Day #12

Okay, a little bit of bad news, I have officially sprained my left shoulder ( I think) and it's been giving me a whole 'nother lot of problems - can't really move my upper body much without triggering a spasm of hurt. Even moving my right arm hurts.

Support came in the form of a verse from my mum,

"...God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able... that you may be able to bear it." 1 Cor 10:13

At that time still not quite sure to do with this verse but feeling slightly calmed at the thought that hey at least, it won't get worse - unless this isn't the limit of what I can take, which is a scary thought, but anyway.

Gave not much thought to it after a short prayer, and this morning as I headed to the market for my usual buys, I encountered a rather unusual situation.While buying beef, I requested 1 kg of the usual round steak I get for stir frys and such, expecting it to be slightly less or more than that, given the original chunk was much bigger than 1 kg. To my (and the person who cut it as well, I suspect) amazement, the weight on the scales showed exactly 1.000 kg when the beef was placed on it.

I went, 'whoa.' and gave her a quick smile. She seemed rather estatic as well as she handed me my purchase. On the way back I was thinking, could this be? A sign from God? I could feel it was as though God was telling me, 'Yes, this is what you have asked for, this is what I will give you. No more, no less.'

Also thought it might mean that whatever the limit of temptation I could take, God would stop right on the dot, and would go no further.

Shoulder turned from bad to worse as I grinded through the day, bearing the pain through 3 consecutive hours of class. It was not excruciating, just slightly annoying and disturbing, I guess.

And what do you know, today's reading has something to do with trials! Juicy.

"Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory." Eph 3:13

Perhaps, I realize now, that Paul and I may not be referring to the same kind of trials, but this is what I got : What are trials but God's way of testing our faith? The same way a good piece of pottery endures the reshaping and burning in the furnace, such is the way our lives are molded by our Father the Potter.

And such is the Kingdom of God! Obstacles should not be seen as stumbling blocks, but as stepping stones. Circumstances are only what we make of them. Of course, this is easy to say as an outsider; when we are immersed in the severity of the problem our vision gets terribly narrow-minded and our judgement will be hugely affected as well. Pray for discernment and wisdom.

And I am reminded of a short story.

Jesus and I were walking on the beach, enjoying the surf. For some reason I suddenly turned back and noticed the pattern our feet were making in the sand. I noted one part where there was only one set of footprints. I then turned to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, during those times where I was as a lost sheep, misguided and in need of direction, when I was going through a rough patch in my life, where were you? Look, only one set of footprints are present. Why did you forsake me then?' Jesus turned to me and replied kindly, 'My child, I was with you the whole time. When you were in trouble, it was then that I carried you upon my shoulders.'

How easily, when things go wrong, or when tribulations come our way, do we give in and complain that God has forgotten about us and that He no longer cares about us? Often without even thinking we rationalize and say, IF ONLY God had given me this or done this back then, I COULD HAVE done this and this and this and would not have ended up like that and that. And the opposite happens during times of prosperity. "Oh, luckily I could do this in time, all by myself." LUCK has the least to do with any success we are so abundantly blessed with.

Aren't we forgetting something here?

We are quick to claim success as OUR OWN, but come up with excuses blaming God (of all people) when things go wrong. And me mumble and we moan and we gnash our teeth and tear our hair - anything but turn to God. At least, I have been terribly guilty of that. Looking back now, I wonder where I would be, after all these years, were it not for His grace and mercy?

Prayer : Dear Lord, forgive me for my constant complains and ungratefulness. I am a sinner, undeserving and filthy. Yet You still love us the same. How great is Your love for us Your children! As we continue to face trials and tribulations, remind us that You are always there for us, that You will never forsake us, that we can rely on You. Teach us to lean wholly on You Father, all this I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.