soul thinking

i receive devotionals from alicia's website, and this one was truly a blessing.. thought i'd share~ ;-)

I wouldn't have written it this way

from alicia's book, Sitting in God's Sunshine

I wouldn't have written the script of my life this way Father God.
What would you have changed Child?

I would have deleted unnecessary pain.
What kind of pain is that?

Senseless misunderstandings, incurable illnesses, and undeserved injustice. These produce nothing but tears in my heart and aches in my soul. I could have done without them Father.

I too could have done without sin's shadows and pain's piercings. But because of choices made long ago and choices re-made every moment I myself had a choice to make: turn my back on sin's shadows or personally embrace pain's piercings.

What did You choose Father?
I chose the path of what you call unnecessary pain.

Why? How?
Actually, You helped me. Before you were born Child, I saw you and My love for you was greater than Life. Through sweat and blood I measured my love for you and its passion fixed My Life willingly to a cross. By embracing pain, I robbed sin of its power to crush you.

Then the shadows will not destroy me! But there are still tears in my heart and aches in my soul.
Yes Child. In Mine as well. But even there you can find a treasure if you allow the tears in your heart and aches in your soul to grow dependence upon Me in your spirit.

Reflection Questions

This tender dialogue between Father and Child reflects on soul-bruises. If we think of our lives as a movie, all of us have scenes we wish could have been deleted or edited. These are the bruising memories that cause us to wince, to ache, to question, to move faster. Consider the following thoughts as you reflect on this week's devotion.

One ~ In your memories of the more painful moments of your life, where is God? Do you picture Him watching? Sleeping? Helping? Absent? Protecting? Distracted? Critiquing? Where is Father God in your painful memories? Take a few moments to consider the truth that God was and is as near to you as a mother is to the child in her womb.

Two ~ In this story, the Father speaks of how His love for Child fastened His life to the cross. As a child, my daddy would ask me, "Do you know how much I love you?" Then he would stretch out his arms as far as he could and say, this much.
Ask God how much He loves you. Hear Him whisper, "This much child," as he stretches His arms out wide, upon the cross. Know that His intense love for you strengthened Him to endure pain so that you could embrace freedom: For God so loved the world, that He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3.16

Three ~ I call dependence a 'treasure.' How can dependence be valuable when we live in a culture that applauds independence? Choosing to be dependant upon God is not a vote for passivity or weakness. Choosing to be dependant upon God is a vote for active reliance by dependence we intentionally immerse ourselves in God's strength.
Remind yourself often in the coming days that even in pain you can find treasures if you avoid the path of bitterness and choose the path of dependence.

http://www.truthportraits.com/
© alicia britt chole ~ onewholeworld, inc. ~