Christian, Don't Promise Me

Dear Christian,

When the rain never comes,
When fiery trials rage,
Or sorrows overtake...

Don’t promise me
Your best wishes
That “God will provide”
Or “Everything will be alright.”
Don’t promise me
That somewhere out there,
God is preparing the perfect one for me,
Plus health, wealth, and a loving family.

Don’t promise me empty words
That never once appear in the Word.

Promise me the truth,
That the righteous shall see
Hatred, persecution, and death,
And sojourn the earth with nowhere to be.
For the Lord gives and He takes away,
Who among mortals shall have a say?

Promise me this,
That in knowing Christ,
There is fullness of joy,
That will always suffice.
Though trials, famine, and sword shall come, 
There is hope that never fades,
Love that never dies,
And God’s own presence to the end of the age.

“The grass withers, and the flower falls,
But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
Promise me this,
Or nothing at all.

(Inspired from Maya Angelou - "Preacher, Don't Send Me")

Solitude

One of the biggest challenges in being a young adult is learning to be OK with being alone. It's easy to feel worthless, unloved, and uncared for when you are all by yourself. Some people avoid it at all costs; many people fill their lives with distractions; almost everyone cannot stand it for extended periods of time.

However, I found this note I quickly jotted down a couple months ago. It reads,

"There's a sense of aloneness that is empowering.. The feeling of being all alone with no one having a clue where you are and what you do . the feeling of tremendous power and independence. You can finally do and think and feel what you are. No one is stopping you from anything- tears, worship, dancing, laughter. You breathe and you are. Just you and your creator and how he created you to be."

Maybe I'm on the path of becoming a recluse. All I can say is for once in my life, I was thankful for complete and utter solitude.

Refined by Fire

I routinely ask God to increase my faith in Him. It is my sincere desire to love Him more. It is also His desire that I be sanctified. But little did I expect Him to respond to this request with trials that would expose all the ugliness of my heart and show me how little I actually love Him.

I will never again take this request lightly. It is a devastating request. Devastating, of course, only to our natural selves and the personal desires that we love to cling on to. Yet often, it is only through this utter devastation that we truly learn to die to self and love God more than anything in this world.

I asked the Lord, that I might grow

In faith, and love, and every grace;

Might more of His salvation know,

And seek more earnestly His face.

I hoped that in some favoured hour

At once He'd answer my request,

And by His love's constraining power

Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel

The hidden evils of my heart;

And let the angry powers of hell

Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with His own hand He seemed

Intent to aggravate my woe;

Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,

Blasted my gourds, and laid me low. 

"Lord, why is this?" I trembling cried,

"Wilt thou pursue Thy worm to death?"

" 'Tis in this way," the Lord replied,

"I answer prayer for grace and faith.

"These inward trials I employ

From self and pride to set thee free;

And break thy schemes of earthly joy,

That thou may'st seek thy all in me."

- John Newton

When life feels a little boring...

Here is a great reminder in the words of C. S. Lewis,

"Christianity agrees with Dualism that this universe is at war. But it does not think this is a war between independent powers. It thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel. Enemy-occupied territory--that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. When you go to church you are really listening-in to the secret wireless from our friend: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going. He does it by playing on our conceit and laziness and intellectual snobbery..."

This is how I like to think about the Christian life. Boring? Never! It's like fighting in the most epic science fiction movie of good vs. evil... except it is not a movie; it is not fiction; and the battle is already won. How awesome is that? Fight on! 

Richly Blessed

I asked for health that I might do greater things;

I was given infirmity that I might do better things. 

I asked God for strength that I might achieve;

I was made weak that I might learn to obey. 

I asked for riches that I might be happy;

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power and the praise of men;

I was given weakness to sense my need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing I asked for but everything I hoped for;

In spite of myself, my prayers were answered -

I am among all men most richly blessed.