Scripture and a Snapshot

Defeated

Photo courtesy of prozac 1 at freedigitalphotos.net

 

    Are you going through a difficult situation? Have your circumstances spun out of your "control" and you don't know what the next step should be? Have people misjudged you based on their experiences, rather than on the facts that you are telling them? Have you lost friends because they couldn't understand what you were going through and chose to take it as a personal attack? Do you feel defeated some days and often hear people say "I don't know how you do it?". You are not alone.

photo courtesy of prozac1 at freedigitalphotography.net

     Sometimes life gets so hard. And sometimes there is so much to be done and not enough time, or energy, to do it.

  
     People are imperfect, and they will disappoint you and can never fill the void in your heart that is only meant for God to fill.

Photo courtesy of CNaene at freedigitalphotos.net

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-11)

     That is one of those verses you can read over and over when your circumstances are comfortable and think pleasant thoughts about ideals such as endurance and fortitude. But when you truly are feeling weak, or persecuted, or insulted, that's when it hits home and you wonder if you'll ever have Faith like Paul's.

     But my point is to encourage you, not discourage you! I just want you to understand I don't take this lightly, or speak to you from a lofty mountain top, while you mire down below. You'll be sure to find plenty of people who will be happy to advise you in your struggles, some of it helpful, some of it hurtful.

     I don't want to advise you how to get out of your struggles, and I understand that it isn't always possible to change your circumstances, or even to put on a happy face.

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." -Romans 12:14-16

     And maybe if you aren't going through a tough time, but you know someone who is you'll gain a new perspective from this. It is easier to talk than to listen-listen anyway. It's easier to blame than to comfort-comfort anyway. No one enjoys feeling like a "charity case" even if they are in desperate need of your charity.

      God always has a plan, and it will rarely look exactly like what you think it should.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."-2 Corinthians 1:3-5


That's the REAL point right there, isn't it? We have a choice to make when we face trials and hardships, will we let it knock off our rough edges and let God form us into a better person? Will we choose to turn around and help others because we can now truly understand what they are going through?

There is a prize at the end of life for the "good and faithful servant", but it's not because your life was lived just the right way, or because you always did the right thing, or because you were without sin. Your prize is because you endured through hardship, and you did not loose your Faith in God.

Photo courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography at freedigitalphotos.net

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."  -Galatians 6:9-10


Linked up at Essential Fridays

A Homeschool Geography Review Asia: It's Peoples and History by Bonnie Rose Hudson

     What do you know about Asia and the people groups that live there? Are you looking for ways to talk to your children about persecuted Christians in other countries or how to pray for Asia and it's people groups?

     Bonnie Rose Hudson has written a book about the people of Asia and the persecution Christians suffer in the 10/40 window in a way to engage even small children in understanding the troubles some Christians face and how grateful we should feel for our religious freedom!

     I have been reading this book with our 8, 6, and 3 year old and even the 6 year old has gained a greater understanding of what even young children face as they choose to stand up for their faith in God. When we started to read about the people of Laos, my 6 year old couldn't believe that children could be turned from their homes or persecuted for their faith. "Mom! It should be illegal for people to treat little kids like that!", he said. Ms. Hudson does a wonderful job of engaging your attention by giving each country a mix of educating information about the region and then sharing stories of children who live there and some of the trials they face each day.

     My children loved learning about Sanjoy, a twelve year old boy from Bangladesh who, despite suffering a beating that ended in a broken leg, was able to lay his hurt aside and help lead his persecutor to Christ. We ended up having a really powerful discussion about the light that Jesus places in each of us and how it can shine in even the darkest spots, because the Holy Spirit in inside of us.

     There is also a wonderful activities section in the back of the book that has crossword puzzles, memory games, word searches, and map activities. There are also several free suggestions of further information and research on this region for your future homeschool history lessons :)

     When asked what her goal is in writing Bonnie Rose Hudson answered; "My prayer is that everything I write would honor God and help whoever reads it know that God loves them and that they are special to Him. There are days we don't feel special. There are days we feel like no one knows who we are or cares how we are feeling. I want my readers to know that God does know, that He does care, and that they are more precious to Him than they could ever imagine."


     I have permission to give 2 PDF copies of "Asia: It's People and History" by Bonnie Rose Hudson! Please enter through the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win a free copy yourself!


     There are several ways to purchase your own copy of this book as well! The Old Schoolhouse Store has it and the PDF copy through them is on 25% off sale until 3/15/14 (promo code:  02asia14! and YES the exclamation point is part of the code) Amazon has it as well to purchase for your Kindle. And it is also available at Smashwords. There will be a print version available as well and I will update this post when the information on that is available.

     

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