Living and Dying

A thick fog rolled into this monastery in Romania freezing solid the flowers.

For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:19-21

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,But the Lord delivers him out of them all. Psalm 34:19

Every believer in Jesus will attest to the fact that they suffer afflictions.  If our Lord did not escape suffering in this world, then we will experience it as well. Our Lord has compassion.  His loving, sovereign hand directs our lives, and Christ is magnified in His chosen ones. That means He radiates His image through my life and death.  He is lifted up, He is exalted.  He shines through my life and death.  You wonder, how can Christ be magnified when I am severely depressed or so afflicted with suffering in my body or my children suffer so much or my empty womb cries out for children or I am humiliated by unemployment or I am dying?  

Christ will deliver you through the hope that is an anchor for your soul.  "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entered the Presence behind the veil" Heb.6:19 
Christ will deliver you when He speaks truth to your broken heart through His word.  "You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word." Ps.119:114 
Christ will deliver you when His power goes out of Him to heal you for His glory. "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." John 11:4
Christ will deliver you when He brings you home to be with Him where He is seated in Heaven.  "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God….When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." Col.3:1,4
Christ will deliver you in Glory when your suffering will produce an eternal weight of glory. "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.  For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Cor.4:17-18
Christ will deliver you in your suffering while He is furthering His glorious Gospel. "But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ." Phil.1:12-13
Come to Jesus. He will give you rest in your afflictions. Christ will be magnified in you. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

1. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
   “Come unto Me and rest;
   Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
   Thy head upon My breast.”
   I came to Jesus as I was,
   Weary and worn and sad;
   I found in Him a resting place,
   And He has made me glad.
2. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
   “Behold, I freely give
   The living water; thirsty one,
   Stoop down, and drink, and live.”
   I came to Jesus, and I drank
   Of that life-giving stream;
   My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
   And now I live in Him.
3. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
   “I am this dark world’s Light;
   Look unto Me, thy morn shall rise,
   And all thy day be bright.”
   I looked to Jesus, and I found
   In Him my Star, my Sun;
   And in that light of life I’ll walk,
   Till trav’ling days are done.
4. -Horatius Bonar, 1846
5. 
   

An Eternal Home

Today it snowed again five inches, but with the big melt last week, our snow piles are not quite as mountainous. The kids were out fort-building again, with the exception of our little Lizzy who has a fever and cough. Our poor dear is trying to sleep on the couch and is coughing away. I look forward to heaven when there will be no more sickness for these little ones and our bodies will be new and perfect. I think I will take a break right now during this post to make Lizzy some lemon tea with honey in it. Our Hungarian friend, Nurse Agi, always recommended that one for a cough. I will see how it goes, since the cough syrup does not seem to be working.

The other kids are sleeping soundly, and Ethan went to get some exercise. He has a very full schedule this semester with 16 credits, but thankfully, we are coming up on graduation in May. Speaking of the kids sleeping soundly downstairs, I should say our sleeping arrangements are sort of interesting in this house, since we are sharing a house with Ethan's parents. They have been out of town most of the year, but we have still reserved their bedroom for when they come through town to stay. Peter has a room to himself in the basement, and the three girls share part of a room that we have quartered off from the family room with a moveable, temporary wall. The rest of the family room is stuffed with a big pool table, an extra couch and the girls' toys. It is definitely crowded, but it works. Ethan and I sleep in the guest room on the main floor, which works fine for now. We are grateful for a house to live in while Ethan is in school. We have a very supportive family. I have always dreamed of my own home, though, but as I get older, I am realizing more of what is important in life.

Since I was a young woman, I have enjoyed have a place or dreaming of a place to be a homemaker in. Being a wife and mother is truly my calling, and homemaking suits me. I may not be the most talented homemaker, and I do not feel that I am a gifted mother, but I do believe I am called. My young children are worthy of having a mother to raise them, who will lovingly discipline them and point them to Jesus, who will be an example to them, and will work hard to feed them with the daily bread God has given her to work with. I am often tempted to wish for a house and all the comforts that can be bought in this life. I really do enjoy being home and making a house a home, but maturity requires pushing me past what is comfortable and continually pointing me to heaven's eternal home. A few years ago I was tempted again to want a "normal" life with a house and long-term place, but as I was bringing this to God, He showed me a wonderful Scripture found in Psalm 17:13-15:

Arise, O LORD,
Confront him, cast him down;
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
With Your hand from men, O LORD,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life,
And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
They are satisfied with children,
And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

Truly, to do God's will is much more satisfying and lasting than having the perfect dream of a perfectly decorated, happy house and passing on a bunch of stuff to your kids as an inheritance. Even having a long-term stable job is not necessarily going to bring happiness, unless a person is fully satisfied in God and in His love. God is preparing an even longer-term house in heaven for all who believe in Jesus. Jesus explained it to His disciples like this in John 14:1-6:

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Jesus is who we need. One day I will not really care about where I live, and honestly, I do not expect I will care about the "mansions" in heaven either. I think I will care more about WHO I am with. Jesus said, "That where I am, there you may be also." That is the part I am really looking forward to in heaven, being with Jesus, whose love is better than life.