Quote from Forum Archives on February 28, 2002, 10:20 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I'd like to share with you another message from the Lenton
Devotional series put out by Christianbook.com. You can find
them on the Web at: www.christianbook.com.

Today's message is about dealing with confusion, disappointment,
hopes, dreams, and desires. Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ,
had to face each of these things, in a most difficult way. This
message discusses some of her journey.

I'll also be sharing a message from my friend Larry Davies about
a controversial subject. Look for the first part of that message
in the next message I send in Word for Today, Thu, 28 Feb 2002.

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The following is excerpted from "A Heart After God" by Elizabeth
M. Hoekstra (Bethany House Publishers, 2002).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

February 27, 2002
Soul

Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This
child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in
Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that
the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will
pierce your own soul too."- Luke 2:34-35

Disappointment distances us from our hopes, dreams, and desires.
As parents we will inevitably feel disappointment about our
children. That's not east to admit, because we expect from the
first moment we cradle them in our arms that we'll forever love
them with the same level of adoration. But they carry their own
slice of humanity, and inevitable they'll disappoint us. On the
heels of disappointment is confusion. We don't understand, and
we'd like some sort of explanation.

Christ's mother, like us, would experience a period of spiritual
confusion. Her soul was pierced. Her soul was split. Her soul
must have felt divided between love for her son and love for
God. She loved her son as a mother loves her child-born of her
flesh. But how could the God she'd trusted and loved for so long
take her son, His Son, in this way!?

Our soul feels pierced too when it seems as though something God
had entrusted to us is ripped from our heart. What we thought the
Lord had "appointed" to us-a dream, a hope, a plan-feels
painfully distant. When we have a soul pierced with pain it
shakes our beliefs to the very core of our relationship with
God. In our soul-love relationship with the Lord, sometimes we
have to return to the basics, especially when we're pierced
through by pain. What are the basics? God loved us first, and
He'll love us to the last. The point is, will we trust Him even
when we feel pierced through? Are we willing to wait it out to
see how He will be glorified, despite our confusion,
disappointment, and pain?

Drawing Closer Today

Lord, I thank you for being my God always and forever. I thank
you that Christ's death on the wooden cross was the "tree of
life" for me. I pray that when my soul feels pierced, I'll
remember the point of the pain: I'm learning to trust you, and I
know you will be glorified.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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