marquitabp

Pain is Temporary

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

Happy Sunday everyone! I pray that everyone had a truly wonderful day. It was bittersweet for me. I made it back from Savannah in time to make it to church, but my mind was on my daddy…I know you are probably like just get over it already…but I did not anticipate this being this way.

I have been trying to think of ways to decorate my room. I got new furniture so I figured I could spruce up the decorations and accents in the process. I decided against painting because I waited until I got the furniture almost to break down my last bed. Plus I did not want to have to worry about painting it back when I move out. So I have been considering getting some wall stencils or "wallies" done on each wall as a bit of inspiration and a splash of color. I found a website online that can do them custom for you…which turned out to be terribly expensive. So I decided to look at the pre-printed ones to see if I could go with them. As I was looking I came across a statement that I am pretty familiar with, and serves as my mantra during difficult times: Pain is Temporary. I have to thank my sister, friend, and soror Monique for teaching me this because it truly changed my life for the better. But this one was different because it also said Quitting is FOREVER. And it made me think back to how many times I recited this to myself during 2005 and 2006 and since that time. I told myself day after day that Pain was temporary and that I had to endure the pain to get to my healing. I told myself day after day when I returned to class after being hospitalized for two weeks and a life change, pain is temporary, so that I could walk to class. I told myself every time someone asked what was wrong with me and what had happened to me that pain is temporary, and this is too as I believed that God would restore me. Every difficult point I have faced since I told myself that and I still say it today. The beauty of finding this is now I can complete that sentence. I cannot quit on life because this life is temporary. I have an eternity to look forward to spending with both of my daddies (that is, God, and my earthly daddy). I have an eternity to look forward to no more medicines, no more heartaches, no more tears of hurt. I now look past my current circumstances to trust in God's promises.

I felt pressed to write about this since yesterday, and the weird thing about this is, I've been calling out that scripture above for about a week now, thinking it was something else. As I believe I'm done crying now, I realize my "new normal" life without my daddy is not so bad, but I have a lifetime of memories to hold me over until this temporary situation is over. So from now on, in the midst of your pain and trials, tell them that PAIN IS TEMPORARY because QUITTING IS FOREVER. Do you want to spend eternity without God? I know I don't because that will mean that I will not see my daddy again. So keep pressing onward and endure because when Christ comes, we can all share in His glory for a job well done.

Love ya!

"Fight the good fight for the faith. Keep holding on to eternal life, to which you were called and about which you gave a good testimony in front of many witnesses." 1 Timothy 6:12 ISV

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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17
http://lifeinspiredbygod.blogspot.com

Comfort in the Storm

But Jesus was in the back of the boat, asleep on a cushion. So they woke him up and asked him, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to die?" Mark 4:38 ISV

Hi everyone! I pray that you all are blessed and green with joy on this St. Patrick's Day today! I have on my green sweater and some green pumps lol so I won't be getting pinched today. I have to be honest, my thoughts have been consumed with missing my dad for a while now. I always think about him, but it seems like every other thought being filtered through my head is about him. I've been thinking of how to spend his death anniversary and his birthday. I don't want to be alone, but I don't want to be sad either. So I have been thinking of what I would do to honor his memory…and came up with gathering other people's good memories of him and sharing them with my mom and brothers…I know remembering some of his antics and the funny things he did will be good for our hearts and give us comfort in the midst of sadness.

So God spoke to my heart today. I've been learning new scriptures as part of my commitment for Lent. One of the scriptures I've been reciting is Luke 8:25–“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Now I've been looking at this scripture in application to my faith, because I have been in many different storms this far in my life. I have asked God why me and take this away…but the storms persisted and He got me through them. The disciples in this storm were terrified and feared their deaths were imminent. In the midst of this storm, Jesus slept. I don't know about you, but for me to fall asleep anywhere, there has to be some minimum threshold of comfort there, a blanket to keep me warm, enough space to curl up or something…but I have to be able to get comfortable. And when it rains and thunderstorms, that's like a perfect prescription for sleep for me. And then the boat was probably rocking on the water…so I know I would have been knocked out too!

I wrote last week about comforting others based on 2 Corinthians 1:4–God first comforts us so that we can extend that same comfort to others (paraphrased). God comforted me after my daddy died, and allowed me to reciprocate that comfort to many of my friends in their times of need so far. Some things I do to comfort myself now like dancing and listening to music, are some of the same things my daddy did–I am very much my father's child, I tell you that! But the relevance of the scripture above is that Jesus knew that everything would be okay, thus allowing Him to get comfortable in the midst of a turbulent storm and go to sleep. The magnitude of that act alone shows that there is no storm too powerful that you cannot seek God's comfort. The "winds" and "waters" will obey God–and you will come out of your storm renewed as long as you go to God. God may not deliver you from your situation. You may have to keep pushing and driving through the storm. It may seem that God doesn't care if you die, or He may be quiet during your trial, leaving you to think that He is not there. But you have to trust that the same promise God gave in Deuteronomy 31:8 is still valid for you today–"It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

How perfect! The song "I Told the Storm" just came on…don't let the devil steal your comfort, peace or joy in any situation.

And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. Mark 4:39 NASB

Author: marquitabp

Daily Devotion

Daily Devotion