I have been a born-again Christian for more than 30 years but I have been a real Christ- follower 20 of those 30. I remember the day I settled that decision of accepting Jesus Christ into my life. I was 18 years old and at Bible College. 13 years of hearing God loved me and it was still hard to believe. I did not believe I could trust anyone~ not even God. I had been in church as a bus kid since the age of 5 but by the time I left for Bible College my whole family had accepted Christ and were faithfully in a good Bible teaching church.
I would be lying if I told you being a lover and follower of Jesus was all rosy with white picket fences. For being a "Christian" does not mean we will not be hurt, be misunderstood or any other bad thing. Somehow~ we get the wrong idea that if we are walking with God everything will be peachy. It is just not the case~ and we are wrong to give the impression that it is so. My walk with Jesus has been a charmed life for sure~ it has been so wonderful ~ it has been full of peace and joy~ but it has not been without pain.
When I was a young girl~ Randy Brown was one of my favorite evangelist. He has moved across the states and I don't get to hear him preach anymore but I sure remember when I did. He had a way of getting his message across so it stuck forever in your memory. He preached in a way to make people stop and listen~ he was funny but he was real. He preached hard ~ but you knew he cared. He was charming ~ but had character. He is still serving the Lord all these years later~and that sure does my heart good.
The other day on Facebook he was trying to encourage someone to keep going on in the Lord. He posted this comment~ "God never wastes pain, Beautiful." Wow~ that is what we need to tell someone who has been hurt, who has been crushed , who has been abandoned, who has been abused, who has misunderstood.
Isaiah 53:3-7
King James Version (KJV)
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and theLord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and theLord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
I wrote this very quote in my Bible that day and this morning it is a reminder. Life has a way of knocking the props out from under us at times. It sure does! But God sees! We don't have to fight the battles~ he will fight it for us! We don't have to falter ~ we just need to keep standing! Keep serving! Keep loving! Keep trusting! Keep remembering~ "God never wastes pain, beautiful." - RB
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