Can you walk through the hard stuff without trying to push it away? Without wishing away the time you spend in the middle of it? Without turning a blindside to it and living in denial?

Daily we deal with difficulty, death, disease....dozens of hardships cross our path. The instant information world we live in, keeps us close to every manner of suffering not to mention our own.

Our own suffering, coupled with God's grace, is one of the few things that can even begin to equip us to be effective in helping the hurting. But if we push through it with our eyes closed, only looking for the other side, the lessons learned will be lost.

I once wrote on my Caringbridge that, "My hope is to hold every experience sacred. To put aside what my mind automatically registers as "bad" and instead filter everything through Jesus Christ." Oh, the wisdom of the hurting! That is not something I learned while on vacation :)

In times of suffering, He will pull you straight to His heart if you will unclench your fists, open your mind, stop stomping your feet.....and breath.

Breath in and breath out, giving that still small voice time to come into your consciousness.

You won't hear it above the din of your yelling and screaming.

You must sit and wait and ask.

Ask for His grace and mercy for this day.

Ask for His forgiveness for doubting and not trusting the Only One who can heal anything.

Ask for His love to so consume you that there is room for nothing else.

Ask.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7: 7-8

The hope of heaven to you this day,
Deb