“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends
of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.”
(Isaiah 45:22 NIV)
Blessings
can pull me away from God. Struggles can push me closer to Him.
It is a
constant tug-of-war. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Troubles nearly always make us
look to God; His blessings are apt to make us look elsewhere.”
Whether
surrounded by blessings or struggles, focus is the key. Pride rears its ugly
head when my attention drifts off Jesus. Concentration on Christ quickly dissipates.
Distracted by blessings, I forget to thank God for simple gifts – health,
security, prosperity, and relationships.
His
blessings are often polluted with self-imposed curses. My desire for blessings are
tainted with greed. Although I expect good things to come my way, the Holy
Spirit says I deserve no good thing. It is all God’s grace.
Troubles can
whip me into a 180-degree turn, an about-face. In a humph, I place my hands on
my hips and pout, “Why me, God?” My heavenly Father prompts me to lift those
hands from my hips, throw my head back, and thank Him for the wake-up call. Pain
did the trick and ushered me into His throne room.
I observe those
who suffer. Are they more spiritual than I? I watch heartache draw them closer
to God. When I avoid pain I might miss out on blessings and lessons to be learned.
Have you
been blinded by God’s blessings, like me, distracted and perhaps temporarily pulled
away from Him? Have you complained about problems, ignoring potential miracles?
We are called to maintain a balance between the easy times and the hard, always
trusting Jesus.
I will welcome
the struggles and blessings, knowing they are all from my Savior’s nail-pierced
hands. I hope you will, too!
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