I would love to share that at year’s end, it is my hope to have 365 consecutive steps to look back upon on this blog. However, were I to do this, I’m afraid that, as expressed in my previous blog, it would appear uncomfortably closer to a challenge than a pursuit, and I’d only succeed in scaring myself off from continuing. So I will simply proceed by taking a third step on my Freedom Walk 2012: one step, one day at a time. At this point, I am satisfied leaving loftier goal setting to braver souls than I.
Reality TV has taken off and over in the last few years, and frankly, I am not a huge fan. To what degree it is real or contrived, I do not know. What fascinates me is the mass appeal these types of shows have. Do we enjoy watching other people’s drama, simply because it is not ours and we can remain a safe distance from the fallout? Or do we take a perverse pleasure in the comparison factor, judging our lives as being better or worse than those on display? Maybe there are entirely different reasons for being drawn to such programs. Whatever differences of opinion and interest level exist in watching reality shows, I believe there is a credible benefit to sharing real life with others--when done in the right spirit, for the right reason.
Life is hard—for all of us, in some ways, at given points. When the good times roll, few of us need help in figuring out how to rejoice, be thankful, and enjoy the resulting sense of well-being. However, when the seas get choppy, the storms get loud, and the winds of destruction roar through our lives indiscriminately, we can use all the moral support, help, and encouragement available. When hardships and struggles consume our time, energy and resources, it is easy to feel alone and abandoned, and despair of things turning right side up again before we give up or are overcome.
I love testimonials of what the Lord has done, of the victories God has wrought in the lives of fellow believers; these can be vital lifelines of hope to others who are waiting and praying for answers and change. There are times, however, when I appreciate equally much, heart-to-heart sharing that offers a glimpse into the not-yet-won battle, a view of what the struggle looks like up front and personal-- in real-time, if you will. I often find comfort when I can identify with others still wrestling with or fighting through similar issues, circumstances, and conditions; it helps me to entertain the possibility that I am not the only one who feels deficient in strength and ability to face trouble or unable to walk out my faith with the grace I imagine I ought to have.
I have a somewhat self-deprecating sense of humor—okay, a very strong self-deprecating element in my sense of humor—which comes out when I write, albeit in everyday life, I have a very hard time laughing at myself; I am much too serious and insecure. Ask my family—but please, not when I’m around. Through the years, I have come to appreciate laughter, in whatever manner communicated, for the relief it can bring, even in the midst of the pain. I am not minimizing the intensity of the struggles we face in life, nor the hurt and damage we experience. Struggles and pain are very real, but according to the Word, trials and trouble are to be expected, regardless of how much we may want to believe they are avoidable. What are we to do? For starters: Believe the Word—He has overcome the world; Trust God—with Him nothing is impossible; Encourage one another daily, speaking truth and keeping yourself in the love of God.
From my heart to yours, as I share in this blog from my real life, in real time, I hope hearts will be lightened and faces brightened, as the truth of God’s Word encourages and strengthens us for the year ahead, drawing each of us into a closer, dearer relationship with our Heavenly Father and Almighty God.
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