Romans 12:12 (NIV)

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

I’m not feeling any spiritual creativity this week, so I’m going to share instead an excerpt from one of the very gifted Guest Authors in my book, The Afflicted Healer. This guest author is my very own pastor at St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic church.

Fr. Shayne Duvall entitled the chapter he wrote as, Rejoice in Hope, Endure in Affliction, Persevere in Prayer. He writes…

I think we must ask the question: are we optimistic about life, or are we pessimistic? Do we first see the good in others or are we constantly searching for the bad? Do we trust one another so that we can share our joys, our trials, and our experiences with them? Do we find opportunities every day to simply rejoice – to laugh, to smile, to love, and to forgive? Hope is powerful, especially when we stop to give thanks for reasons to hope. A person of hope can take the good with the bad. They can see that this trial or this struggle will soon pass and something good or better is right around the corner. A person who lacks hope will tend to be a miserable person. What is there to be excited about? What is there to look forward to? Why do I need to engage with others? Why do I need to care? Because that is why we were created. God created us in His image and likeness, and God does not make mistakes. Just look at the beauty of creation. The sunrises, the sunsets, the changing of the colors of the leaves, the warm sun, the cool winter breeze. Each day is an opportunity for us to be a person of hope, a person who rejoices in the cards that we are dealt, whether they are good or bad, they are ours and they show us that rejoicing in hope will pave the way for an attitude of joy, love, happiness, and excitement. My friends rejoice and be glad and then share that good news with others.

What does Fr. Shayne say about Enduring in Affliction? I made sure I paided close attention to this counsel!

What does it mean to endure something? People will often tell me that they are not really sure how much more they can handle. One more hurtful or painful experience will soon push them over the edge. I try my best to assure them, because I have been there myself, to sit with the pain, to sit with the suffering, and place yourself at the foot of the cross. Now, look up! What do you see? You hopefully see Christ looking down at you. As drops of blood and sweat fall from his face, you see a man who was beaten and torn up, a man who was put to death to set each and every one of us free. You see a man who loves us so much that he died for us. In order to have the Resurrection you first had to have the Crucifixion. When we are experiencing pain, sadness, depression, and despair, we have to trust that the pain will either pass or subside and that a new opportunity is on the horizon. Suffering happens to people who are rich and who are poor. Suffering happens to people who are public figures and hidden ones too. Suffering has no bias towards sex, age, or race. We cannot avoid it. It is what we do with suffering which makes all the difference in the world, especially if we strive to be people of hope. Enduring affliction is very painful, and we cannot do it alone. God did not create us to be alone, He created us to be in communion with one another. Don’t try and fight these battles, these sufferings alone. Talk to someone who has been there before. Be open, be honest, be vulnerable and let others help you. I have always struggled with that. I think that I can solve all my problems by myself. I don’t want to burden anyone else with my problems, and then I quickly realized that people want to be helpful, people actually do care, and they want to make sure they can help in any way possible. Let them help you. Let them help carry whatever crosses you bear, either daily, or just for a moment. Remember, sometimes we have to experience pain, loss, suffering, and afflictions, in order to be changed for the better. Hope allows us to see that something greater is happening and that we will be ok, as long as we take it one day at a time. One of the greatest ways we can get through these difficult times is to take it all to prayer-to speak to God about our joys and our sufferings, and to let Him help us get through it all.

Then we can all persevere in our praying….knowing we can trust God’s timing…which can be different indeed from the timetable we have set!

You can purchase my book, The Afflicted Healer, to read more of Fr. Shayne’s counsel on Hope and Enduring Affliction. It’s available through mvarga.com or Amazon.com.

Dear Lord,

Fill our lives with people like Fr. Shayne, who lead us to see how God is working in our personal circumstances. Help us to also be witnesses for You by how we manage our own affairs…& especially, how we encourage others as they try to look after their own.

Once you are on mvarga.com, please read through past blogs and find more about my books & fitness tips!

You can also follow me on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mlvarga/

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:6 (NIV)

How often do we wonder whether we’re praying in a way that reaches the ears of God? I talked about this subject in my post, https://mvarga.com/spiritual-insights/are-we-praying-the-right-way/. Over the last decade, I’ve become a real student of prayer. I have a dozen half-read books to prove it. I think maybe I need to spend as much time on my focus & attention, as I do on prayer.

I think I’ve found a way to do both at the same time. It’s called Centering prayer. I don’t know if I can get my ever-wandering mind to stick with this, but I’m going to give it the ole college try!

In Centering prayer, our only job is to surrender & be still before God. For 20 minutes, twice a day. Are you serious? Does God really expect us to have no thoughts for twenty minutes? We have a ‘SACRED’ word that we say to ourselves whenever we find ourselves thinking of anything other than God’s presence within us. My sacred word for this week is “divine”. I’ve tried several different sacred words trying to keep myself centered with God. Like I said, I’m still a work in progress.

Those who have practiced meditation will recall the mantra we keep repeating to keep our mind free of thoughts. Do not be confused though! The sacred word is NOT a mantra. It is consent to letting God enter our mind & heart.

No praise. No thanksgiving. No intercession. No petitions. That’s how we all learned to pray. God still loves and expects those prayers…but not during Centering prayer. It’s a type of Contemplative prayer. We don’t do the talking. We listen and bask in God’s presence.

We shouldn’t get mad at ourselves if we get involved with an interesting thought. Just go back to your sacred word. God is bigger than any thought that comes across our mind. Just let thoughts come & go without giving them any attention.

Fr. Thomas Keating, in his book on Centering prayer, ”Open Mind, Open Heart”, tells us that SILENCE is God’s greatest love language. We don’t communicate during Centering prayer. We just allow God to be inside us. We may feel an intense peace. We’ll feel a great love for and FROM God. We may feel frustration that we can’t quiet our mind.

I had a hard time considering this as prayer time since I wasn’t communicating. Words are not necessary with God. He knows our thoughts better than we do. This is our time to just rest in His presence…drink in His glory. Think of being in a room with someone you love. Remember that words are not necessary.

An immediate benefit of Centering prayer is that it makes our other prayer time more fruitful. Once time is spent in silence with God, we get used to feeling His presence. That will carry over to our regular prayers. We’ll feel as though we have a closer communion with Him…and we do!

Before Centering prayer, my prayers seemed more fruitful when they were ‘prayers in motion’. Long runs used to be the best time for me to pray. Since I can no longer run, the treadmill or the elliptical have become my favorite time to pray.

I was talking to my sister-in-law about my new endeavor with Centering prayer & the difficulty I was having with sitting still during that time. She responded, “Mary, prayer is prayer.” God listens to them all. Occasionally I think He rolls His eyes or chuckles at some of my prayers…but He IS listening!

Centering prayer does not replace our regular communication with God. It WILL make any time spent with God more fruitful. 20 minutes, twice a day? Can we really do that? Do we even want to try? Baby steps! Right?

Spending time with God with no agenda at all but to be with Him…can leave us feeling very fulfilled. Sometimes we will feel nothing. That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t notice. Remember also that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. 

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6  (NIV)

Let’s try to add Centering prayer occasionally to our regular prayer repertoire. Our efforts to look for an even closer relationship will please Him. We can expect it to have a profound effect on how we view our life with our creator.

Dear Lord,

Is it really true that You love us most in silence? Help us to quiet our racing minds to listen & feel the love You have for us.

We know that You hear all of our prayers. Let us try Centering prayer as a way to bring ourselves even closer to You!

Once you are on mvarga.com, please read through past blogs and find more about my books & fitness tips!

You can also follow me on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mlvarga/

You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.

Leviticus 20:26

We are commanded by God to be separated unto Him. How are we supposed to do that? Surely He’s asking for more than just our church and prayer time. How do we live a life separate for Him?

The Holy Spirit will nudge us. The Spirit knows the will of God. He will prompt us with His gifts for us and show us what to do.

It is not as difficult as we think to know what gifts the Holy Spirit has given us. We can envision what we do well…what comes naturally. What really gets our juices flowing? That’s usually a sure-fire indicator of our Holy Spirit gifts.

if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Romans 12:7-9 (NIV)

I believe my spiritual gift is teaching. Two of the Spirit’s gifts are miracles and healings. If anyone possesses these gifts…please email me! Our gifts are meant to be shared with others!

In my book, The Light Through My Tunnel, I write about growing up with 5 brothers and sisters, and how it made me yearn to be different and special. Then I warn to be careful what you pray for. After my traumatic brain injury, I teased with God that having special needs is not the special I was asking for!

God always has my back though. Through my special needs, I discovered my spiritual gift for teaching. I may still have special needs, but through the Spirit, I am able to use them to show others how to move their bodies efficiently with or without special needs!

 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:10  (NIV)

Look around! What can we do in our day-to-day life to honor God’s will? We can make someone else’s journey easier. Do for them something that’s challenging for them…but easy for us. Do we have contacts or influence that they don’t? Jesus gave us our gifts to be used for others. How can we use our influence to help others?

Using our gifts is how we can separate ourselves for the Lord.  We need to ask Him how He wants us to use those gifts, making sure we’re using them for Him…not just to satisfy some personal desire.

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Romans 8:5  (NIV)

So we discover what we do best to assist others to live a life that is pleasing to God. By doing so, we please Him ourselves! God desires for all of us to live in unity as we help each other to live as He intends for us. Keeping His will in first place should be our main objective in life. That is how we live a life separate unto Him.

Dear Lord,

Living our life separate for You is not as hard as we imagine it. Help us to discover our gifts that help others. That is how we stay connected with each other, and even more important…live our life in honor & obedience to You.

Once you are on mvarga.com, please read through past blogs and find more about my books & fitness tips!

You can also follow me on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mlvarga/

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12  (NIV)

How often have we found ourselves in a position where we just wanted to give up? Things are not turning out as we planned. We lost something of value. How could anyone expect us to keep going? How can we?

No matter how hard it gets, we need to just dig in and wait for the storm to pass. What if it doesn’t though? We try…and fail, try…and fail. Then we finally pray! What does God want us to do?

He wants us to honor Him right in the middle of our pain. He looks at our attitude and efforts…not our performance. He IS the God of the impossible, but maybe He wants to show us a different way…a better way.

He wants us to STAY IN THE GAME! If we’ve lost something, or SOMEONE of value the game may look different. If we lean into God for direction, that “different” will eventually become “better”.

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Psalm 13:1-2  (NIV)

That was how King David cried out to the Lord. Haven’t we all felt that way? I know. I know! Our timing is not God’s timing. We are so impatient! Remember that God sees the big picture though. Perhaps He knows what we’re longing for would ultimately harm us. Then again…perhaps He has a better way in mind.

Remember, it’s not all about us. How can our struggle or problem help someone else? Maybe we can inspire others. We can certainly smile, be positive and inquire about others’ lives. I’ve learned the hard way that complaining about troubles only makes others want to avoid me. If they can’t fix it for me, it only serves to make them feel powerless. Nobody wants to feel powerless, so I’ve learned to stop complaining.

Better yet, complain to God! He knows our struggles better than anybody. He’ll be more patient with us than even a mom or dad. Unlike our family or friends, He is NOT powerless. He has a way of placing others in our life that can truly help us. God also has the power to change our outlook or impression of our woes!

Now that we’ve turned it over to God, we can get back in the game of life! Keep showing up! God can’t help us if we’re cutting ourselves off from the world. We can’t let our troubles take our purpose and passion away.

Our ultimate purpose is to honor God by serving others.  How we serve others may look different from what we expected. It could be easy & natural OR it could feel awkward. Just make it a natural part of the day.  We help by noticing others, by speaking kind words, by encouraging!

Are we really helping though? Did we pray first? I find I make smarter decisions when I seek His direction on how to help. It takes but a moment, but can leave us with a feeling of peace about what He wants us to do…and sometimes NOT do.

My good balance was taken by a traumatic brain injury. What could I possibly do to help others? I was the one always needing the help! God used my constant striving to ‘fix’ my balance, along with my life-long passion for fitness, to prompt me to begin my business, SilverStrength®… helping seniors to get stronger and be more mobile. I’m the perfect instructor to show them how to keep their bodies moving correctly so that they can avoid the balance problems that come with age .

No…that is not how I envisioned myself reaching out to help others. My method of assistance for others is a direct result of what I’ve struggled with for years. Can you turn your struggles into a way to help or inspire others?

I believe God is looking for us to turn our lemons into lemonade. First, we need to get our mind off our problem and imagine how we can encourage others by what we are grappling with. Ask the Lord for direction. Sometimes it shows up in very unexpected places.

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31  (NIV)

When God is behind our efforts, we’ll find ourselves doing things almost effortlessly. After we’ve prayed about it…give it to God! He’s the expert in turning our pain, our frustration, our sadness into a triumph that will help others as well as us.

Regardless of our problem, we need to stay in the game to be of any help to God or others.  In the previous blog, Make a Career of It https://mvarga.com/spiritual-insights/make-a-career-of-it/  I used the scripture below.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Matthew 25:21  (NIV)

Do we want God to say, “Well done!” to us? Then stay in the game! We just keep doing the next right thing knowing that He is pleased with our efforts.

Dear Lord,

Sometimes we don’t know if what we’re doing helps anyone. Remind us always to take it to You first. You see our motives and we trust You to show us the way.

Our lives can be difficult but we know they are also blessed! Help us to keep showing up even when life gets hard. We know that You will always bless our efforts. We know that You want us to STAY IN THE GAME!

Once you are on mvarga.com, please read through past blogs and find more about my books & fitness tips!

You can also follow me on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mlvarga/

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:6  (NIV)

The name of my blog is Life Happens. Many joyful and positive things happen in our life. I’m writing this blog as I contemplate the upcoming nuptials of my niece, Noelle. Marriage is one of the first things that comes to our mind when we think of new beginnings.

The nuptials begin with much excitement. They have finally met the one God provided for them! The preparation…the parties…the family/friends! As beautiful & momentous as a wedding can be, real life will begin rather quickly. That’s when we remember this is God’s union.

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.

Matthew 19:6  (NIV)

With the marriage solidified, the next new beginning is children. What a perfect illustration of a couple’s love for each other! A child is so precious and totally dependent on their parents for everything. It becomes hard to imagine what life was like before them.

God asks us to be fruitful and multiply. It’s how He designed us. Raising children is our way of fulfilling His command. Having children is a couple’s gift to God.

 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

John 15:16  (NIV)

How can we lead our children to new beginnings? My son rolls his eyes at me when I tell him, “God’s got this!” Like all of us, he wants the answer to his problems NOW! It can be frustrating to remember that God’s timing is not OUR timing.

We can lead our children, or anyone for that matter, by being a living testimony to the life God has called us all to live. We can do something we’re afraid of to show others courage. Emulate compassion by being kind to someone others know we don’t agree with. Bite our tongue instead of lashing out to show an example of humility and patience.

Most importantly, we can pray for others’ new beginning. We can certainly be an example to our children and others by our example of good living. Only God through the Holy Spirit can actually give them their new start. So we need to pray fervently for our children! Pray for others and watch as God begins to act in their life. NOTE: Remember that God’s timing is not our timing. So keep praying!

New beginnings can come in different forms…A new job, a new home, a new school, a new family! They all give us an opportunity to start over…to begin again. Most importantly, we can begin anew by praying God will give us change in our attitude.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.

Isaiah 43:19

The Lord gives us that same opportunity each & every day. He’s not expecting us to change jobs or towns. The new you from a new diet program is not what He’s looking for either. He’s looking for a heart transformation. We see the same old things in a new light. We view things from His perspective, not thinking only of our life circumstances.

Sometimes we have to get out of the same old routine. Welcome some new friends into our plans. Try something we’ve never tried before. If we want a new beginning, many times our old way of doing things must change to make room for the new we are seeking.

New beginnings need to come from the inside out! That’s the heart transformation. This transformation happens naturally as we make Christ the center of our life….always contemplating on what He wants us to do.

The marriage of my niece, Noelle will begin a new way of life for her as she commits to living and growing with her husband, Will. We can all begin a new spiritual life by giving Jesus first place in all of our day-to-day affairs.

Dear Lord,

You give us opportunities to begin again all the time. We may not be getting married, having a child or moving to another city. Show us how we can start fresh by simply embracing a new outlook on what’s truly important in our life.

Jesus came to make all things new. Help us to turn to Him as we try to figure out how to make our lives a ‘new beginning’ that is pleasing to You.

Once you are on mvarga.com, please read through past blogs and find more about my books & fitness tips!

You can also follow me on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mlvarga/

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:14   (NIV)

A parent’s praise or criticism will have a lasting impact on a child’s self image. Even as we get older, with our own children raised, our parents’ words continue to leave an impression.

This was the case with my father when I began my fitness business, SilverStrength® in 2010. Dad told me he was speaking with a friend about my endeavor, saying, “Usually when someone undergoes a personal tragedy, they ultimately make peace with it, and live the best life they can. But not our Mary! She’s going to make a career out of it!”

His remarks gave me such a confident feeling about what I was attempting to do with my business. I believe this is a calling! God wants me to transform what I struggle with everyday to help others. I want to show seniors ways they can maintain their mobility, and ultimately their independence by regularly challenging their bodies with strength and flexibility exercises.

I want them to hear my voice in their head as they bend, twist and stretch reminding them of the correct way to do it. It still gives me ‘goose bumps’ when a classmate remarks on how they can move easier because of the suggestions I give them.

So I guess Dad was right! I have made this a career of sorts. A career is different from a job. A job pays our bills. A career becomes a way of life. It gives us a sense of purpose and meaning. A career is how we give back for the gifts/talents we’ve been given. It’s the way we pass on the lessons we have learned.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28  (NIV)

Our ultimate purpose in life is to honor God. Do we devote as much time to that as we do to our earthly career? We don’t have to be a healthcare worker, a teacher or a minister to honor the Lord with our work. We just work to the best of our ability… always concerning ourselves with those we work with and those we serve.

If there’s something we don’t really want to do…, offer it up to God. Offer the whole work day to the Lord! The change in our attitude will make others want to work beside us. If your business is making sales, building products, or serving people…, work in a way that’s pleasing to God. Then feel the peace of knowing God is pleased with our actions.

Wherever we are on our life journey, we can make a career of following Christ. We do that by following His example in how we treat others. Do we encourage? Are we interested? Do we give of our time?

 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

John 15:12  (NIV)

Most importantly, stay in communication with Him! The realization of God’s presence in life circumstances will remind us He is guiding us. God is always with us. Look for Him in every situation…and every person. Ask Him what you want Him to do…and don’t forget to thank Him when He makes the way clear for us.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Matthew 25:21  (NIV)

Well done! That’s what we all desire to hear…from our parents…our children…our spouse…our friends…our boss… What a sublime compliment it is though, when it comes from our Father in heaven!

Dear Lord,

We are Your family. You love us completely, just as we are. You ask that we love and honor You by serving others. Show us how we can do that with others in our life.

Whatever our occupation, help us to make a career of following You by seeing Your face in those we serve.

Once you are on mvarga.com, please read through past blogs and find more about my books & fitness tips!

You can also follow me on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mlvarga/

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9  (NIV)

I want to give a heartfelt ‘thumbs up’ to the new series on the ministry and followers of Jesus called, The Chosen. Based entirely on the Bible, it is a real life depiction of being the students of a rabbi they come to believe is the promised Messiah. Get a firsthand look at living as an enemy in your own country occupied by Roman military.

There have been many televised specials over the years on the life & ministry of  Jesus Christ. We’ve seen the healings, the sermons, the betrayal, the crucifixion and resurrection. What makes The Chosen any different? The characters are so real! After seeing an episode, it feels like we just had lunch with the apostle Peter, or Matthew, or Thomas. They are so human & realistic, including their special personality quirks.

Meet Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, and many others chosen by Jesus to help him spread his message of love and compassion. As history documents, this will not be an easy road for any of His followers. We tend to take for granted the faith we enjoy today without acknowledging what the early Christians suffered to make it real.

They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Revelation 17:14

The Chosen has its’ own app. Get it at the App Store or Google play…”THE CHOSEN” APP. It is also available on YouTube. It’s completely free. All that’s needed is a smart phone AND a smart T.V. Here’s my special tip though! We’re not ALL tech savvy. I called my nephew to get the app from my phone to my T.V. It took us a little while to figure it out, but now I can watch it whenever I want.

The producers plan to keep it a free series! So before or after viewing the episode, we are prompted to “Pay It Forward”. It’s completely voluntary! Two seasons have already been paid for simply by viewers paying it forward.  People all over the world have chosen to spread the word and share “The Chosen”. With a $14.99 contribution, “The Chosen” is shared with 10 people. It’s a simple way we can ALL spread the word of God!

Below is a link to a very powerful and personal testimony about the virtues of humility and mercy given by Jonathan Roumie. Jonathan is the actor who portrays Jesus in the series, The Chosen. Please wait until you have 30 minutes to devote to watching it,…because once you start, you won’t want to stop!

Dear Lord,

Let us find examples of how you want us to live as we watch the followers of Jesus behaving as normal folks just like us! Thank You for giving us all an opportunity to spread Your word and Your love through such a compelling series as The Chosen.

Once you are on mvarga.com, please read through past blogs and find more about my books & fitness tips!

You can also follow me on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mlvarga/

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:2-4 (NIV)

‘From TriaI to Triumph’… isn’t that what Jesus did when He rose from the dead? This is still the Easter season. What a perfect time to reflect on how wondrous things can come from the most horrific of circumstances. At our Easter celebration, the pastor spoke of how we can’t experience the joyful resurrection without Jesus first enduring the pain, suffering and humiliation of the cross. He had to die before we could experience eternal life with Him.

We’ve all lived through a year where everything in life was different due to COVID. This has become our new normal. Won’t it be wonderful when we can once again go to a sporting event, graduation or concert without social distancing or wearing a mask? I’m looking forward to the day I need to buy another tube of lipstick…because others will be able to see my mouth.

In order to appreciate the normal things, don’t we first have to experience the abnormal? An expectant mother understands why her stomach must expand as the child inside of her grows. The intense pain she must endure while giving birth is soon forgotten when she holds that precious, new life in her arms.

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

! Peter 1:6  (NIV)

I remember the feelings of joy and excitement when I crossed the finish line of my first New York City marathon. I did it! I actually did it!

When we went out to dinner that night, others would come up and hug or high-five me when they saw my marathon medal. It was easy to forget the countless hours spent training in rain, in heat, in cold. I was on such a high, the post-marathon soreness and fatigue seemed a small price to pay.

Those are just two real-life examples of how we often times suffer on our way to achieving the prize. Suffering is not fun, but it is real. Why does it seem to be a prerequisite for many of the things we want in life?

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57  (NIV)

Jesus endured the pain and suffering of the cross for the ultimate goal of bringing all who believed in Him into His kingdom. A mother endures the pain and suffering of childbirth to bring new life into the world. Both are in the business of expanding God’s family!

We can also refer to suffering as gut-wrenching work. It’s not pleasant… but we do put our whole heart, soul and body into it. We endure suffering because we know it will lead to an even greater victory that couldn’t be achieved without it.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:14  (NIV)

We keep pressing because we see a light at the end of the tunnel. In my book, The Light Through My Tunnel, I give God the glory for standing beside me as I travel the long, sometimes lonely tunnel of physical disability caused by brain injury. He will do the same for any of us! We need to pray for an open, trusting heart…regardless of our circumstances.

 Sometimes we don’t see results with one attempt. We have to reevaluate and try again. Wouldn’t life be grand if we got everything right with our first effort? Waiting, suffering and trying again are a part of life….but so are hard-won victories.

So let’s look at the trials, the adversities and the struggles of our lives as simply stepping-stones to a more triumphant way of managing our lives. We’ll fall sometimes. (So did Jesus!) Sometimes, we’ll have to look at things from a different perspective. But we will develop the perseverance to keep plugging until we reach our goal!

Dear Lord,

We know You don’t want any of us to suffer unnecessarily. Going through the trial often seems the only way to enlarge our outlook on our adversity. Make clear to us what You’re trying to show us. Help us to get our mind off of ourselves long enough to perceive how others could be helped through our struggle.

We stand before You broken in some way. We ask You for the wisdom to look at our suffering through Your eyes…the eyes of love.

When You deem the right time to move on our behalf, may we rejoice with You and all the angels that the trial we entrusted to You has now become a TRIUMPH for You and us!

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