In the Tunnel – Part 3

THE GOOD GIFT

Which one of us, would not give good gifts to his children?
How much more, will the Father give good gifts to us, His children?*

*In Matthew Chapter 10, Jesus is outlining the generosity, the affection and the trustworthiness of Father God.

The Book of Job shows us that God can allow pain and suffering, which reveals our character and our faithfulness towards Him.

Jesus died on a cross, deserving none of the pain and mocking that he received.

Scripture is full of injustice and suffering, and yet, when we experience suffering, how rare is it that we celebrate it.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” (James 1:2-3, NKJV, Bible Gateway)

While existing in the Tunnel is uncomfortable, a turn of our minds will help us. To realize the benefit of our spiritual growth and the joy that will come from it can take us through any trial.

I believe in spiritual warfare. I believe there are demons and angels in the heavenly realms. I believe God hears our prayers and uses them to change circumstances in the earth.

But I also believe that we face ordeals, from time to time, as a necessary experience to our growth in character. Perseverance does not come from sitting, but from climbing a mountain or navigating turbulent waters. Wisdom does not come from reading, but from living and from experiencing life in all of its joys and sorrows.

In the sovereignty of God, we can warfare against difficulties, but let’s not miss the truth that nothing comes to us that is not within God’s will and nothing is wasted when we live a life of prayer, trust and hope. God is sovereign. God is good. That does not mean that life will always be fair. It does mean that life will always be right. In the end, Jesus rose from the dead, and in the end, we too will always have victory.

Whenever we must travel through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4), be it the end of a dream or the end of a life, we can know that God is at the center, loving, guiding, caring for us. Even in pain there is hope. Joy always comes ‘in the morning’ (Psalm 30:5).

 

 

 

BROKENNESS

Inner Healing:

Each of us is broken. There is only one who has the power to restore us to our full potential, free from shame, emotional pain and sadness. Jesus died and rose again, to conquer sin AND a whole lot more….

Salvation from Brokenness:

We are made in God’s image. Like Adam, we are sons of God and as such, we have available the tools, power, grace of unconditional love and peace to be fully restored.

I don’t know why some of us suffer from depression but many Believers do. There is perhaps some disillusionment in the imperfect way we convey the Gospel walk to one another, and so we don’t fully receive all authority and power for healing because of our collective, imperfect understanding. Or there are chemical imbalances that, while the Holy Spirit can heal, our lack of understanding or lack of perfect faith or lack of community hinders our complete restoration (sometimes too, sound medical care and medication is the path God chooses to help us; while I do personally believe that all illness can be healed by God’s supernatural power, we as a body of believers don’t always have the tools to bring each person to healing…there are so many unknowns and we all do our best to learn and to grow). I categorically believe the onus is NOT on the sufferer to ‘pull himself up by his bootstraps’ but rather as a community we are meant to work and love and pray together for the restoration of one another.*

The point is, there is no shame in suffering. Paul said it was his suffering that gave him the authority to preach, rather than his education or citizenship. Jesus suffered and died and there was certainly no shame in that. And so we must not feel shame for our incomplete healing, but at the same time, we can know that complete healing is possible, is available, through Jesus. ‘The joy of the LORD is our strength’; and so we must strive, battle spiritually and continue in the hope that we will be fully restored to the creation God made us to be – emotionally, physically, spiritually.

As for me, it is my personal hope and aspiration to be a part of the Christian community’s full recognition and realization that inner healing is not only possible but readily available.

How is it accessible? It begins with trust in God and a surrendering of control to Him. Without that, He cannot work in us. But as we release fear and control, He can begin to do a mighty work in us. Sometimes He brings ministers in human form. Sometimes He works through a quiet time alone with Him, in prayer or through studying His WORD. But He does minister. And gradually – or even suddenly – He can transform us into the persons He created us to be.

Why do we suffer? Why must we endure? Pain is something that, when endured and overcome, makes us stronger in character and faith. I haven’t all the answers, I just simply know how He transformed me – beginning when I decided to allow Him into the hollow, lonely, private places within me. When I let His light in, the darkness did flee. Pain draws us closer to Creator God, when we allow it to.

I’ve not suffered depression, but I have suffered oppression, shame, fear. And I’ve been delivered. As He can transform me, He can transform all.

God bless.

 

* revised paragraph to enhance clarity

SELF PUBLISHING Blessings and Challenges

Self Publishing is no easy feat. I’ve got friends and books and blogs and so much information (see my twitter account https://twitter.com/sarah_tun for links) there’s no shortage of material that teaches the process of self publishing, marketing and growing a business through writing. But the REALLY hard part is managing the ‘to-do’ list efficiently, choosing which things need to be done and which need to be dropped.

So, when I was approached by Lynn Kennedy of http://www.aliveinchristradio.com and was invited to appear on their flagship programme on Tuesday 25th June at 8pm Pacific/11pm EST I was delilghted, thankful for the blessing, and excited.

Next Tuesday I’ll be speaking about self-esteem – how I grew: what I had to overcome, and how we all can be confident in the life-changing love we have received through Jesus Christ. I journeyed from shame to joy, through the knowledge of the freedom Jesus died to give us. That freedom is from sin and much more. We are free from condemnation, shame, fear of man….

So I hope you’ll join in on Alive In Christ radio or tune in afterward if the live broadcast time is inconvenient.

God bless and continue to know that it is the Joy of the LORD that is your strength.

Accepting Our Calling

“Many are called, few are chosen”

There are a few things of which I am certain:

1 Jesus is Christ who died and was resurrected.

2 I am saved by the grace of God.

3 The Holy Spirit resides in me to lead me on to serve the LORD God.

Then there are the personal things:

4 I am a child of God called to give birth and to parent one child.

5 I am a Watchman

6 I have been called to write.

Today I come to the blog to comment on the LORD’s call to me to write.

In 2000 I returned from an experience in Hong Kong, where I now have friends and a place in my heart. The events and blessings I received there will be shared some other time. But during that 3 month residence, the LORD spoke into my spirit and said to me clearly to write. I have been doing so ever since.

This blog is aimed at women like me, who love the LORD and are in their middle years. As with all blogs it is available to all. But I would love others to join me who fit into that ‘mould’ and who would like to share their reflections and discoveries during their walk with the LORD.

Today I invite us all to pray, to seek His face, to discern our calling from Him. There will be seasons of harvest and barren seasons, but when we are diligent to follow His call, our lives will be a blessing and will be blessed with His peace and joy.

I have a book now published, several others started and some will come into the public forum. I’ve blogs, contributions to others’ blogs, all sorts of social network offerings. The LORD did not say to earn a living from writing. He did not say minister to others. He said, “write”; and so I write.

What has the LORD said to you? Have you heard? Have you obeyed? “Trust in your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”

Every blessing to you, creations of the KING.

Taming the Soul

Taming the Bushes in the Garden is a lot like Taming the Soul:

I am a rather emotional person. Strong emotions ooze out of me, whether I intend them to or not. When I get angry, I cry; when I have hurt feelings, I explode; when I’m frustrated I shout… that sort of thing. One particular cause for explosion is if I physically hurt myself – for example if I bang my head, I shout and cry. I try to have more self-control, and I pray for an increase in self-control, but it is an uphill battle.

On the positive side, I express delight and excitement rather ‘effervescently’ too, so at least I’m consistent when it comes to self-expression.

For those living In the Northern Hemisphere, Spring is upon us. For some that will mean there’s a lot of work in the garden that needs to be undertaken. Some find it a pleasant experience. I’ve learned that, although I’m not a keen gardener, the experience of gardening is really good for me. Less than a decade ago we bought our first place with a big garden. The house had been empty for some time so the overgrowth was extreme, at least to my inexperienced person. But when I pulled, clipped, and pulled some more, I imagined how Adam and Eve felt taming the earth. I know that Eden must have been perfect without their weeding, but after The Fall, they had to clear by the sweat of the brow, so gardening must have changed considerably. As I gardened, I think what I found unexpectedly invigorating was the satisfaction I felt, not only from looking at the result of my efforts but also from the experience itself. I felt like I was purging myself of pent-up frustration, anger and any other passionate irrational feeling that wanted to take charge of my mind.

I learned that taming a garden is a lot like taming my mind… when I’m really frustrated and a plant won’t cooperate, I can pause, breath and pray… Then, calmer to deal with the situation, I can develop a strategy. To clip a vine or bush is easier than to pull it at the root. Likewise with my emotions. Clipping reduces the problem until I’m ready to deal with the root.

The root of an emotion is a thought – and dealing with our thoughts is a whole other matter which won’t be addressed in a few lines. But at least when  tension is eased through a  bit of emotional pruning, I am not overrun with the full force of feeling. I can think more clearly without emotion fluttering around, and I have a better chance at uprooting the pesky thought that robs me of peace.