Sunday Devotional... 6-2-19... "FALLING"

Good morning!

Today our writing is entitled "FALLING."  Do you ever feel like things keep tripping you up in life, causing you to fall, and every time you get back up you fall again?  Even if it is only once, or it is over and over again, God can use those falls.  He will even heal any wounds you receive during those falls!

Blessings,
Jan

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Today's Devotional: 

"FALLING"

by

Jan Andersen

Plans are made.  As we go through this life, we plot out our path.  We go through school, train for a job, and interview at our top choices.  We figure on obtaining work and perhaps getting promotions.  We earn money so we can spend it on planned expenditures and hopefully have some left over for fun things and for savings.  

Life happens. Along the way we encounter many obstacles.  Some of those are obstructions that we must figure out how to go around.  Other times it is just a temporary snag, and we must just persevere to pull ourselves through.  There may be mountains which we must scale to get over to the other side.  Some barriers we must break down in order to proceed.  Repeated hardships can really wear on us and beat us down.  Some are self-inflicted, and others are exacted upon us by others.  We may find that our goals are not being met and our destination is out of reach.  There are times life drags us down so much that we feel like we are falling down instead of rising above.  Our plans are falling apart!

Detours abound.  How will we respond?  As we go around, over or through those hurdles, we can look for the different lessons to be learned on this changed path, or we can complain about how long it is taking.  We can learn a whole new route to get to our destination, or we can throw our hands up in despair and give up.  We can see all kinds of unique and beautiful scenery on the way, or we can numb ourselves to it or bury our heads.  We can discover new things to explore on the way, or we can try to escape.  Sometimes the entire destination changes. We can find the blessings in the changes, or we can grumble that everything is falling apart. 

When we feel like our life is falling apart, maybe it is just falling into place.  When things in this world seem as though they are spiraling out of control, maybe they are actually being woven into a pattern.  If our workplace becomes intolerable and we find ourselves at a crisis point, perhaps it is just forcing us to take a new and better direction.  As we become broken physically, emotionally or spiritually, God may be using us in new ways to shine his light in this world.  When we place a light inside a clay pot, it is shaded by the sides of the vessel.  If the pot falls and breaks, we can try to put it together again, but it will never be the same as it was originally.  But the cracks or missing pieces can allow the light to shine out in more places.  We are sinful broken people.  However, God not only heals us but also uses those cracks and holes to his glory. 

2 Corinthians 4:6-9, 16-17 NIV  For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ.  But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed… Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Dear Father in heaven, we thank you that our “falling apart” lives are falling into place for your glory.  Help us to remember to trust you in the detours of life and to let our hearts shine your light to the world.  In Jesus’ name,  Amen.     

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Song:

"JUST BE HELD"

by Casting Crowns

"...Your worlds not falling apart, its falling into place;
I'm on the throne, stop holding on and just be held..."

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Wisdom is not the ability to figure out the puzzle pieces of your life and how they fit. Rather, wisdom is trusting God even when things don't fit; even when lots of the pieces remain missing. But aren't you glad Jesus will complete our life puzzle on the other side of eternity?! And it'll be beautiful! Oh, what a day of rejoicing that will be! Joni Eareckson Tada

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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, Karen Bennett, 

 Brother Thomas Ukwute, Jody Ward,  

Bre Miller, Betty Espindola,  Lynda Kinnard

Amie Spruiell, Debbie Rodriguez, Carol Steficek,

Jan Andersen and Corinne Mustafa