A beautiful picture… Thank you for sharing. I know I often have the desire for the hurricane to end so I can finally rest in the knowledge that sunny days have finally arrived and it will be sunny for the rest of my life… but… that is not realistic. Storms do come again, but knowing Jesus is with me through the storms of life is what gets me through them. What do we expect as Christians? If it’s anything more than Christ and the salvation he affords us, we’re mistaken. But Jesus is the greatest treasure anyway, so, if I have Him, I know my life is good. Thank you for the reminder, Will. Praying for you, and praying you have a Bible believing and obeying church in your life that will continue to encourage you in your walk with Jesus. You have Witt, but God is also making you Wise, if you keep seeking His wisdom.
TobyMac, the Christian rapper, lost his 21yo son to fentanyl four years ago and wrote a heart-wrenching song about it, "21 Years". This year he released a song called "Nothin' Sweeter" that sounds like healing. It reminds me that there's another side to these seasons of life which call every moment's meaning into scrutiny. There's a time when the struggles ease and healing comes, along with perspective, and things begin to make sense, and our souls begin to breathe more freely again. There's a time when like Jacob learning that his son Joseph still lived, our long-oppressed spirits are revived. It's worth holding out for, when the darkness of the storm lifts and the dawn gilds our skies once again. We just have to keep faith as long as the darkness endures. Reminds me of "Worn" by Tenth Avenue North (I actually don't listen to a lot of CCM, believe it or not). Maybe I'm rambling past midnight, or maybe I'm supposed to write this for someone... Hope you don't mind, dear Mr. Witt. 😊
I believe that the bird will realize God’s provision of the branch to dig his talons into and wait out the storm, then fly to wherever God takes him next, seeing the blessings and experiencing God’s peace along the way!
Storms are confusing. I just want to spend them in a boat with Jesus. For me a miraculous prayer has been to pray God's will *over* my life. I don't have to know what His will is to ask for it, to receive it. His will is what brings perfect meaning and order to the chaos of life. Some questions are too big for me. But surrender, humility, obedience, worship-- that's my part. That I can handle. That I can know brings nobility and purpose to every breath. Just the thoughts your thoughts provoked... God bless! Glad you weathered the storm alright!
As you mentioned, life can be both beautiful and heartbreaking. I'm so grateful that we have the Lord to turn to, and that He is our comfort, refuge, and strength, no matter what life holds for each of us.
I think one of the tough things is that we have an expectation that living a certain way will lead to good results and that this is the only dynamic in life. But chance throws a lot of unwanted things into the mix. If we're trying to be good then we never really feel like we deserve the bad when it shows up.
That said, I don't think it's wrong for people expect results from their efforts either. If truly, you were like Job and bad things just happened to you relentlessly no matter how you tried to live I WOULD say that's objectively a bad life. I think God would say that too. And of course we see many underserving politicians who are actively bad but they never face justice and live a good life for themselves. So it's not all subjective.
Once again, thank you for your beautiful words of encouragement, wisdom and strength, Will. Perspective is so vital to finding joy regardless of our circumstances. Finding gratitude and beauty even in pain and struggle is what makes the difference between a life of discouragement and burden or a life well lived. So many times I have said to God - Lord, I don't understand what You're doing right now but I trust You to make something beautiful out of it. Take care of each other, keep laughing and looking for the beauty no matter what.
A beautiful picture… Thank you for sharing. I know I often have the desire for the hurricane to end so I can finally rest in the knowledge that sunny days have finally arrived and it will be sunny for the rest of my life… but… that is not realistic. Storms do come again, but knowing Jesus is with me through the storms of life is what gets me through them. What do we expect as Christians? If it’s anything more than Christ and the salvation he affords us, we’re mistaken. But Jesus is the greatest treasure anyway, so, if I have Him, I know my life is good. Thank you for the reminder, Will. Praying for you, and praying you have a Bible believing and obeying church in your life that will continue to encourage you in your walk with Jesus. You have Witt, but God is also making you Wise, if you keep seeking His wisdom.
TobyMac, the Christian rapper, lost his 21yo son to fentanyl four years ago and wrote a heart-wrenching song about it, "21 Years". This year he released a song called "Nothin' Sweeter" that sounds like healing. It reminds me that there's another side to these seasons of life which call every moment's meaning into scrutiny. There's a time when the struggles ease and healing comes, along with perspective, and things begin to make sense, and our souls begin to breathe more freely again. There's a time when like Jacob learning that his son Joseph still lived, our long-oppressed spirits are revived. It's worth holding out for, when the darkness of the storm lifts and the dawn gilds our skies once again. We just have to keep faith as long as the darkness endures. Reminds me of "Worn" by Tenth Avenue North (I actually don't listen to a lot of CCM, believe it or not). Maybe I'm rambling past midnight, or maybe I'm supposed to write this for someone... Hope you don't mind, dear Mr. Witt. 😊
I believe that the bird will realize God’s provision of the branch to dig his talons into and wait out the storm, then fly to wherever God takes him next, seeing the blessings and experiencing God’s peace along the way!
Storms are confusing. I just want to spend them in a boat with Jesus. For me a miraculous prayer has been to pray God's will *over* my life. I don't have to know what His will is to ask for it, to receive it. His will is what brings perfect meaning and order to the chaos of life. Some questions are too big for me. But surrender, humility, obedience, worship-- that's my part. That I can handle. That I can know brings nobility and purpose to every breath. Just the thoughts your thoughts provoked... God bless! Glad you weathered the storm alright!
Thank you for the post, Will!
As you mentioned, life can be both beautiful and heartbreaking. I'm so grateful that we have the Lord to turn to, and that He is our comfort, refuge, and strength, no matter what life holds for each of us.
Thank you!
Also, I can see you narrating this like Quentin Tarantino... Squinten Tarantino.
I think one of the tough things is that we have an expectation that living a certain way will lead to good results and that this is the only dynamic in life. But chance throws a lot of unwanted things into the mix. If we're trying to be good then we never really feel like we deserve the bad when it shows up.
That said, I don't think it's wrong for people expect results from their efforts either. If truly, you were like Job and bad things just happened to you relentlessly no matter how you tried to live I WOULD say that's objectively a bad life. I think God would say that too. And of course we see many underserving politicians who are actively bad but they never face justice and live a good life for themselves. So it's not all subjective.
Once again, thank you for your beautiful words of encouragement, wisdom and strength, Will. Perspective is so vital to finding joy regardless of our circumstances. Finding gratitude and beauty even in pain and struggle is what makes the difference between a life of discouragement and burden or a life well lived. So many times I have said to God - Lord, I don't understand what You're doing right now but I trust You to make something beautiful out of it. Take care of each other, keep laughing and looking for the beauty no matter what.
such a talented writer🤍