Sunday, February 10, 2008

please turn off my brain....


i've really been thinking about some things. like prayer. and blessings. like, how prayer works or doesn't work and how people use the phrase "we are REALLY blessed" when things are going well. does that mean when things don't go so well "we are really NOT blessed?" just thinking.

3 comments:

olivia and henry said...

hey jan,
it is great to think about these things. the Lord will give you insights and wisdom as you continue to search out His ways...
about blessing:
i believe that you are blessed when things aren't going well...you can be blessed by the Lord's comfort, blessed by His loving care, His peace, and the hope that only comes from Him. an example in scripture would be "BLESSED are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."(Matt.5:4)
i have just experienced this "blessing" this weekend...
we lost baby #3 over the weekend. i was 7 weeks pregnant, and by saturday morning, i miscarried.
it was a long weekend, emotionally and physically. but even in my pain and sadness, the Lord blessed me beyond words with His love and kindness. though i hurt, i feel blessed. i am strengthened by all of His spiritual provisions.
anyways, just wanted to share. also wanted to tell you because i thought about alyssa this weekend, as i experienced for the first time what it is like to lose your baby.

Leigh said...

hey Jan, I'm not sure how I found Suz and the quads. I don't know her personally. I just love to read her blog, and that she's in Ft. Worth is cool. What a small world.
Leigh

AW said...

Jan, I've wondered the same thing. Regarding prayer, it always works. But too many times we are more focused on the outcome/answer instead of being focused on the exercise of prayer itself. I know I look to it as a method of asking for what I want, instead of looking at it as a two-way conversation with my Father. If a friend came to you just to ask for things, what kind of relationship would that be? Something I DEFINITELY need to change my perspective on.

I will say that truth and emotion have two different answers to being blessed or not. The truth is, we are blessed when Life is good or bad. Emotion says when things are difficult we are not blessed. I can't remember what scripture it is, but somewhere in the bible it says that the heart is deceitful. In those hard times I believe it. Call 'em pep talks or re-focusing, whatever, but sometimes I have to physically stop and remember the truth that comes from His Word...that He loves us, that He has plans for us, that nothing can separate us, that this Life is NOT all there is. There is something more than what pleasure and agony this life brings us. And I'd like to think that someday, we'll look back on this and think, "If I had to do this a million times over, I would."

It's hard. But I'm realizing it's meant to be.