We have been reading The Hiding Place as a family .You remember the story of Corrie ten Boom. I'm sure she and her family didn't desire torture and death. Yet their delight was in the Lord. His word promises that if we delight ourselves in him he will give us the desires of our heart. So, how did this promise come true for them? Their desires went beyond their own personal comforts. The desires of their heart were for more of God and for more people to know him. Through torture and death these things were accomplished. What are my desires? Certainly personal comforts and a blessed life rank pretty high in a way. But, what do I want more than anything? The presence of God. Is it worth offending the opinions of others? Is it worth sacrificing time on the internet? Is it worth getting up early for? Close relationships. Are they worth letting go of my need to be right? Are they worth my time in service? Are they worth the mess they make that I have to live with or help clean up? Can I trust that it's sometimes through pain and not understanding for a season that our desires are truly granted?
At times winter seems bleak. But it's in the winter that the leaves fall off the trees, and I can see down the valley, across the city and over to the mountains. In the summer my yard is more green and enclosed and more private. I have trouble seeing past my own property line. The same is often true in life. When we are blessed with much, sometimes we have difficulty seeing past our own property. When things are bleak in our portion of the world we can often see past ourselves and into the beauty in the distance. We can see others. We are no longer alone.
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