Welcome to Grace Exposed! This is my first official try at a blog. Hopefully it goes well, if not...well, at least I tried it!!
Throughout my life, there have been many, many ups and downs. The "ups" definitely outweigh the "downs", but the "downs" seemed so terrible while I was going through them. Financial difficulties, miscarriage, friend issues, school troubles, work changes, death of a loved one...life is full of change. Change is the only constant.
In all this change, in all this stress and through all these hardships, how do we find the strength to hold our head high during financial difficulties, to grow closer to our spouse during a miscarriage, to make it through all these trials? The only way I have found that actually works, is through peace. Our strength is in having peace. I know what you're thinking. That's stupid. Peace? Really? Yes, really. No, don't roll your eyes at me. I'm serious. Peace. Peace brings a calm to any storm. Remember when Jesus was on the boat? You know the one I'm talking about, a huge storm was raging, big waves, boat being thrown all over everywhere, grown men screamin'... Peace? Where?! There was NO peace anywhere even near that boat, right?
Sure there was.
At the stern of that ship as it was being tossed around like a toothpick, there was a man sleeping. A man who grew up like we all did for the most part. Physically birthed from a woman, grew up around family. Had friends, lost friends. Probably had more trials than most of us have had if we're honest... As hard as He worked to be what He was sent to earth to be, He was constantly rejected and told He was performing wonders through the work of Satan (Matt. 12:25-45). How many of us have quit doing what we know we're called to do because of rejection? That's a WHOLE nother blog!
So there He was, this man Jesus, sleeping away during this terrible storm...which was bad enough to be called a hurricane...after a long emotional exhausting day of teaching, and His disciples wake Him up. Jesus, we're going to die!! Don't you care? (Mark 4:38) Jesus gets up and calms the storm using 2 Greek words that translate to "Hush, be still". Now you and I both know that we'd have been like "What just happened?" Jesus knew He had nothing to fear from the storm. We should know that as well.
No matter what the storm is that you're facing, Jesus is there with you, always offering you the peace that only He can give. You can't find peace anywhere else. I've often wondered how marriages last without Jesus. I know that whatever occurs, that Jesus will provide the peace. But I have to have the faith that Jesus is there with me no matter what before I can have that peace. The great thing about peace, is that it gets easier to have peace with every trial you go through. Each trial is a stepping stone. Will your stepping stones take you up? Or down? I choose to go up...through Jesus.
Throughout my life, there have been many, many ups and downs. The "ups" definitely outweigh the "downs", but the "downs" seemed so terrible while I was going through them. Financial difficulties, miscarriage, friend issues, school troubles, work changes, death of a loved one...life is full of change. Change is the only constant.
In all this change, in all this stress and through all these hardships, how do we find the strength to hold our head high during financial difficulties, to grow closer to our spouse during a miscarriage, to make it through all these trials? The only way I have found that actually works, is through peace. Our strength is in having peace. I know what you're thinking. That's stupid. Peace? Really? Yes, really. No, don't roll your eyes at me. I'm serious. Peace. Peace brings a calm to any storm. Remember when Jesus was on the boat? You know the one I'm talking about, a huge storm was raging, big waves, boat being thrown all over everywhere, grown men screamin'... Peace? Where?! There was NO peace anywhere even near that boat, right?
Sure there was.
At the stern of that ship as it was being tossed around like a toothpick, there was a man sleeping. A man who grew up like we all did for the most part. Physically birthed from a woman, grew up around family. Had friends, lost friends. Probably had more trials than most of us have had if we're honest... As hard as He worked to be what He was sent to earth to be, He was constantly rejected and told He was performing wonders through the work of Satan (Matt. 12:25-45). How many of us have quit doing what we know we're called to do because of rejection? That's a WHOLE nother blog!
So there He was, this man Jesus, sleeping away during this terrible storm...which was bad enough to be called a hurricane...after a long emotional exhausting day of teaching, and His disciples wake Him up. Jesus, we're going to die!! Don't you care? (Mark 4:38) Jesus gets up and calms the storm using 2 Greek words that translate to "Hush, be still". Now you and I both know that we'd have been like "What just happened?" Jesus knew He had nothing to fear from the storm. We should know that as well.
No matter what the storm is that you're facing, Jesus is there with you, always offering you the peace that only He can give. You can't find peace anywhere else. I've often wondered how marriages last without Jesus. I know that whatever occurs, that Jesus will provide the peace. But I have to have the faith that Jesus is there with me no matter what before I can have that peace. The great thing about peace, is that it gets easier to have peace with every trial you go through. Each trial is a stepping stone. Will your stepping stones take you up? Or down? I choose to go up...through Jesus.
