Toil & Trouble

     Yesterday was a tough one around our home. Our dog who recently had surgery would not leave her bandages or wound alone. My husband who contracted a nasty chest cold, coughed until he could barely breath. We spent much of the day struggling with bandaging our dog, inventing contraptions to keep the bandages on and then going to the store for something else as what we were using didn't work. The cone she was supposed to wear made her shake and pant incessantly. By the time we went to bed, all of us were exhausted!
     The author, Angela Thomas in her Bible study, Brave makes an appropriate observation for the Easter weekend. On page 88 she writes:
     I'm sure you already know this, but no one gets a free pass in this world. No immunity idols exist to help us become survivors. Cancer, catastrophes, and awful consequences exist because we live in a fallen world. Evil is present. Sin is inside of us and all around us. Not one of Jesus' disciples escaped this lifetime without suffering. They didn't model an insulated life for us. Jesus reminded His disciples, and He reminds us today. "In this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33).
     We are called to live alongside trouble--the kind of trouble that causes fear, worry, and trembling on the inside. The Son of God suffered an unimaginable death, even though He lived a flawless life. Who am I to think that somehow I just might skip past adversity? It will not happen for me or for you.
     In this world trouble is certain, but we also have the promise of Jesus as He concluded His upper-room message to the disciples:
     "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Bouquet of roses ~ Thank you Lord!

Galatians 2:20 NIV  “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”