[The Mayor]

February 16, 2005

Temporary Tears

Read:
1 Peter 5:6-11

May the God of all grace, . . . after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. -1 Peter 5:10

Bible In One Year: Leviticus 24-27

Author George MacDonald wrote, "God has come to wipe away our tears. He is doing it; He will have it done as soon as He can; and until He can He would have them flow without bitterness; to which end He tells us it is a blessed thing to mourn because of the comfort that is on its way."

While we wait for that comfort, we can be assured that God will not allow us to be tested beyond our ability to bear the trial. Every difficult circumstance is timed with exact precision. Every hard situation is screened through His perfect love. We will not suffer one moment more, nor will we suffer more intensely than is necessary. "To a close-shorn sheep God gives wind by measure" goes an old Basque saying. In other words, God will not allow those most vulnerable to life's difficulties to be overtaken by them.

There may be deep waters through which you must wade; there may be fires through which the ore of your character must pass. But in the midst of them God promises to be your partner, companion, and faithful friend. He will "perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you" (1 Peter 5:10).

And then, when He has finished His work, He will take you home to heaven and wipe away all your tears-forever (Revelation 21:4). -David Roper

He knows our burdens and our crosses,
Those things that hurt, our trials and losses;
He cares for every soul that cries-
God wipes the tears from weeping eyes. -Brandt

Tears are often the telescope by which we can see into heaven.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
Why Would A Good God Allow Suffering?
When Hope Is Lost

[JustAmy]

2-16-05
Graphic by MamaBear

The Cozy Corner

I scribbled your address upon a note
Now I just don't know where it is,
I was going to drop you a line
Maybe I used it as a shopping list.

I jotted your phone number on my hand
Oh, what now will you say,
I washed it away while doing the dishes
Now it's forever gone astray.

I tried to remember your email addy
By using a code or such,
But with my memory of blind flashes
Maybe that was asking way too much.

I even got all sentimental today
While meandering along the road,
And designed your name in pretty stones
Though no-one could ever read my fancy code.

And then I found the sharpest rock
To engrave a memory within some bark,
But it just splintered and fell apart
All I managed was a jagged mark.

I embroidered you a poem in crosstitch
What a keepsake that would be,
But how sad today I found
Silverfish had come to eat the lot for tea.

So all wrapped up in sentiment
I snuggled into my cozy corner seat,
And just prayed for you the longest while
For in my heart my dearest friend
Is where you're meant to be.

~Unknown~

[PreviouslyA-Lurker]

Thank you Mayor.