with all our might for His saving touch. We need heaven.
Daily Journaling Questions:
How did I help someone in kindness today?
What did I learn today?
What am I thankful for?
Who did I love today?
What am I dreaming of?
What about today do I want to remember forever?
What are my goals for tomorrow?
Thanks for reading,
Jake
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Daily Self Growth Journal Pt. IV
Non-FictionThis is the fourth part of a project called the "Daily Self Growth Journal." Its purpose is to prompt readers to journal through encouragement, motivation, and inspiration. In it, the first thing I do is provide a motivational, or inspirational qu...
