The Hurt and the Healer - Moving video!

(This post is faith - based.)

Recently I heard in a sermon,  "If you’re in a trial, God’s intent is to make us more Christ-like, and to draw us closer to Him, and being in close relationship with God is what brings us joy.
If you’re not (already) in a trial, you’re headed for one.”

We don’t pray for suffering. We pray for God’s will. This life is on His agenda, after all. 

Monday I faced a trial. A family member who was on a clear road of recovery relapsed. I’m so strong in a lot of things, but this crushed me. It’s hard to see someone you love suffering, and it's natural to suffer along with them.

My challenge was to find joy.

This song has lyrics that sound pretty desperate, and this was how I felt at times this week but we have this hope. Life sometimes IS about suffering, but He’s the anchor of our soul. (Hebrews 6:19)

God's got this. 

This song is about the glory that comes from our deepest wounds. It’s a humble, desperate cry for God.

In the book of John in chapter 16 verse 33 it is recorded that Jesus said,

“…In me you have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.”

Is. 53:5, …”By his stripes we are healed."

When I first heard this song, called “The Hurt and the Healer” by Mercy Me it was through the above video, which shows images of Jesus being crucified, a school boy being bullied, a girl sitting by herself in the lunch room, a man being served divorce papers, a family facing foreclosure on their house, a woman exiting an abortion clinic, and woman chained to an empty pizza box, empty needles and empty bottles of booze nearby.

Through all of that, Jesus was present.

It's like a game of Chutes and Ladders: Move a few squares ahead, maybe take a ladder to jump 10 squares, but it’s only a matter of time before you land on a square with a slide, and you're  back to where you started. That’s life.  That's recovery. And so while our family is adjusts to the old and seeks serenity, courage and wisdom, like that AA prayer,

"God,
Grant me the serenity
to accept the things I can't change,
the courage to changed the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference." --Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

I rely on God to fill me with His peace and serenity, and I can trust Him to make me bold, and I can lean on Him for wisdom, understanding, answers. 

Isn’t it nice that our God is in the business of death and resurrection, and transformation? He’s forever changing us, but He never changes. He’s already perfect, but I am so far from perfect!

There is nothing that is impossible for our God and there is no hardened heart that He can’t soften. I just pray that His will be done.  I won’t question it but instead ask Him to comfort me and ask Him to work things out the way He intends to.

Every time I climb a ladder, I know it’s just some time before I slide down another chute. But, like a kid at a playground or an amusement park, I can just learn how to feel joy every step of the way.

Thanks for reading! What are your best tips for finding joy or peace in the midst of a trial?