Towards

You let [your] distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets.
~ 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

Today I woke up thinking about the course that my life has walked lately. The past couple of years have been full of experiences and challenges, both good and bad, and I am closer to the Lord now than I've ever been (which really just makes me realize how far I still have to go). I've walked through some of the deepest valleys that I have ever faced but looking back I see how I allowed those challenging times to push me to the Lord. There was mighty temptation at times to turn away and decide that I just couldn't keep walking where I knew that He'd placed me but by His grace I didn't turn.

The verses at the top are challenging to me though and here is why: I don't think I have an understanding that allows me to really see things in the true light of eternity. I love God and am loved by Him but I struggle with regret in instances and I feel loss. These verses speak to me of being able to look at it all, both good and bad, and dwell only on our relationship with the Lord. To allow every single circumstance to deepen our knowledge and passion for the Lord and to value that above all other things. To be thankful for the pain because it brought us closer to God and to be thankful for the blessing because it brought us closer to God, not because it made us happy.

I desire to allow all my struggles to turn me towards the Lord and I sense there has been progress in this area although I know I'm not there yet. However, there is an equally necessary change that needs to happen in being able to truly place the most worth on God and to not be affected by the things of this world except as they impact that relationship.

That's hard. I'm not there. I know few, if any, who are. There's more to ponder here. However, this is something to think on for now. What do these verses make you think about?

Prayer Challenge: Lift up the team in the Amazon as they reach Brazil and travel up the Amazon river towards the villages that they'll be ministering at. Download a prayer calendar here.