Skip to main content

“Instead of staring at the current thorns, focus on the ultimate fragrance.”

A thought by Charles R. Swindall, from his book, What if…God Has Other Plans?: Finding Hope When Life Throws You the Unexpected (p. 152). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

In our lives, there may be many thorns.

Charles says, “Focusing your thoughts beyond your present situation stimulates fresh hope in what is yet to come. Instead of staring at the current thorns, focus on the ultimate fragrance. Hope is like the fragrance from blooms on a rosebush. Suddenly you’ll be enveloped in that fragrance, and the aroma will diminish your anguish. You’ll rarely even notice the thorns because you’re so enamored by the beautiful smell all around you.”

He goes on, “Few virtues are more encouraging than hope. Consider these uplifting words from someone who learned to focus on the Lord rather than the struggle of human limitation: ‘Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.’ HEBREWS 12:1-2”

Charles continues, “Perhaps the weight you need to strip off in order to run your race of faith with endurance is the bitterness you harbor toward God because of your thorn in the flesh. Are you angry with Him for allowing your disability or for giving you a child who struggles with depression? Have you allowed that bitterness to fester and intensify? Three single-syllable words can rescue and relieve you: let it go.

“Isn’t it time you rid yourself of the bitterness, anger, caustic comments, and self-serving attitude that have held you hostage for too many years? Instead of focusing on your thorns, allow the fragrance that emanates from the hope you have in Christ to wash over you. Embrace your struggle as a gift from God…”

He then says, “I urge you to accept what has happened, to see the challenges of your circumstances through a renewed perspective. The Lord can bring healing. He can deliver you from the harsh wilderness of bitterness you’ve wandered in for too long.

“Whatever your struggle, accept it as a gift of grace from the Lord’s hand. See it not as an enemy but as a friend to bring you to a place of humility and beauty, to that place where you can blossom like a rose in a world that’s longing for the message you can model. Release your grip on your plans for your life. Set aside your will. Deliberately let it go. Then watch the Lord display His grace and power through you. You will be amazed!”

Would you release your grip on your plans and then watch the Lord display His grace and power through you?  Would you do that? 

Yes, yes!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life.   It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed.   Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life.   Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you.   You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good.   Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...
Post a Comment
Read more

“Sometimes we think we’re stuck simply because things are hard.”

A thought by Matt Perman, from his book, How to Get Unstuck (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the That is a possible trap for many, isn’t it? Matt says, “But if you’re continuing to make progress and aren’t experiencing huge snags, you’re not stuck. Rather, you’re in a dip. “A dip is a temporary hard slog that you will get through if you keep pushing and don’t give up. And pushing through the hard slog is actually the fastest route to the destination. In these cases, you will be especially tempted to bail. Be discerning and able to identify that you’re in a legitimate dip and you’re not a failure.” Matt says another trap to be careful of, “Some people are stuck and don’t know it.” He goes on, “Everything can be going your way, going smoothly, and going quickly. Everything feels and seems wonderful. Yet... you are still headed toward a dead end, a form of getting stuck, if you are leaving God out of t...
Post a Comment
Read more