Today I'm not sure what to write about. I feel like I always feel like I'm on the verge of something. I guess a feeling of constant growth isn't necessarily a bad thing, except that I often like to feel that I've actually arrived somewhere. Perhaps always arriving is a better way to look at it.
Anyway, I've been reading Brother Yun's second book and he talks a lot about embracing suffering. It wasn't clicking until I read in Matthew, when Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, where He was tempted. Le by the Holy Spirit! This completely turns the whole Prosperity Gospel concept on it's head. Jesus was not led to a desert oasis to bask in comfort while those in the desert surrounding him suffered. He was led to the wilderness where He could share in our suffering and go through what we go through.
And so I step back with new perspective on the difficulties I have faced here in Italy and elsewhere, and I wonder as I go forward, how to embrace suffering. It is certainly true that the month my bank account here was blocked saw me step forward in financial faith in a way I never had otherwise.
There's a balance and a level of discernment here. Embracing suffering does not mean I don't put up a spiritual fight. I feel it means the exact opposite. Knowing that God is in control means that every situation in which I find myself will work for my good, because I love God and am called according to His purpose. It means that in Christ I have nothing to fear, because I can do all things through Him. It means that I therefore have a spirit of power, love and self control. It means I face every challenge as if I've already won, because really, I have.
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