An offering of suffering
can expand Christ in us,
adding new halls of comfort here --
A wing of consolation there.
The Lord subtracts what is seen
to add what is unseen,
so that we will walk with him
hand in hand
across new ground,
where he gifts us with
new mercies
and roll-tides of grace
unknown to us before.
God is in the business
of flipping houses.
When we feel as though
the bottom is about to give out,
or when the current of despair
threatens to pull us
under troubled waters,
turn your eyes to the mountains.
If we have surrendered
as God's vessel,
any deterioration of his dwelling
is part of His process
of building a better one.
The Father's wisdom
knocks out beams
set on shaky foundations.
His love invites us
to surrender
what is good
for what is best.
-- our cottage
for his palace plans.
If all things work together
for the good of those who love God,
then grace makes pain a pillar.
And, that hole in the ceiling
that leaks rain and allows
the chill of a draft,
becomes a skylight
that invites the sun
to flood its halls.
The sick can rejoice!
He is renovating his throne room.
If we will just hand over to him
each heavy brick,
he will establish in us,
where we see now only shambles,
wonderful plans for his dwelling
-- our castle.
"Fixer Upper"
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:3-4
Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are unseen are eternal. 1 Cor. 4: 16-18