Embrace Adversity and Let God Comforts Us
Adversity is at once the greatest curse and the greatest blessing of the human race. It started in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Everything disobeyed God, who had no choice but to punish His newly created beings. God didn't curse Adam and Eve-they did that to themselves. Instead, God cursed "the ground." From that day forward, humankind has struggled to scratch a living from the earth while trying to overcome its adversity.
Oh, we're much more sophisticated these days, but despite our technological advancements, we still fight what comes out of the ground. Whether it's big stuff like wars and weather, or smaller stuff like disease and crime, the earth and all that's in it always seem to be against us.
Of course, we humans have learned to adapt to advertise conditions fairly well. Through personal experience, each of us knows that pain and suffering are a part of life. You can't stop adversity, so you might as well deal with it. I admire people who experience extreme or continued adversity. In fact, it seems that the only path to success runs through adversity.
I certainly won't disagree with those who value adversity. But when I say, "embrace adversity," I'm implying something quite different from what you might expect. Here's what I mean. Ever since Adam and Everyone sinned and God cursed the ground, the only real blessings we have enjoyed have come from God. Even the so-called "good life" offers temporary satisfaction at best. Eventually the weeds grow in the best of gardens, and even the healthiest bodies eventually break down. In the end adversity will get the best of us.
The only person who completely defeated adversity once and for all was Jesus, and He didn't just do it for Himself. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice by giving His own life for ours. And when we embrace what Jesus did, we are saying that only Jesus is capable and worthy of defeating our ultimate adversity-sin and death.
Go ahead and gain strength through your pain. Grow through your grief, as long as you recognize that your ability to overcome adversity is a blessing from God. As you exercise your courage, exercise your faith as well. Accept the fact that Jesus overcome adversity and now offers you rest from your own adversity and burdens.😘
Let your difficulties be opportunities for God's control. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to act in the presence of fear.❤
Comfort is a rare and wonderful gift. Do you remember a time when you were a kid and you badly needed some comfort? Perhaps it was something as simple as a skinned knee, but your mother took it seriously and gave you comfort by kissing and then bandaging the hurt and telling you everything would be all right. Or maybe as you got older and someone you cared about hurt you deeply, a friend comforter you with words of encouragement.
Such memories are warm and wonderful. Yet sometimes the comfort of a loved one isn't enough. Sometimes the hurt is so deep that no human words can help relieve the pain. No mere bandage can cover the damage.
That's when you need to look beyond human comfort to something much more effective-the comfort of God. This isn't some mystical, faraway concept. God really does provide comfort to those who call upon Him in times of need. The trouble is that many people are so busy blaming God for their troubles that they don't even realize how close He is and how much He wants to comfort them. Unlike human comfort, which feels good for a moment, God's comfort supplies strength for a lifetime.
The meaning of comfort takes on significant when it describes God's actions towards us. When the Bible talks about God's comfort, it describes a comfort of strength and refreshment. At the root of God's comfort is the idea of nearness. Indeed, when He comforts us, God calls us near.
Him in prayer and through His Word. There you'll find strength, safety, and solace. Are you hurting? Do you struggle with loneliness? God wants you to draw near to Him so you can feel His overwhelming love. Go ahead. Ask God for His comfort in every detail of your life..❤
One of the reasons God comforts us is so that we can comfort others.
