What do you see when faced with problems? Victory or defeat? Do you see it as something that you are passing through or as something that will forever be at your side? We all can quote the victory chant when the end can easily be seen but as the days turn to weeks and weeks turn to months and months to years, there is a tendency to lose the cheer and lose our ability to see change coming.
Reading today’s devotional from Streams in the Desert reminded me that it is my choice on how I view the test and trials that come my way. Will I see them as chariots transporting me from places of immaturity to maturity, weakness to strength, indifference to compassion, lameness to mobility? Or will I refuse to confront them and see them only as boulders crushing down upon me keeping me locked in, tied up and shut out?
Can I share with you the portion that caused my mind to go a churning this morning as I read?
Once our eyes are opened by God, we will see all the events of our lives as, whether great or small, joyful or sad, as a “chariot” for our souls. Everything that comes to us becomes a chariot the moment we treat it as such. On the other hand, even the smallest trial may become an object crushing everything in its path into misery and despair if we all it.
The difference then becomes a choice we make. It all depends not on the events themselves but on how we view them. If we simply lie down, allowing them to roll over and crush us, they become an uncontrollable car of destruction. Yet if we climb into them, as riding into a car of victory, they become the chariots of God to triumphantly take us onward and upward. Hannah Whitall Smith
Now I know that life can throw some pretty difficult challenges our way and sometimes for the life of me I can’t see anything but doom and gloom. But it is at those times that I can pray, Lord open my eyes that I might see.
I like your positive perspective.
I agree with you. It all depends on the perspective we take.
Something that looks like an obstacle could in fact turn out to be an opportunity.
🙂
Timely words of wisdom, Wanda. Thanks and God bless you.
Wonderful Wanda, it is how we look at situations whether vistory or the other is ahead.
Speaking of challenges in life this one is far bigger than anticipated don't you think?
Yvonne.
LOVE Streams in the Desert – and this morning's devo got me to. Choosing to see the chariots right along with you.
Very encouraging C post. Thank you!
Penned Pebbles
Glory Hallelujah!! Such an on-time word, which reminds me of some of my meditation from 2 Corinthians 5 this weekend:
4. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.
5. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
6. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.
7. For we live by believing and not by seeing…
16. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know Him now!
17. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Amen! I want to keep my focus on God and see things through His eyes. Nothing is too big for Him.
Beautiful Wanda! Now pass me some cherry coke(C'mon it give me a bit of courage) No, really this is a wonderful post. Some of the challenges I'm having right now, make me feel mowed over. You give me insight to remember the grass will grow and I need to tend to it! Thank you @>—-
Very positive 'c' post! And yes, we definitely need to look at things from as many angles as possible.
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Dear Wanda,
What does not slay us, makes us stronger. God is ever here, to give us support and help us over the rough times, and to give us blessings even when we don't see them. Thank you for the uplifting post.
Ruby
What an encouraging post Wanda! It is indeed that God gave us freedom to choose. It is up for us to choose on how to deal with things that comes our way. God is always with us, just have faith and trust him. Thanks for a wonderful post.
Beautiful, Wanda. This is a message we all need to tuck inside our hearts for those days (weeks, months, years) of trial. Thank you so much!
Appreciate the thoughts you shared. Ella, there's a cherry coke waiting for you dear.
Great word, Wanda!
I was reminded of these verses in 1 Kings 6:
"Then Elisha prayed, 'O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!' The LORD opened the young man's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire."
The secret is looking UP!!
GOD BLESS!
I love the title and the message that follows.
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Amen, Wanda.
Karen
The challenges will come so we need to keep this attitude
I wish I could be as positive as you. I'm usually positive that God is really ticked off at me for something. If only I knew what it was, I could fix it and we could just dump the crap and MOVE ON. LOL!