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When Adversity Strikes: Can We Face It With Courage?
Unannounced. Adversity strikes! Red-hot. Searing. An unwelcome arrival that feels totally unbelievable. Did I hear someone say “ludicrous”? Yes! Crazy, unbelievable, even bizarre. Sucker punched, I find myself gasping at its reality. Could this really be happening to us? Certain as dawn, it settles in, burning all the way down to the depths of my soul. Air! We need air! As our world tilts, then crumbles around us, nothing seems as it was. Crushed beneath the load, we look for normalcy, but it evades us. It’s just not there – no longer present. Everything in me cries out “This is wrong…so very wrong!” right on the heels of shouting… “This…
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In The Dark Valley of Waiting: Hope Comes With the Good Shepherd.
When life’s adversity thrusts us into a valley, shadows loom large and darkness creeps in. Despair can threaten to undo us, and doubts about God’s goodness can overwhelm us. Here, in the valley of despondency, the Good Shepherd whispers, “Don’t be afraid. I see you. I am with you. I will protect and comfort you. You are mine!” As a child, I never liked being left alone in the dark. In my darkened bedroom, ordinary objects seemed larger and often took on frightening forms. A simple lamp or doll on a shelf, strangely, became a large, ugly monster. Legs that hung out of the covers or dangled over the side…
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Living Fully Present: Hope in Uncertainty When was the last time God led you into a waiting room? A waiting room without physical walls—a place where adversity and faith meet. Here, you are given the chance to embrace God’s character, yet somehow anxiety and overwhelm flood in, and all you can think about is solving your problem to ease the pain, remove the heartache, or erase the trouble. I am familiar with God’s waiting rooms, as I am sure you are. It has taken me years to realize that when God calls us to enter, He is extending a sacred invitation to spend time with the Divine. It is here…
