i want to start by saying: If one is in harms way with physical or sexual abuse, immediate action is always required...call the police and get the help you need!
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The day one is called to 'die' just a little bit....to sacrifice .....to forgive and to love til it hurts....is the day of the most potential growth and development of self control, patience, sincerity of heart, dependency on God in a person....We all suffer greatly in certain situations in our lives...rejection from family .. friends..a boss ....abuse....lack of respect....people's illnesses mental and physical and shortcomings....being misunderstood...conditional love....i am sure you can add your own things to this list. In these sufferings God affords us the opportunity to rise and discern how to act/respond in a way counter to the society's push. Our world teaches that we should never take any abuse, we need to straighten everyone out, correct the wrong, defend oneself, ...but the strong one discerns first and does not react to outer influences...but waits on God...waits for Him to defend and lead the battle. He helps us to decide well how to respond and to be able to do so in strength, courage, love and self-control. We lose our testimony in Jesus when we lash out like everyone else does....it is very difficult because we innately want to hurt those who hurt us...we desire to have vengence now and many times deserve it....God will insure justice will come for all of us....He is the Only Fair One...God is Always Fair....Waiting on Him can be exhausting...holding back our justified anger and choosing to insure we come forward in a way that gives honor to Jesus and is elegant, poised and full of sincerity brings fruit that lasts nomatter how painful the process. And what an advertisement for Jesus' Way of Living.
i have compaired this training ground to me being a horse...and Jesus is saddled up ...i, the horse, have not eaten in 3 weeks and there is an apple two blocks in front of me. i wish to gallop with all my force, strength, energy to that apple to eat because i am starving. But Jesus, in His Wisdom, says, 'you will get to that apple, but you will grow and learn in the process if you let me steer'... so He grabs the reigns tightly around his hands and pulls my face and head into a dignified position while whispering in my ear, 'nice and slow...one hoof at a time, lift the left leg and place it down and lift the right leg and place it down'....At Jesus' Pace i am unsure if i will ever get the apple, but surely The King of the Universe knows Best! It is during that time of patient waiting....Not receiving immediate gratitude...that muscles are developed one never knew they had and these forster more beautiful qualities in a person than can be gained anywhere else. But this journey is extremely painful...almost has a physical pain to it...and at the end, one feels as if they were hit by a truck..for this battle was not with flesh and blood ....Ephesians: 6:12 "For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens." This war was with the evil one...who wants us to fail and not grow in these virtues only grown in the Fertile Soil of God!
i am so sorry you and i suffer....but let us approach this classroom in a different manner than most. i was watching a movie,"St. Maria Goretti" on EWTN. She is a Catholic Saint whose story is worth knowing. She died young..11 yrs old..the youngest Catholic Saint....was stabbed 14 times for not giving in to rape....and forgave her killer and told God she did not want him to go to hell, she wanted him to one day be in Heaven with her. Her death and manner of dealing with her assassin marveled everyone. Her killer repented after having a dream of Maria. At her canonization, she was the only saint to have her Mother and her killer present together. Many miracles have come thru her intercession more than most saintss....What a story! worth contemplating... ck it out http://mariagoretti.com/who-is-st-maria/
This kind of Sacrificial Love is Divine and can save souls, marriages, children, parents, friends, family. It has the Power to heal. Are we willing to imitate the Saints of old who walked this road before us and gained their crowns? Love....True Deep Unconditional Love that is put into action is healing and has a deep mercy for all life which manifests itself in kindness, love, holiness, righteousness, friendliness, helpful, protective, caring, sharing, strong, compassionate,forgiving, empowering, discerning, creative, comforting, providing, teaching, training, trustworthy, reliable, good, beautiful, inspiring, modest, pure, wholesome,....and the list goes on.
This word is extremely hard to understand or accept, but in the spiritual life, we learn these Truths little by little and they are worth every sacrifice to attain.
til next time...prayer, fasting and almsgiving the way to breakthru in our lives....John 15:13
"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends"
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