Making the Most of Every Opportunity

‎"Don't worry about crying in front of me, and don't be afraid that you'll make me cry. Your tears tell me you care, and my tears tell you that you've touched me in a place that is meaningful to me- and I will never forget your willingness to share my grief."-  Nancy Guthrie, Holding On To Hope  Sometimes I'm baffled at how we miss opportunities to care for each other. I love reading in the Bible how friends would come and mourn and grieve with friends who experienced great loss. Yet we seem to rush each other through pain or fear bringing up obvious hard trials friends are going through because we don't want to "make them cry". Nancy Guthrie shared that in her deep hurt and loss, the friends who cried with her were such a gift that it felt like they actually carried the burden with her of her grief and tears. Jesus himself is a beautiful example of that (John 11). I saw both in my darker days. Friends who sat with me or heard my stories...

My heart is so burdened for so many I know who are experiencing painful trials and asking hard questions. Today, I found myself weeping and sobbing for a woman I've never met. God brought me to her blog through a mutual friend. I'm praying for Tricia and her sons Tuck and Tyler who just lost their husband/father Dec. 23rd. Please pray with me for this woman and her children. I've wept and wept and also praised God over and over as I reread this gut wrenching post she wrote of losing her husband tragically a few weeks ago that is filled with faith in God in the midst of great sorrow... I raise my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side.  The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. ...

I read a blog by  Matt B. Redmond   that, at first, seemed insensitive, but as I read further it really moved me. When we weep and mourn and struggle at Christmas, it can lead to a truer worship. In our lack, we see our need and can look to Jesus alone for our joy. Praise God He did not leave us in our sin and suffering but came to suffer and die Himself to save us. JOY is possible in our suffering this season and maybe even more real in our hearts because of it. "Christmas—the great story of the incarnation of the Rescuer—is for everyone, especially those who need a rescue. Jesus was born as a baby to know the pain and sympathize with our weaknesses. Jesus was made to be like us so that in his resurrection we can be made like him; free from the fear of death and the pain of loss. Jesus’ first recorded worshipers were not of the beautiful class. They were poor, ugly shepherds, beat down by life and labor. They had been looked down on over many a nose. -Jesus came for those w...