Daily Thought for Wednesday, October 5th

October 5, 2011

Accepting Reality

‘Stuff Happens’

Today’s Thought:

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.”  – Philip K. Dick

Today’s Quote:

“The sky is not less blue because the blind man does not see it.”  – Danish Proverb

Today’s Question:

Would you agree that; “The real world is not easy to live in: It is rough: it is slippery?” – Clarence Day

Today’s Bible Verses:            Matthew 5:43-45 & 1 Peter 4:12-14

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.  If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

Today’s Spiritual Thought:

“Reality cannot be ignored except at a price; and the longer ignorance is persisted in, the higher and the more terrible becomes the price that must be paid."  –  Aldous Huxley

Sometimes reality can be a ‘bitter pill to swallow.’  And often it leaves us wondering, ‘why bad things happen to good people.’

As Christians, sometimes we like to think that God should fix everything and our spiritual journey should always be ‘gumdrops and roses and soft fuzzy kittens:’ but this does not represent reality and if we believe this is how our life should be then we will find ourselves being disappointed and we risk being considered to be delusional.

Remember Paul wrote, “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” – The Bible (Philippians 4:12)  Yet he also proclaimed, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” – The Bible (Philippians 4:13)

We also need to keep in mind that our faith is not going to grow as much from those mountain top experiences as it will when we are facing the trials and persecutions while we are down in the valley and striving to climb up to reach that mountain top.

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”  - The Bible (1 Peter 1:6-7)

As Christians we need to embrace and accept the reality that sometimes things will be difficult: we may face hard times: and we may suffer.  After all, even Jesus was tempted, tried and He most certainly suffered.  But we also need to be aware of this reality, “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” – The Bible (Hebrews 16:5-6)

This is reality – ‘stuff happens:’ –sometimes it’s good stuff; sometimes it’s bad stuff: but whatever stuff it is God will be right there with us and He will help us through: we need only to let Him.

Today’s Prayer:

Father, sometimes reality isn’t as pretty as we would like it to be, but whatever comes my way: may I take up the cross and follow you knowing there is no reality so big or too bad that I can’t make it through with You.