Thoughtful...Saturday??

So this week has been particularly hard.  In fact, I usually do this on Thursday and didn't get to it.  Why?

Single parent.

Behind in my class prep.
 
Housework piling up.

Pain level not going down.

Exhaustion, primarily from pain taking over.

Then I headed to BSF. Now what I heard didn't fix the bad...but it helped. More importantly it is still helping.

On their first missionary trip, Paul and Barnabus reach Lystra. At first they meet with success.  But then confusion sets in, and finally hatred & cruelty.

The mob focus in on Paul, only to stone him.

By God's grace Paul survives and even more miraculous, he gets up and goes back into the city that just stoned him.

His strength is undeniably heaven sent and his faith inspiring.

The next day, Paul travels to Derbe. There he converts many and meets no persecution.

How rewarding after he struggled so much to share his faith.  It reminded me that we all meet opposition in this life.

It might be big or small, but we all meet it at one time.  How we approach that opposition or circumstance really shows us how rooted in our faith we are...because when we belong to Christ we know we are His responsibility.

He keeps us close in all of life's ups and downs.  

He provides comfort and love.

In our darkest hours, He is there with us.

And you never know...tomorrow might be our Derbe. For no matter the circumstance, God gives us rest and respite between trials.

Until then, don't be discourage, because persecution and hardships are a guarantee from life, but so is Christ's love and faith in us!

For as Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus".