Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

God ordains good for us even in the midst of great suffering. When Jesus hung on the cross , it seemed like it was over.  His apostles were bewildered and discouraged.  They may have felt that all was lost. However, God ordained Jesus' sacrifice since before all time.  God knew how it was going to go down in the Garden with Adam and Eve .  But He is always working out, ordaining, good plans for us, for the world. I have been in a very difficult situation, some would say near impossible, for around 11 years now.  If I believed everything I read about leaving "toxic" relationships, I would have disobeyed God and taken matters into my own hands with a seeming "fix." Our culture has become so self-obsessed that enduring even the least bit of suffering, even for Christians, is to be banned, to be unacceptable.  We've bought the bill of goods that this life is to be about nothing more than our pleasure and comfort. But when God allows all kinds of suffering in...

Have you ever been crushed by Jesus?  Job said, "Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him." Been there, too, Job.   But crushing feels worse than slaying.  What on earth am I talking about, you may wonder!  God is not a sadist!  Indeed not. I don't know if you are this way, but a lot of the time, I need to talk to know what I'm thinking!  Sometimes, as I'm talking to a pastor, a friend, or whomever, words just come out of me that I had no intention of saying.  It's like the Holy Spirit is getting out of me what is really going on in me and I didn't have a chance to verbalize it before. Writing is a great outlet for me.  But sometimes, it's speaking those unexpected words that sheds light on my circumstances. For example, I was talking to a pastor about a certain situation I am in that is very hard to endure, and the word "crushed" popped out of my mouth.  I don't remember exactly what I said, but remember saying how I felt like I was bein...