Sunday Writing... 7-26-20... "THIS TOO SHALL PASS"

Good morning!

"THIS TOO SHALL PASS" is an old adage that speaks about how transient the nature of our days is. The writing for today explores how this applies to our lives and how we respond to those uncertainties.

May your days be blessed,
Jan

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Today's Devotional:

"THIS TOO SHALL PASS"

by
Jan Andersen

Have you ever experienced such a wonderful day that you never wanted it to end?  Last week a friend and I were out looking for wild horses to photograph in the early morning hours.  We had the most beautiful sunrise sky washed with yellow-orange and red as multiple bands of horses were awakening on the desert floor.  Then something even more awesome appeared in the sky opposite the sunrise.  In Arizona sometimes our sunrises stretch the entire expanse of the sky in all directions, not just in the east. There was a thunderstorm brewing on the western horizon, and there across the rainclouds glowing pink in the hour of the rising sun was a red rainbow!  They only occur at sunrise or sunset, so they are not common.  And to top it off, two stallions were rearing up in a fight near the end of that rainbow - my pot of gold!  That whole morning we ran across many bands of wild horses to photograph, and we didn’t want it to end.  Sometimes in life we have stretches of wonderful times that we expect or want to continue indefinitely.  Don't get too comfortable or presumptuous.  Even good days will eventually pass.

Two days after that wonderful day, my friend and I were out again to photograph the wild horses.  We even kayaked across the river and upriver against the light current for a short while and back.  Not one horse presented itself for a portrait session!  However, we still had a wonderful time on the water in God’s awesome creation, photographing birds, watching river otters, floating in the gentle waters and hiking along the shoreline.  Some days in life are like this as well, not what we expected, but certainly not mountain-top experiences.  We gratefully accept them and move on.

Then there are those awful days we wish to never experience.  Sometimes those days stretch into weeks and months, like this pandemic.  Some of those times are thrust upon us and others are of our own doing.  Still others are a combination of both.  Health issues, job losses, disabilities, relationship woes, and so on can bring a myriad of stressors to our lives.  We may feel these days are never-ending and there is no hope of improvement.  But alas, even this too shall pass, so don't despair.  We may need to deal with difficulties as consequences of our actions and learn from them, or we can fight through unexpected valleys as best we can with God’s help.

Whether our days are delightful or distressing, they will not last forever, as this too shall pass.  God is with us through all of it.  When days are good, enjoy them and give glory to God for them.  When days are bad, learn from them and rely on God to get through them.  We never know what the next day may bring.  But we do know Who brings them and Who is in control of the ultimate outcome!

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 ESV  Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?  When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other.  Therefore, no one can discover anything about their  future.

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you for all our days, good or bad, as we know you are always with us through all of our days. Help us to give you the glory for when times are good, and to submit to life's lessons when times are hard.  May we trust in You at all times, especially to give us eternal life at the end of our days by grace through faith.  In Jesus’ name we pray,  Amen.                                       

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Song:
THIS TOO SHALL PASS
Yolanda Adams

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Prayers are lifted up daily for you by the Devotional Writers 

and the Monthly Writing Staff of Women's Focus Ministries.

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 Sandy Billingham, Carol Steficek, Jody Ward
Joy Lear-Bernard, Cathy Friberg, Julie Tofilon, Synthia Nibasi

Jan Andersen and  Corinne Mustafa 

  

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Lynda Kinnard, Beverley Napier, 

 Amie Spruiell, Linda Garrett, and Lisabeth Lipp