Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise!

I have been giving a lot of thought of late to a Bible verse that I am sure most of you are familiar with and have debated about whether or not I should make this post public.  I learned long ago that when the Lord lays something on my heart with this magnitude that not only do I need to preach it to myself, but chances are there are others out there who need encouragement as well.  Let me preface by saying everything is well within my marriage and in our family dynamic but we are all human in this family and there are times that we struggle with selfishness and pride.  When John and I got married, we both agreed that divorce would never be an option for us and I really believe that is what has saved our relationship on so many levels.  The Bible verse I am referring to is 1 Corinthians 13:4 "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,"  The word charity is translated love.  Love often involves conflict. There are times the conflict may feel like there is no hope and you just want to give up, walk away perhaps.  However, I have come to realize that the greatest conflicts are within my own heart. I cannot change someone else..but I can change me.  When I feel upset, I am learning to go to God in prayer and carefully examine and probe my own heart and lay all my desires out before Him.  Conflict can be resolved...it may take time.  It may take a LONG time but when pride is laid aside and there is no longer self interest, it becomes easier to submit to God's plan...even when we don't fully understand the plan.  It is easier to lay all the blame on the other person but think about this for a moment.  God holds each of us responsible when it comes to conflict.  There aren't separate rules for a man, a woman, a child.  Sometimes we are called to lay our Isaac down, so to speak.  That Isaac may be own selfish pride.  It may be hurt that the other party doesn't realize we have been carrying.  You fill in the Isaac for your life and then give it God.  Let Him provide the replacement for that Isaac in your life.  For me, knowing that divorce is not an option makes this "love suffers long" part much easier. 

When I think about how Jesus loved in the Garden...and prayed not my will but Thine...it helps me love in the darkness, love in the suffering, love in the sorrows that rip my heart in two, in the times of feeling isolated.  The challenges we have faced in parenting were not in vain.  My husband and I learned so much about loving to the death, so to speak.  Loving to the death of selfish pride and letting it all go and leaving it in the hands of the one who can solve all conflict.  Have you got that love in your heart?  Or are you looking for that easy way out and just want to walk away?  I admit, there have been times, especially in parenting, that I just wanted to walk away but it wouldn't have fulfilled God's purpose in my life.  Our marriage is so much stronger for having stuck to the hard road. 

If you are struggling to stick to the path God has laid out before you, consider cutting away at your own heart...and trust me, sometimes you have to cut pretty deep to get to the root of your feelings.  When you begin to see what your part is in this journey and what you need to change, remember that God is able, and He is willing to help you.  He has enough love, power, and grace to get your through the rough valleys.  Confide in Him with all your heart.  That alone will make you willing to suffer the hardness and accomplish His plan for you. 

Finish, then, Thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be.
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

(The last verse of the hymn "Love Divine" by Charles Wesley)