Comforts from the Cross
I cannot say enough about this book. I have been reading this nearly everyday since before arriving in Austria and then everyday here. Today I read something that really hit home:
"We are so frequently misguided about God's plans. Day by day we measure our progress toward anticipated goals; we judge God's faithfulness and our performance by the proximity of the desired accomplishment. 'Is everything progressing as it should?' 'Am I getting through this rough patch?' 'Are my kids achieving?' ' Am I paying down my debt?' 'Is my boss finally appreciating me?' And then the kids fail (again!); foreclosure looms; we discover that the boss not only doesn't appreciate us, but he's actually considering demoting us. 'Hold on!' we think. 'This isn't what I signed up for. This isn't right. I've followed God. Where is he now that I really need Him? What happened to all the plans we made together?' We suffer because we mistakenly believe that God's goals and our goals are identical. Into this confusion and sorrow, your Savior, who isn't insensible to your pain, speaks. 'I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world'." (John 16:33).
I'm pretty sure everyday I think I've gotten it right or that I've figured God out. I think about the future. My goals, dreams, aspirations, getting frustrated that I haven't accomplished what I think I should have accomplished by the age of 32. If I could just remember that His goals are certainly not the same ones I have set up for myself. THANK THE LORD!
"We are so frequently misguided about God's plans. Day by day we measure our progress toward anticipated goals; we judge God's faithfulness and our performance by the proximity of the desired accomplishment. 'Is everything progressing as it should?' 'Am I getting through this rough patch?' 'Are my kids achieving?' ' Am I paying down my debt?' 'Is my boss finally appreciating me?' And then the kids fail (again!); foreclosure looms; we discover that the boss not only doesn't appreciate us, but he's actually considering demoting us. 'Hold on!' we think. 'This isn't what I signed up for. This isn't right. I've followed God. Where is he now that I really need Him? What happened to all the plans we made together?' We suffer because we mistakenly believe that God's goals and our goals are identical. Into this confusion and sorrow, your Savior, who isn't insensible to your pain, speaks. 'I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world'." (John 16:33).
I'm pretty sure everyday I think I've gotten it right or that I've figured God out. I think about the future. My goals, dreams, aspirations, getting frustrated that I haven't accomplished what I think I should have accomplished by the age of 32. If I could just remember that His goals are certainly not the same ones I have set up for myself. THANK THE LORD!
thanks for sharing what you're learning! just what i needed to hear today!! love you, and pray for you all the time!
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