Tuesday, March 10, 2009

this is for you

(this post inspired by this article)

dear you,

im not sure what you're going through; or what you're dealing with right now but i just wanted to let you know- it's going to get better. you will make it through.
ignore the news on the web and tv; the craziness of the day and the situation of the world for a moment and realize God loves you. you are not insignificant at all. you may feel alone right now, you may feel scared or even hurt or abused but He says this: "Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's permission. Every hair on your head has been counted. Don't be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows." (matthew 10:29-31 gwt)

God doesn't even let a sparrow fall without his permission. and if you're worth more than many sparrows and He knows how many hairs are on your head- i think it's safe to say He is involved in every detail of your life and sees what you're going through." so why doesn't He stop this pain or remove these problems i'm going through?", you might ask.
one of my favourite quotes is from c.s. lewis who says: "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." What is God shouting to you? this pain and suffering you're going through might have a purpose that you need to discover.

Phillip Yancey says it like this: "Every square millimeter of the body has a different sensitivity to pain, so that a speck of dirt may cause excruciating pain in the vulnerable eye whereas it would go unreported on the tough extremities. When organs such as the heart detect danger but lack receptors, they borrow other pain cells, which is why heart attack victims often report pain in the shoulder or arm. The pain system automatically ramps up hypersensitivity to protect an injured part (explaining why a sore thumb always seems in the way) and turns down the volume in the face of emergencies (soldiers often report no pain from a wound in the course of battle, only afterwards). Pain serves us subliminally as well: sensors make us blink several times a minute to lubricate our eyes and shift our legs... to prevent pressure sores. Pain is the most effective language the body can use to draw attention to something important. "

why would i put this in a letter to you when you're needing encouragment? good question. because pain is the language God uses to draw attention to something important in your life. i don't know exactly whats going on in your life but i know God is shouting. God is shouting to me right now too. if your arm or your head were in extreme pain, wouldn't you go to a hospital or buy some medicine to relieve the pain?

go to God who "who comforts us in all our affliction" (2 corinthians 1:4 nasb) and who understands what you're going through.

you are going to make it. i know it. maybe, just maybe- what you're going through right now is bringing attention to something in your life, that if addressed and worked on will make you better. i say this because even this morning, God is shouting to me. there are things that even i know i need to address and i too have pain to remind me of that.

God's megaphone is rousing you. go to Him and tell Him where it hurts, whats going on and why you're at the point of giving up. He will help you. He can heal what others have hurt and fix what others have broken.

in love, josh

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Joshua - I'm just amazed, because your interpretation of what I said is something I had not really internalized when I wrote it. I've heard people say that God will accomplish what he wishes, with or without you. I've said that to myself and to others before. But it's so easy to forget and take the whole burden on yourself.

Thanks for some encouragement, even if it was right in front of me to begin with!

joshua conti said...

thanks for the note matt! i saw that sentence you wrote and it reminded me of what God's been teaching me in the last few weeks. im slowly learning to avoid the "they're lucky to have me" complex because its not about what i can do but about God and what He will do.

Tony C said...

Very insightful post. I linked to you through Matt and enjoy your blog.

God bless...keep writing.

Anonymous said...

Awesome insight my friend. It is all about God. You are my hero.

joshua conti said...

anil- youre are the man!