Charity suffereth long....

"Peace.  It does not mean to be in a place where there is no

noise, trouble or hard work.  It means to be in the midst of 

those things and still be calm in your heart."

                         Quote by an unknown source that hangs on my refrigerator

Yesterday was a hard day.  It didn't go at all as I had planned.
I found myself in a very stressful and difficult situation that I
couldn't escape.   It seems that escape isn't usually God's plan.
We need to face our trials head on.  

Why is it that the people we love the most can cause us
the most pain?
I had written in my journal the day before about some challenges
I have been dealing with and asking myself, "How do I handle
these things as Christ would?"   Well, if you ask the question,
He will answer and his answer has been to give me plenty
of opportunities to practice my responses - and over and over,
I have failed miserably.  The only good thing is that I am convicted
almost immediately of my wrong and how to correct it.
Thank goodness for those whisperings from the spirit.

 Yesterday when I found myself in what I felt like were
unbearable situations, I thought, if I could just get away and
pray and get in the scriptures, I could bring some peace back
into my life.  But there was no escaping the present reality. At
just the moment when I thought the top of my head was going to blow
off, due to the stress level I was experiencing, I started quoting
scripture to myself.  I have been working on memorizing
1 Corinthians 13 for the past month and it has been a tough one.
I love this discourse by Paul on charity and oh, how I want
to possess this kind of unconditional Christlike love.
So in the heat of the moment, I am reminding myself:

"Charity sufferth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; 
charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things.
Charity never faileth."


And you know what?  It works.  I began to calm
down and I was able to handle things in a more charitable
way.  I was so grateful at that moment that I had this
scripture committed to memory.  It was right where I
needed it in the very moment that I needed it - in my
head and in my heart.  Now, lest you think that
the situation magically turned around and everything
turned out perfectly, I have to tell you - it did not.  There
were still painful words thrust upon me and the tears still
flowed, but by the Lord's grace I was able to handle
the situation.

 And as soon as I found myself in the quiet of
my home, I knelt down and tearfully thanked him,
for his ever constant love and concern for me. I had
not been alone through this experience.  His peace,
that I so covet in my life, had been given to me.

Even though things didn't go as I had planned today - He had
something more important to teach me that hadn't been on my agenda.
And that lesson came by facing my trial head on.

My plan for the day would have been easier, but his plan was for my good.


* Goal # 42 - Memorize 50 scriptures.