Category: suffering

Famous Last Words – Part 2

Posted on by Susan Panzica

luke 23-34

In Famous Last Words -Part 1, I shared about one of Jesus’s last statements, “Father forgive them”. Today, I share another insight from these same three words.

Christ died for us while we were still sinners, long before we ever repented or asked for forgiveness. He died for those still screaming, “Crucify him!” and He prayed:

“Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

But it seems to me that they did know what they were doing, didn’t they? They were calling for His death. What they did not know was WHO they were doing it to, and WHAT His death would accomplish for them.

Is there someone in your life causing you pain? They may not be calling for your execution, but they are hurtful nevertheless. Consider this – that person is giving you an opportunity to develop Christ-likeness that you would not have otherwise.

If we can see the offensive person in our life as Jesus does, and if we can forgive them as He did, we will be freed from the bondage of resentment and bitterness and will become a little more like Jesus. Picture this: that painful person is giving us an incredible, life-changing, eternal opportunity!

I had such a person in my life. For years, this person repeatedly caused me untold anguish and grief. My hurt turned bitterness, and like an invisible tether, I was in bondage to the one who hurt me. It took a long time, but when I began to see that this person was actually a gift from God, my heart began to change. I was freed from the bondage of bitterness. I was able to see that person as God did, to pray unhindered by my resentment. I learned that I could forgive because “they did not know what they were doing.” That person gave me the gift of developing Christ-likeness.

Peter says, “But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps… When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:20-23)

Years before Jesus hung on that cross and prayed for his persecutors, He said to the crowd at the Mount of Beatitudes, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.“ (Matt. 5:44) Did He know when He spoke those words that years later, with His dying breath, He would become that example, that He would demonstrate exactly what He was calling us to do? 

But how is it possible in our human fraility and sinfulness, can we even begin to see our “enemies” as Jesus does?

The key is to shift perspective, to see the bigger picture. As Paul said, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:17-18)

I pray that if you have a difficult person, you may begin to see them as Jesus does. And in so doing, you will be able to forgive, whether or not they have asked. And you will be able to look in the mirror and see a reflection of the One who made you.

 Susan_signature

They’re NOT cute!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Chipmunk Collage

In the fall, you walk our front pathway at your peril. We have the most aggressive acorns you’ve ever seen, or felt. Honestly. The dents they render to a car’s hood or roof are nothing compared to the bumps they produce on your noggin.

Then in the spring, I tackle the unhappy chore of removing of hundreds of tiny oak trees sprouting in my garden. So this week, I decided to pre-empt those suckers and rid the garden of them before taking root. Not as easy as I thought. Like giant pistachios, they had already split and many a root sprouted, burrowed firmly in the soil.

Most were on the surface, fairly easy to dig up, but here and there I uncovered small clusters under the branches of low bushes, concealed among the stalks.

Then I found it – the Mother Lode, the Cave of Wonders, the Pirate’s Booty. No way was this pile the result of falling acorns. This secret stash flowed from a drain, as if stockpiled in some clandestine plot. This was the resident chipmunks’ winter preparations washed out from recent heavy rains.

The outward appearances of these adorable little furballs belie their true identity – hideously destructive varmints. They burrow holes in the soil, loosen the supporting rocks, and hoard potentially damaging future oak trees.

I don’t usually see any chipmunks as I’m  working. No, they save their activities for when no one is around to witness their detrimental deeds. But the evidence of their handiwork is apparent.

Of course this got me thinking….

These acorns are like the barbed comments that people fling our way. And they hurt, not a bruise on the head, but on the heart. Zingers that find our soft spot, and embed themselves. If we let them take root, they will grow and fester and bear bitter resentful fruit. The longer the root remains, the stronger it gets and the harder it is to remove. It is easy to narrow our eyes at the perpetrator, to retaliate, to judge. But Scripture tells us:

… make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. Deut. 29:18
See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Heb. 12:15

After wasting useless minutes fuming at these critters, I realized –  they are just doing what chipmunks do.

All my anger isn’t going to make them more sensitive.

I can’t change them, but I can change my root structure:

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Col. 2:6-7

Instead of hating the chipmunks, I have a choice.

And with those whose comments dent my soul, I have a choice.

I can let them fester, develop bitter roots, and ultimately poison me. Or I can respond as Jesus did. “Father, forgive them. Those chipmunks just don’t know what they’re doing.” Well, a loose paraphrase, but you get the idea.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established IN LOVE, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Eph. 3:16-19

 

 

When God Turns Up The Heat

Posted on by Susan Panzica

refiner fire Is 43

It’s a sad promise that we WILL go through the overwhelming waters and the burning fire. The verse above doesn’t say “if,” it says “when.” Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you WILL have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33   

Fortunately, when we pass through the waters and the fire, the Lord promises to be with us and we will not be swept away or burned or in any way destroyed by the trials we experience.

Years ago at a Women of Faith conference, I heard Thelma Wells share a story. Her arm was severely burned, and at the hospital, she discovered that all her costume jewelry melted and was ruined, but her good jewelry was not. Her diamonds and gold were completely intact. Thelma stated it was because the “good jewelry was pure.”

Never one to leave a perfectly good illustration alone, I took it a step further and asked: WHY and HOW was the good jewelry pure?

Diamonds
Chemically, scientifically, a diamond is carbon – charcoal – a soft substance so easily destroyed in fire it is used for fuel. It’s black, dirty, and full of impurities. How does it become one of the clearest, and hardest substances on earth? Years and years and years of intense pressure. The pressure forces the impurities out of the carbon and makes the diamond into one of the most formidable and durable substances on earth.

Gold
When gold is mined from the earth, it looks nothing like the shiny jewelry we love. The process of refining gold requires heat, lots of it. The gold is melted into liquid, and the refiner skims away the impurities – the dross – that rises to the surface.

Malachi tells us, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” Malachi 3:3

An old story goes ~ There were some passers-by watching the refiner sitting by his pot of gold hanging over the fire. They wondered how much heat the gold could endure without being destroyed, and so they asked the refiner. He responded,

“See how I sit by the fire?”

“Yes, of course, we see you.”

“Well, see how I bend over the pot, looking into it?”

“Yes, but how do you know how much heat that will allow the refining without destroying the gold?”

“I’ll know – when I see my own reflection.”

Our Refiner is always with us through whatever fiery trials we endure. We’re never alone. The flames did not set Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego ablaze. The Lord was with them in the fiery furnace. And He is close by watching carefully all that’s going on. Nothing surprises Him or occurs without His permission.

My Bible note on Isaiah 43:2  says, “Going through rivers of difficulty will either cause you to drown or force you to grow stronger. If you go in your own strength, you are more likely to drown. If you invite the Lord to go with you, He will protect you.”

But it’s more than that.

Yes, He is with us. And yes, He protects us as we go in His strength. But these fiery trials also can serve a purpose. He is producing His reflection in us as we patiently endure. Endurance produces maturity and Christ-likeness.

J.B. Phillips translates James 1:2-5  this way:

“When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become men of mature character with the right sort of independence…”

It may seem impossible to welcome trials as friends. And to be honest, it probably is. But we can welcome the God who allowed them and be open to the mighty transforming work He will do in us and through us because of these difficulties.

Are you going through a fiery trial? How can I best pray for you, beloved?

Susan_signature

What happens when you assume?

Posted on by Susan Panzica

NewYorker - do cars hate me

 

All my life, I have always been the shyest person in the room. So when my mom convinced me to attend a 2 week sleep-away Girl Scout camp, it was a true miracle. Two girls from my troop went with me so that gave me a tiny bit of comfort, but when we arrived at the camp, I was assigned to be in a different campsite group. I now know that their campsite was right down the dirt path, but at the time, it seemed like a million miles away. I felt totally alone and completely miserable.

Our campsite had five tents with five girls in each. In my tent, there were two pairs of friends. And me.

As things went from bad to worse, in my loneliness, I was absolutely certain that no one liked me.

I cried myself to sleep every night and wrote letters every day detailing how much I hated it there, begging my parents to please take me home.

After a week of despair, my counselors allowed me to transfer to my friends’ campsite. It only took one minute there to realize I had made a big mistake. The disgusting smell that greeted me at the entrance was the first of several huge disappointments. In less than an hour, I asked to go back.

Never had I been so bold.

Fortunately, the powers-that-be let me return to my prior campsite and tent. My counselor sat me down for a long stern talk by the river.

Later, my 10 year old tent mate, one half of one of the pairs of little friends, assured me that she was happy I was back, and she said something that I remember to this day:

“How do you think it makes us feel when you say we don’t like you?”

Her words cut me to the core. In a good way. I hadn’t given their feelings any thought. I was too preoccupied with my own. I had made assumptions about these sweet pairs of friends that were completely untrue based on my own insecurities.

The second week at camp was completely different. I had such a good time, I cried buckets of tears when it was time to go home.

It’s been forty years, and how often since then have I made assumptions about people that turned out to be completely unfounded. I projected my own insecurities onto someone else, viewing their actions through my muddled lens.

I think we all remember Felix Unger’s famous lesson about assuming:

 

All kidding aside, false assumptions can create serious consequences, resulting in critically damaged  relationships. In his book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Pete Scazzaro says:

“Every time I make an assumption about someone who has hurt or disappointed me without confirming it, I believe a lie about this person in my head. This assumption is a misrepresentation of reality. Because I have not checked it out with the other person, it is very possible I am believing something untrue.”

As a believer in Christ, I want to live in truth. Holding onto assumptions creates storylines in my head that cause me to live in a false reality.  Since God is Truth, by filling my head with false assumptions, I’m essentially not making room for Him in the limited space in my brain.

Of course, sometimes my assumptions are correct. But for the sake of healthy relationships, it’s necessary to check with the person about whom I’m assuming to verify the truth.

In Acts 17, the Bereans listened to Paul and Silas, and rather than assume their message was true or false, they did their “fact-checking.”

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11

How often do we make assumptions about others? About our circumstances? About ourselves? About God?

How much healthier would our relationships be if we took the time to fact-check and to clarify assumptions?

Susan_signature

 

 

For more about assumptions and expectations, check out the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality materials at http://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/.

And/or a quick take on my previous blogposts:

http://susanpanzica.com/not-so-great-expectations/

http://susanpanzica.com/great-expectations-not/

Be An Oyster!

Posted on by Susan Panzica

2 cor 4-17-18 sp

My friend, Cathy, showed up one day sporting an eye patch. She’s a stellar athlete who has triumphed over hard-hitting competition, but thanks to a tiny grain of sand that scratched her cornea, she was kept on the sidelines, out of the action. A microscopic irritant grated against the delicate tissue producing redness and tears and would ultimately cause permanent destruction if not removed.

But take that very same grain of sand, that source of irritation to the eye, place it in an oyster, and something magical happens. When that irritant is caught inside the oyster’s shell, the oyster starts to secrete a substance called nacre. This substance coats the irritant and encapsulates it. According to Wikipedia, “Nacre, also known as mother of pearl, is strong, resilient, and iridescent. This substance is called ‘mother of pearl’ because it is literally the ‘mother’, or creator, of true pearls.” What begins as an irritating annoyance is transformed. The insignificant grain of sand has become a valuable pearl.

It’s important to note that the irritant in the eye is exactly the same as the one in the oyster. What is different is the response! Scripture is clear that God allows tribulations in our lives. Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) The phrase, “you will have trouble” is sandwiched between “you may have peace” and “take heart. I have overcome the world!”.

If you have someone, or something, in your life that is a source of irritation, it can suck the joy and peace right out of you. Just the sight of that person can raise all sorts of emotions. Just the reminder of that difficult situation can cause physical responses such as tightening of the muscles, headaches, stomach pains … do I need to go on?

Like sand trapped inside an oyster, whatever your source of irritation, it can be transformed into a valuable pearl. You can be “strong, resilient and iridescent” (reflecting the light), receiving your irritation as the beginning of a beautiful transformation in your life. Surround the grain with beauty and grace. Forgive them for being themselves. They really don’t know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34) If you recognize that God allowed this person or situation for your benefit, you will be creating pearls!

Don’t let yourself be troubled by what really is a small matter compared to eternity! Allow that nuisance to bring about transformation – Christlikeness – the most precious, priceless, valuable quality you could ever possess.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Cor. 4:1

Susan_signature

Can you really have “perfect peace?”

Posted on by Susan Panzica

Is 26-3 Lake Swago

 

A few years ago, Hurricane Irene came to our NJ town. And afterwards so did the President and Governor. The aftermath of flooding left our neighborhoods destroyed, people displaced, businesses ruined. But the destruction was selective. While some areas were devastated, others were spared.

Among the many affected were two churches. In both cases, they had never experienced flooding, and so expected none this time. In both cases, they were wrong.

The Butler Community Church was undergoing a facelift. The downstairs, used for concerts and coffeehouses, was ready to have the floor painted. During the week, the congregation had raised furniture and valuable musical equipment two feet off the floor to prepare it for washing before painting. Along came Irene and the deluge of water that covered the floor. The next day, the fire department pumped all the water out leaving it sparkling clean, ready for painting!

Down the road, Beth Israel Church had nearly finished their massive 4 year renovation project turning an abandoned furniture store into a breathtaking sanctuary and ministry center. It was almost ready for dedication. The brand new carpet had just been laid when Irene came to town leaving the building with 4 feet of smelly, murky, oily water. Everything from floor to ceiling was in ruins. After the initial shock, the congregation’s first response was to see how they might serve their neighbors, providing meals to those who lost everything.

Did God show favor to one over the other?

Did God answer the prayers of one and not the other?

Or did He choose each for different purposes –

One to proclaim His deliverance.

One to reveal His grace.

We might not have an abundance of water to contend with, but what about other calamities, maybe a frightful diagnosis? Some who pray are miraculously delivered to share amazing testimonies about the power of the Almighty.

Yet there are others who pray with as much fervor and faith, yet still experience the tribulations of all manner of physical disease, mental illness, or addiction.

Thirty years ago, a friend was diagnosed with MS. She was a dancer and one morning woke up unable to move a single muscle. Miraculously, she has been symptom-free since then. Twenty years ago, another friend was diagnosed with MS. He prayed for healing. Yet the ravages of his disease have affected his speech, motion, and emotions. Today, he thanks God and credits Him with transformation in the best sense of the word. He’ll tell you he used to be “cocky,” a head-turning, stellar athlete filled with an over-abundance of self-confidence. He now barely walks with a steel walker, but it is God who he leans on.

We can and should pray for our circumstances as our heavenly Father wants us to bring all our concerns to Him. But we must realize that these circumstances do not define us or God. They are tools in His hands used to refine us. He may allow the flood, the disease, the broken relationships, the financial woes. Or He may deliver us from them entirely. He is sovereign. We are not – but when we know the One who is, when we trust His character, when we converse with Him in prayer, when we experience His presence through the Spirit, and when we know that He CAN deliver us, but chooses not to, then we can experience His perfect peace despite our circumstances. And that is a powerful testimony that will speak loudly to the lives of others still struggling in their own circumstances.

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. Luke 22:42-43

May He strengthen you too, dear one.

People with their minds set on you,
    you keep completely whole,
Steady on their feet,
    because they keep at it and don’t quit.
Depend on God and keep at it
    because in the Lord God you have a sure thing. Is. 26:3 MSG

What Is Faith?

Posted on by Susan Panzica


So often we are living in the aftermath of an event that left us full of tears. Now we’re in a dark time, experiencing the pain of suffering, despair, heartache.

Much like the disciples must have felt on the Saturday after the crucifixion.
They waited in their despondency, unaware of what was to happen the next morning; the joy of new life, resurrection, rising from the ashes of pain.
And that’s where faith grows.

In the dark, when we can’t see. The very definition of faith is “…the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Heb. 11:1



Faith isn’t wishful thinking, or hope without a solid foundation. It is comprised of two elements: truth and experience. And it must have both, or it isn’t true faith.
There are people who know  Scripture well, but have no experience or  relationship with its Author. Years ago, I worked with a brilliant guy, a certified Mensa genius. While he was in seminary, he memorized the entire Bible. Sadly, he also decided that he didn’t believe in God and so quit the seminary.
He had more knowledge of the truth than I ever hope to. Yet he had no experience or relationship with God, and so all his knowledge was in vain.
Then there are people who trust only in their experiences, but have no anchor of truth in the Word. Consequently they are tossed about with every wave of life. Their faith rests in their emotions and so they’re happy and trusting God when things are going well, but lose all hope when trouble strikes.
In the first episode of the TV series A.D., there is an excellent exchange between Mary, Jesus’ mother, and Mary Magdelene. After Mary tells Peter and the disciples, “Have you forgotten His prophecy? He promises to rise from death. Have you forgotten so quickly? CAN YOU NOT WAIT?,” she then left the room, and Mary Magdelene followed and asked her, “Are you sure He’s coming?”
“I know He is,” Mary replied.
“How can you be so sure?”
 “He raised others from death. This is what was prophesied, what He promised. Then why not Himself?”
Mary’s reply contains all the elements of faith:
Truth:  “what was prophesied, what He promised.”  
Experience: “He raised others from death.”
Faith: He’ll raise Himself.

Our faith grows and deepens in the dark when we stand on the truth of God’s Word lived out in our life experiences. 


.

Be A Sheep!

Posted on by Susan Panzica
I was a sheep yesterday.
I didn’t plan to be a sheep. After a particularly long work day, I planned to put my feet up, zone out a little on Facebook, and maybe get to bed early in preparation for a big event the next night.
But a tiny sentence on Facebook set in motion other plans. A friend asking for prayer indicated she was down, at “rock bottom.” Struggles that had been increasing in the past year now threatened to sink her.

I called to see if she wanted company, and was honestly surprised that she did. So over I went. And in the end, I was never so glad to put aside my plans for His.
I didn’t do anything noteworthy. Just sat on the couch with her so she didn’t have to cry alone. No special skills needed.
So often, we think that to do God’s work, we need an exceptional anointing, a wealth of Bible knowledge, remarkable speaking or leadership abilities,when all God really wants is someone willing to set aside their own agenda for His. [Tweet this] 
Matthew 25 tells us that in the end, the King will separate the sheep from the goats. The distinction between them is who gave of themselves – who gave something to eat, drink, or wear, who welcomed a stranger or a prisoner into their company. The King says when we do that for the “least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.”
To serve the King, we don’t need special skills. We don’t need anything more than a willingness to be used by the King.
It’s such a simple message, but one I learned anew last night. Despite how tired I felt going to my friend’s home, I felt infinitely lighter, stronger, and renewed in spirit on the way home. To be used by God in a small matter is no small matter at all.. [Tweet this] 


What can you do today to be a sheep?

photo credit: Lightstock.com  



What’s Good About Good Friday?

Posted on by Susan Panzica



The following passage from Isaiah 53 paints a picture of the “Suffering Savior.” Written 600 years before Jesus the Savior faced that ungrateful crowd and was condemned to die a criminal’s death, the prophet Isaiah penned these words:


He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he took up our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Is. 53:3-5)

Yet was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand….
After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, … because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Is. 53:10-12)

As Christians, we are aware that on the cross Jesus, who knew no sin, bore our sins (iniquities) allowing us to be forgiven and to have fellowship with God restored.

But have you noticed that He also bore our sorrows? In verse 4, we see that He bore our griefs and our sorrows. What a comfort to know that when we cannot bear our sorrows, He has borne them for us. We can surrender our pain, our suffering, our sadness, our despair to His loving presence. There is nothing too tough, too hard, too depressing, too painful for Him.

And in verse 11, we see that after His suffering, He was satisfied! Satisfied!! How amazing is that! He didn’t curse those who caused His pain. No, He came out the other side victorious, and that is what is so good about Good Friday. His victory becomes our victory when we trust in the One who bore our penalty and our sorrows.
Christ died for us while we were still sinners, long before we ever repented or asked for forgiveness. He died for those still screaming, “Crucify him!” and He prayed “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” But it seems to me that they did know what they were doing, didn’t they? They were calling for His death. What they did not know was WHO they were doing it to, and WHAT His death would accomplish for them.
Is there someone in your life causing you pain? Consider this – that person is giving you an opportunity to develop Christ-likeness that you would not have otherwise.

If we can see the offensive person in our life as Jesus does, and if we can forgive them as He did, we will be freed from the bondage of resentment and bitterness and will become a little more like Jesus. And to think that painful person is giving us such a sweet opportunity!

If your day today is dark and difficult, like that Friday 2000 years ago, remember it’s temporary, whether it seems it or not. A seed buried in the darkness of soil is transforming, growing, softening, breaking its tough outer husk, and at the right time will burst forth gloriously into the light. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied… And so my dear friend will you! 
May that encourage you today and in the days to come. 

Hang In There!!

Posted on by Susan Panzica
There they sit, like giant beached whales. Mounds of snow, at the edges of fences, by the sides of highways, in corners of parking lots, our lawns still cloaked in white. The recent rain, wind and warmer weather washed away much of the snow; yet there still remain piles of graying white.

 
 
Each of those snowflakes that fell en masse last December were so delicate, it’s amazing that they are still present a month later. What can we learn from these fragile flakes that have such staying power? 

1. They stick together. 
Despite the fact that one person can make a difference – which I absolutely believe – it is also true that there is power in numbers. 
 
We simply were not made to go it alone. God made us to be part of a body, His body. He made us for fellowship. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another. Heb 10:25 
 
God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” Gen 1:26 He is one God, but He is a plural God (like one family or one class or one snowstorm are singular, yet plural.) He is in fellowship with Himself. We are made in His image, and therefore, we need to be in the fellowship of believers. We are made that way for a reason. We are stronger together than we are alone. 
 
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Eccl. 4:12
 
2. They were pushed out of their comfort zone.
Oh, it’s so much easier to stay within our comfort zone, isn’t it? But those flakes that remained so comfortable out on the open lawn were the first ones to melt away. It was the plowed flakes, the ones that got pushed and shoved around that remained. If the snowflakes could speak, they would say that it sure didn’t feel good at the time. To the snowflake, the plow seemed brutal, a real bully. But it was precisely because it yielded to the plow that it survived. 
 
When we don’t understand our circumstances or we have to change our status quo, we have to recognize that there is Someone greater than ourselves in control, Someone who has our best interests at heart. 
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11
 
Recently, a friend shared this excellent quote with me:

“Comfort is the breeding ground for mediocrity. Hardship makes you find your greatness.”

If you’ve been trying to go it alone or if you’ve been facing a difficult struggle, hang in there. Remember the frail snowflake that first arrived a month ago and is still hanging around; and recognize that you are on the road to greatness!
Susan_signature

January is Human Trafficking Awareness month. Tonight January 15, the NJ Coalition is hosting a Human Trafficking Awareness Event:

New Jersey’s Annual Human Trafficking Awareness Day Observance will feature performances including the premier of “A Day In the Life,” singer/songwriter Courtney Wong, and the Justice Movement Dancers among other influentials. January 15, 7:00 pm, Bergen Performing Arts Center (PAC), Englewood. Click Here for more info and to RSVP >>