Tuesday, January 17, 2017

seen & unseen

Sometimes we have experiences where it's easy to see the fruit that came out of it. And then we have other seasons or experiences that we feel we can only ask God, "Why did that happen? Where is the fruit in that? Did ANYTHING good come from that?" For years I wondered why a situation happened and saw no good that came from it. Only hurt, and what seemed to be like an absence of healing. My biggest dilemma was the question, "How on earth did this bring you any glory? What was the purpose of you allowing this?"

Sometimes we simply can't see good out of something that was a hard season for us. Just because we don't see the good, doesn't meant that it's not there. A joyful man, who went through some hard things in life, once told me, "It's not what happened, It's how you see it." I am learning that we can choose what we see when we look back.

This past season has been so sweet for me. I have been living in San Marcos and have loved everything about it. I was thinking and looking back on the last few years, and intentionally thinking about what I was grateful for. What I noticed was that I was grateful for things that probably wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for that situation, the people I met then or the hard season a long time ago. Of the jobs I had, people I met, churches I've been a part of, my apartment and roommate, almost all traced back to that one season of life years ago. Sometimes we don't see the good right away. Sometimes it takes a little while for God to allow us to see what he was doing, or the good that can come from any situation. I'm thankful God has opened my eyes a little to take a step back, be grateful, and see all the gifts he's given me - more than I could ever deserve or hope for. It  makes me think of that verse..."20Now to Him who is able to do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,.." I'm also learning to be grateful for those kinds of seasons that seem hard to me, waiting in hope that He will bring glory and beauty, knowing I don't see the full picture of what's happening. He isn't a God of destruction, but a God of Power and strength that brings beauty from ashes.


"There is nothing—no thing, no person, no experience, no thought, no joy or pain—that cannot be harvested and used for nourishment on our journey to God.    What I am suggesting here is that everything in your life is a stepping-stone to holiness if only you recognize that you do have within you the grace to be present to each moment.  Your presence is an energy that you can choose to give or not give.  Every experience, every thought, every word, every person in your life is a part of a larger picture of your growth.  That’s why I call them crumbs.  They are not the whole loaf, but they can be nourishing if you give them your real presence.  Let everything energize you.  Let everything bless you.  Even your limping can bless you." (A Tree Full of Angels by Macrina Wiederkehr)

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