Light in the darkness
I truly hope you and yours had a very Merry Christmas, filled with the light from the good news of our Savior's birth. God, becoming man. The incarnation. God's plan of redemption to reconcile us, sinners, to Himself. Who could conceive of and carry out such a plan? 
I spent Thanksgiving day (also my birthday this year) visiting my son in a mental health hospital. I thought I was o.k. with this until a few days later my ugly ranting, ungrateful heart complained stubbornly (and loudly) to God. It wasn't a pretty picture and I was actually surprised that I survived the ordeal. Alive.
Perceiving that this "anti~Norman Rockwell" theme would not relent, I was much better prepared to accept that Christmas week I would be accompanying my son to his very first group home after a brutal fight with the health care system to get him in to a beneficial and safe place.
Many other difficult aspects to a prism of suffering awaited my husband and I this month. Our emotions were, and still are, all over the place. Our sins brought to the surface (uh, mostly mine) on many occasions, yet one thing is sure. Deep in the recesses of our soul, joy and hope reside. Not the "happy" type of "ha, ha, everything is wonderful joy", no, this is more of an abiding joy. One not dependent on feelings.
It's dependent on this, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men...
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
John 1:1-5 ESV
I spent Thanksgiving day (also my birthday this year) visiting my son in a mental health hospital. I thought I was o.k. with this until a few days later my ugly ranting, ungrateful heart complained stubbornly (and loudly) to God. It wasn't a pretty picture and I was actually surprised that I survived the ordeal. Alive.Perceiving that this "anti~Norman Rockwell" theme would not relent, I was much better prepared to accept that Christmas week I would be accompanying my son to his very first group home after a brutal fight with the health care system to get him in to a beneficial and safe place.
Many other difficult aspects to a prism of suffering awaited my husband and I this month. Our emotions were, and still are, all over the place. Our sins brought to the surface (uh, mostly mine) on many occasions, yet one thing is sure. Deep in the recesses of our soul, joy and hope reside. Not the "happy" type of "ha, ha, everything is wonderful joy", no, this is more of an abiding joy. One not dependent on feelings.
It's dependent on this, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men...
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."John 1:1-5 ESV
Comments