He Allows The Suffering To Continue?
February 17, 2007 by Mark
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
That’s right, He does.
This one is for me folks. If you’re not Christian you might want to look in another direction from this entry.
How many of you no longer believe in coincidences? I haven’t for quite some time although I often lose sight and am thankfully reminded. Thanks Jen! I need this right now, today and yesterday. I might have been on the right path but one of your commenters today firmed it all up! Traci mentioned Romans 8. Rick often quoted Romans 8 to me.
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
During the lengthy time of my divorce I was given the opportunity to read, learn and then practice a life lesson that many today scoff at. Here it is, paraphrased, because it is a Rosary prayer and I don’t remember it precisely;
“Sometimes in His wisdom, God allows the suffering to continue.”
Wow. As I first read that I thought to myself “a loving God eh? I doubt it.” I re-read it again and again – because I don’t want to drink again. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I finally heard the message.
There come times when the only way I’m going to learn lessons that will save my life and the lives of others is to go through the suffering, feel the pain, find the solution without drinking, practice it and then pass it on.
Amazing how simple yet challenging that is!
For the last 48 hours my brother, with whom I’ve had no communications at all for almost 14 years and who I honestly have written out of my life because I have no need nor want to allow myself to be so influenced by such negative thinking anymore, has attempted (at my personal Blog where he “found” me – yes, I’m public, not hiding at all) to hammer down my throat what he perceives as the harm I did my family because my ex divorced me. He has no idea, none, what I’ve survived through the last 13 years yet has some sick need to blame me for all my children’s woes and troubles while trying to send me on guilt trips about he and my other brother along with some intensely anti-spiritual talk (i.e. disgusting language) and character assassination. Maybe it would have been nicer had he offered me support during that time rather than the spewage he puked on me, behind my back btw, including “Don’t give me any of that AA crap!”
Nice? – not! There is now no condemnation…
I got some really bad news today. I had to go back and reread my own post, and it was good to see you expand on it.
Thanks. I really do need more lessons, I suppose, on handling the hard times without alcohol. It’s so hard to understand some things that happen in our lives, though, isn’t it?
So, so funny. I have this feed on my bloglines that hardly ever works, meaning it never shows any new posts. Right after reading this, it said it had a new post so I click on it and it said:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”- Romans 8:35,37
Romans 8 seems to be a theme for me today.
Jen,
“It’s so hard to understand some things that happen in our lives, though, isn’t it?”
Yes, but trust that the understanding becomes easier…
And -
LOL – Coincidences? I think not
OH BROTHER !!!!!! What can I say that you don’t already know and don’t want to hear ? I too have brothers as you know one is no longer of our world , and his last words to me were ,, well not so nice . But as he got sicker we got closer , so I guess my point is never say never , as you also know I m no stranger to upsetting news in sobriety , “Even if your ass falls off don’t drink and go to meetings ” seems to have worked for 17 plus years . And God only giving me what I can handle for me is hog wash , I fond He gave me more then I could handle so that I may turn to Him instead of curse Him.
Dont drink or think and go to meetings
love ya all
mike p
I don’t know Mike – make believe you’re me talking to you…
I am pi**ed… I want to get a hold of this punk who is not my brother any more. No brother does that kind of stuff. That’s truly lower power garbage.
And I want to strike out – ego, pride? Oh he** yeah!
But, ya’ know – it wasn’t God… and that is soooooo THE important thing!
accepting people as they are and not as we would have them be . Has helped me a great deal lately w/ the living brother who spews venom not realizing what he is doing , but doing it under the line of self righteousness’s and ego , ya know how people would tell us what we did last nite when we were drinking they would have that condescending way about them , An I always remember today these things are just words from an angry bitter person and our disease which by all accounts wants us dead and thinks this is a good place to start , so be on guard for the unguarded moment
IF GOD IS FOR US , WHO CAN BE AGAINST US .
Give me a call Ill be home all day kids have no school “winter recess” remember ?
Be on guard for the unguarded moment ought to be my new battle cry – you’re right.
Whatever expectations I might have had about this went away a long time ago. Geez, it had been 14 years. When you give up, you give up.
It’s a surprise when it jumps up out of nowhere like that. Right word – venomous.
And I soooo agree with you about God not giving us more than we can handle – that is just alkies trying to be profound with words and romanticism. “Normal” behavior… lol