Misery

   I, Vicky, have every right to be miserable.  Family not serving the Lord, health problems, very old vehicles, house needs repairs, two teenagers with differing values/ beliefs, pain every day, and on and on…

   No wait.  Sue has every right to be miserable.  She is separated from her hubby who lives with another woman, has no up-to-date skills to get a job, gets little financial support, has three kids to take care of, and on and on…

   No wait.  Adam has every right to be miserable.  He was abused by an uncle as a child, beaten by his dad almost daily, a decade of drugs left him scarred with hep C, he never could find a way to overcome and it destroyed his marriage and his kids never want to see him again, and on and on…

   No wait.  Eight year old Jeluah has a right to be miserable.  He lives in Ethiopia, has one meal a day consisting of bugs, is watching his mother die of aids, and spends his days carrying filthy water to the house and looking for food.  Doctors say he will die due to poor nutrition, and on and on…

       All these are made up stories (except mine) and certainly there is enough misery in the world to go around.  Most of us face some of it daily in one way or another, and yet, there can be life, hope, and peace in the storms of life.
 

…I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  Jh. 10:10

Jehovah is my portion, says my soul; therefore I will hope in Him. Lam. 3:24 

I will lie down, both in peace and in sleep. For You alone, Jehovah, make me dwell in safety.  Ps. 4:8

       Sometimes when we are miserable or want to let ourselves mentally dwell in misery, it is good to read or think about someone whose life is more difficult than ours.  One man I just learned about is Nick Vujicic, a good looking Australian born in ‘82, who seems to love God*…    oh…    and he was born without arms or legs (though he has one foot with two toes).  Years of pain and grief filled his childhood, and certainly there are still many physical challenges, but Nick thinks God and attitude are big factors in life.

       Now Nick runs a non-profit organization, has two university degrees, is married to a beautiful woman- with first child on the way, and travels world wide to share God’s love and encourage others to rise above the ‘cards dealt them’ in life.  He writes, uses a computer, swims, skateboards, plays soccer, takes pictures, surfs, golfs, hikes (on foot), climbs stairs, and faces all the obstacles of life with God’s help.  He says, “We all make mistakes, but none of us are mistakes.”  I don’t know if that’s original or not, but I do like the truth in it.  When God made us it wasn’t so we’d be miserable our entire lives.  It was to live an abundant life in Him no matter what we’ve been ‘dealt’. 

With God (Mt. 19:26), all things are possible (Mr. 9:23) if we believe.

*So far as I’ve read and heard so far.