Bring it into the light

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5 ESV)

Is there anything in your life that you're hiding away? Some feeling or memory from the past, a problem that looms large? Are you putting off looking at it, perhaps because of fear, afraid of what you might find?

We don’t often go into the back of our cellar, it’s dark and cramped.

However, when our plumbing needed attention, our son crawled in to check. He was in for a surprise! He found mushrooms growing on the wall below our bathroom. Removing the side panel of the bath and peeking inside, I realised it was in danger of sinking through the floor. I quickly replaced the panel, thinking that, what’s hidden will be forgotten. To be honest, I was a bit scared of what else I might find and what might be entailed putting it right.

Somehow, I found the courage to face the mountain. I disconnected the heavy cast iron bath and heaved it outside - I should have sought help for that bit! This revealed rotten wood, which I cut out, treated what remained, and replaced with new flooring. Despite two days of inconvenience for the family, everything was re-plumbed and the job complete. I felt stimulated and satisfied, grateful for the gifts and help God had given me.

I’ve been guilty of being in denial in the past. Sweeping fears under the carpet, hoping they would go away. They didn’t of course! They festered and affected my life, stopping me living to the full. With some help at first, I faced the fears and pain with Jesus. Once in the Light, the fears melted away as Jesus gently washed and cleansed the wound, making me new again.

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It's Hard ...

“My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.” (James 1:2-3 (GNB)

I heard someone say, that it’s hard being a Christian! I thought, “compared with what?” The alternative, being out of the Kingdom, is unthinkable.

Several years ago, when I was going through the toughest and loneliest time of my life, two people tried to be helpful. One said, “keep smiling” and I could have hit him. Another remarked, that it will be ‘character building’ and I could have hit her. They might not have been the most sensitive things to say - thankfully, there were several others who had ‘been there’, and were more understanding - but they were right!

When your back is to the wall and your whole world seems to be falling apart and you are really hurting, you’ve two options. You can give up or you lean heavily on Jesus and look to Him to take you through. I never liked hardship - who does? - and suffering wasn’t in my vocabulary. When the going got tough, I would eventually look for a way out, rather than through. Endurance just wasn’t my strongest point.

So God stepped in and allowed the circumstances that would strengthen me. Later on, however, after I had come through, I looked back and realised that somehow, God had done something inside me. Hard to explain, but I just knew. I’m not saying God had finished with me, He was just preparing me for the next stage of the battle.

We really can praise God in the trials, because we know He is always with us and will never, ever let us down.

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Nestle not Wrestle

"I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, ....... I will look for those that are lost, bring back those that wander off, bandage those that are hurt, and heal those that are sick ….” (Ezekiel 34:15-16 GNB)

Driving over the hill to a meeting in the next village, my wife sensed movement in the hedgerow. On investigation, we found a newborn lamb caught up in brambles. It had strayed from its mother and fallen through a gap in the hedge. From its sorry state, it must have hung there some time. Our hearts went out to this little fearful one. We longed to set it free, so it could live.

Speaking ever so gently to reassure, we approached and I tried to cut through the brambles with a craft knife. Unfortunately it wouldn’t keep still and allow me to make the delicate incision. The more I tried, the more it struggled, and the more it struggled, the more the chords tightened around its body and limbs. It was petrified with terror. Eventually it became so exhausted it gave in and allowed me to cut it free. I cradled it in my arms and carried it around to the field entrance and placed it on a bed of straw for its mother to care for.

Any of this sound familiar?

The little compassion we displayed that evening is nothing compared with the immense love Jesus, our Shepherd feels for us. It must really hurt Him when we struggle on our own. If only we would always allow Him to have His way in our lives and sort out our entanglements. He longs for us to Trust Him and expose our wounds, for the Shepherd to gently cleanse and heal.

I am learning to ‘nestle’ and not ‘wrestle.’

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