I am - admittedly - not a sports fan. But I was reading about Dave Dravecky. He pitched for a major league baseball team until it was discovered he has cancer. He ended up loosing his pitching arm to the disease & his career was shattered. He wrote a book called "When you Can't Come Back" & he discusses how his pains & trials ended up drawing him closer to God then ever before. But look at this one paragraph that just changed the way I looked at trials...
"Someone once said the difference between American Christianity and Christianity as it's practiced in the rest of the world has to do with how each views suffering. In America, Christians pray for the burden of suffering to be lifted from their backs. In the rest of the world, Christians pray for stronger backs so they can bear their suffering.... That's why we look away from the bag lady on the street & look to the displays in store windows. That's why we prefer going to movies instead of hospitals & nursing homes."
I don't know about you... but I don't want to turn God into a cosmic vending machine, or a genie out of a lamp... "Please Lord, take this away".... & blink, its done.... I want to go through trials saying "God, help me deal with this - make me stronger so I can get through it with Your Power!"... what a difference...
Maybe then, if we are strong enough to take the burdens on, we'll be able to help others & take their burdens on us as well...
Lord, may be all pray for stronger backs....
Very true. I know in the end my suffering to have a child will be worth it, but it is still a hard road.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great book to read.
ReplyDeleteAmen girl, what does not kill me makes me stronger. What an amazing book, as always you bring me what I need!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome way to look at trials. I always try to remind myself that he is drawing me in and I will be stronger for it!! Great post.
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