Ruthie wakes up early and stumbles down to the living room with her light-up ladybug. Her little chubby fingers hold up the favorite bedtime friend to project stars on the ceiling above us. Amethyst light through star holes cast the dreamy image of a night sky above me. But it is 6 am and I’m about to endure a challenging morning. How I wish I could just go back to sleep. Sleep away the hard stuff of life.
I look at the half-moon shape. I’d love to read Goodnight Moon to her now…like we did a couple of years ago. Before the unknown challenges. The burdens that weigh on our shoulders. I’d love to go back to some sense of innocence.
I try to grasp in my mind something from God’s Word about the night sky. A comforting Psalm. Desperately seeking a word from The Word that will comfort me without much effort.
My mind fails.
Oh wait…there is the passage about how Abraham’s descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky right? I’m one of them. I am part of an answer to a promise.
My online dictionary defines a star as: “A self-luminous celestial body consisting of a mass of gas held together by its own gravity in which the energy generated by nuclear reactions in the interior is balanced by the outflow of energy to the surface, and the inward-directed gravitational forces are balanced by the outward-directed gas and radiation pressures.”
I laugh at how we simplify in our minds the so very complex. We begin as children. We take these fiery balls of gas so very far away – a distance our mind cannot possibly take hold of and we make them into shapes with five points and we cast them on our walls.
We go to great lengths to do this. We make toys that show light through star-holes or we buy little glow in the dark stars and glue them to our ceilings.
Like little gods we make our own sky and look up and consider making a wish on them. We wish. Ha! Wish on a five pointed human-hand-cut shape. All the while…the real thing is out there. Way up there. Burning. Telling of God’s real glory. Pointing us to our one true hope….the real Creator. The wish upon all wishes. The ultimate wish come true. A God who is rescuing us from this earth. .
Even though it’s true—God is rescuing us – it is a bit more complex than that isn’t it? The rescue plan to make us one of the many descendants of Abraham.
He rescues us from the dominion of darkness that brings sickness, tears, abuse, hurt and death. We endure aspects of these things as we live out this life waiting for His “The End” to the rescue saga.
Each one of us lives a complex web of varying levels of hardship.
At the same time, we experience the beauty and preciousness of life on earth.
If we are in Christ, we experience an unexplainable joy and abundant life with Him despite the hardships.
It’s anything but normal. But then again are rescue plans ever normal?
“We were dead in our transgressions.”
The Christ child was born in a messy stable.
One of those gas balls in the sky lead the way.
The child grew up and endured the hardships of life also.
He endured the hurt of people he loved not trusting His heart.
Mocked. Spit on. Beard plucked.
He was handed over to Pontius Pilot.
Crucified. Died. Buried.
Rose from the grave. Showed Himself.
He now shows Himself to us…drawing us to Himself. Often using the complex web of varying levels of hardship to do that.
The complexities of this rescue plan are deeper than this. My feeble early morning mind cannot take it much further but there are more details aren’t there?
There is so much more happening in this rescue plan than my little Jesus storybook explains in one night to my children.
The complex simplified.
How can our minds truly grasp what God is doing and has done?
My hope in pondering this today is to find myself in a place like Job. In the midst of disappointment and challenges to simply go before my God and eventually get to the point where I am not questioning but simply…standing…in awe.
Or perhaps I should sit or even lay down.
Just…close my mouth.
“I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer – twice, but I will say no more” (Job 40:4-5).
“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know” (Job 42:2-3).
Photo from: wallsave.com
Linking up this week with:
I loved how you wished you could go back to reading ‘Goodnight Moon’ and the simplicity of life without the unknown challenges that you face today. I don’t know what those are but I have them to and this post spoke to what each of us have in common and our God who fills every need.
I’m sorry you have the challenges too. I suppose we all have our own set of them don’t we? You’re right–our God does fill every need. He is our portion in every area. Blessings!
When we look at Christ’s life and see the suffering He endured, then we get a clearer picture of how suffering will be part of our lives. Not a pleasant thought but with His grace, we can embrace it and focus on the joy set before us–His presence with us and eternity with Him. These past two years have been challenging for our family so I can empathize with you. God will hold you and carry you through even in the pain.
Blessings,
Janis
I so agree. I believe we should expect suffering. If our Lord suffered because the world rejected Him, we most likely will too. Would give up these challenging times as they have been growing times…and as you say…times where I feel Him holding me. Thanks for stopping by…and blessings to you and your family!
Thanks for sharing such a candid view of your thoughts. I, too, have found myself drawn to the book of Job many times over the last several years as I’ve struggled with some health issues.
Grace as you continue on the journey.
(Visiting today from the Thrive @ Home link-up.)
Blessings to you as you continue to trust in the Lord throughout your struggles. He is glorified.
beautiful post today
Thank you! I love the homeschool info on your site! I was unable leave a comment there so saying it here!
I love this part. “All the while…the real thing is out there. Way up there. Burning. Telling of God’s real glory. Pointing us to our one true hope….the real Creator. The wish upon all wishes. The ultimate wish come true. A God who is rescuing us from this earth.”
So beautiful. And praise the Lord for it! Beautiful post.
Thank you for your encouragement and thanks for stopping by!
Dear Amy,
There is a poignancy is pain and suffering and you capture it so lovingly and thoughtfully here. The Lord never wastes a thing, you know! I don’t know what you are facing – those unknowns – but I am praying for you and your family and that the Lord Who shed His love abroad in our hearts would gird you up and strengthen you as you walk through it:
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoiced in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5: 11-5
Love to you, dear sister!
Jacqueline
Thank you sister…I love those verses…perfect! Your thoughtful note was just what I needed! Love,Amy
I too have those moments I wish I could go back to where life seemed a little simpler. Oh how our little skys fail in comparison to the the Creator’s masterpiece. His creations are marvelously complex. Wishing you a wonderful weekend. Thanks for linking up this week.
Yes–marvelously complex…great choice of words! Perhaps the complicated stages of life make his love for us more clear and simple. Blessings to you this weekend!
You have spoken to me also. I want the simple moments of “Goodnight Moon” and they are there, but mixed with those complexities, those challenges, those heartaches. God carries us through if only we let Him. May He nestle you in His love.
Caring through Christ, ~ linda
Thank you for your encouragement. It is true–only if we let Him. Why do we run to other things and reject His comfort at times? Thanks for visiting…
He is Everything, we are nothing, yet He loves us and saves us — what an amazing mystery!
Thanks so much for visiting and commenting on Saved by Grace!
Your blog is a blessing and I am now following it, and I invite you to follow Saved by Grace also:
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Love in Him,
Laurie Collett
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