Leave it in his care, and seek to love.

 

If we genuinely trust in God's sovereignty, we ought to trust him enough to leave certain things in his care - even and especially personally painful things. 1 Corinthians calls us to bear all things, believe all things and hope all things about one another. - Tim Challies*

So good, yet so hard to do. So glad to have a great and mighty God who is bigger than all my struggles and will lovingly grant the grace I need each day.

Waiting on the Lord with personally painful things looks like trusting that my God is...

great.

mighty.

sovereign.

just.

holy.

caring.

loving.

gracious.

kind.

I will wait on the Lord. Strength will rise. "Little ones to him belong; they are weak, but he is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me."

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. - 1 Corinthians 13:7-8

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. - 1 John 4:18

And waiting on the Lord looks like allowing my faith to be tested and proved genuine, evidenced by obediently walking in the good works God has prepared for me even in the dark times (James 2:14-26). And I do believe the greatest, and sometimes most difficult, good work is truly loving others. How can I love? Because He first loved us. "We love because he first loved us."

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2

* In CJ Mahaney and Difficult Days, posted today

photo: torn up baseball I found on the hill in midst

of construction for our church building 8/6/11