Stuck, but Not Forever

 

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.--Romans 8:2

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.-- Galatians 5:1

       Well, we survived the snowstorm of early 2021.  Some better than others, because some lost both power and water for days.  It was an uncomfortable and unpleasant week for some of us, while others made the most out of the week.  Did you feel stuck?  I think we all did in some form or another.  Today was my first day to get out of  the house and it felt like freedom.  How can we relate, as believers, about how we were once stuck in sin and are now free because of Jesus' death on the Cross?

       "Almost 2,000 years ago, the Lord Jesus cried out on the cross, “It is finished,” proclaiming the believer’s “declaration of independence.” All of humanity was under the tyranny of sin and death. But Christ, the sinless One, took our place on Calvary and died for our sins. Having satisfied God’s righteous demands, He now sets free for eternity all who trust in Him."  [odb.org]

        "The greatest freedom we can experience is the forgiveness of our sins, liberation from the strongholds that have held us captive, and the restoration of our relationship with our Maker and His creation.   With freedom comes responsibility. Freedom in Christ does not absolve us of responsibility and accountability. An important aspect of Christian freedom is our responsibility not to return to living under the Law. "  [intouch.org]

         "In his message titled “You Will Know the Truth and the Truth Will Set You Free,” John Piper explained true freedom this way: “If you don’t have the desire to do a thing, you are not fully free to do it … And if you have the desire to do something but no ability to do it, you are not free to do it. And if you have the desire and the ability to do something, but no opportunity to do it, you are not free to do it. And if you have the desire to do something, and the ability to do it, and the opportunity to do it, but it destroys you in the end, you are not fully free—not free indeed.”

         As for myself, I am stuck for now, yet fully free in Christ.  I am physically stuck in so many ways, good and bad.  I'm stuck where I live, but God has me right where He wants me and I now know it's a blessing.  I'm stuck with a purposeful van, but was blessed with 2 sportcars back in my youth.  I'm stuck with minimal strength, but still have enough power in my left arm to drive my scooter and click out this blog on my computer.  I'm sometimes stuck in my head with undermining thoughts, but I have God's word to pull me out of those with His encouragement.  I look forward more and more each day to the freedom I will have in eternity and I'll never be stuck in any way ever again.  ;-]

 

Emotional Overload

 

       This week has been quite snowfilled with downright frigid temperatures.  We haven't had weather like this in Arkansas since the late 1980's.  Has it brought you more emotions than you can bear?  Stress can bring on anxiety, worry, fear, and insomnia.  We have to learn to deal with our emotions so that we control them and they don't control us.

        "Are there good and bad emotions? Yes and no. Emotions in themselves are neutral. Their expression takes on the nature of good and bad. All emotions are valid, and each has a place in God’s design of your human psyche and spirit. God created your emotions so you might enjoy them and communicate to others by using them.  

         Sometimes we are overcome with emotion. We may lose control in a particular situation. At those times, we may feel that we should apologize for our lack of restraint, but we should never apologize for having feelings. After all, none of the psalmists held back in expressing their full range of human emotions to God. When we apologize for having emotions, we are in danger of stuffing them, with a possible eruption later. Stuffed emotions can only be damaging.”  [Charles F. Stanley, Becoming Emotionally Whole]

         "Emotions can become problematic when we allow them to overpower us and take over. There is a line between feeling anger and becoming it. Sometimes an emotion feels so big that I can’t separate it from who I am in that moment.  This is when I know I have to pull back. I don’t reject the emotion, but I want to be able to hold it at a distance. I change “I am desperate” to “I feel desperate; I am holding despair.” This small change in perspective is enough to give me relief. And if I treat the feeling with care and compassion, I am able to come out of it with time.  By treating our own emotions not as enemies but as neutral information, we can have compassion for ourselves and, in turn, with others."  [intouch.org]

         Emotional overload can lead to feelings of self discouragement and disappointment.  We may be told or feel like we are overreacting.  These are unfair and hurtful judgments that only further develop the emotional snowball.  "Since we cannot experience perfect success in a fallen world or keep ourselves from suffering, there’s no way to avoid all disappointments in life. However, we don’t have to yield to discouragement. With the right perspective of God and His sovereignty over us, we can avoid feelings of despair. When He, in His providence, allows failure and disappointment, it is part of His perfect plan, and He promises to use it for good.  May we all become victorious over despair and disappointment by trusting in and depending on Him."

         As for myself, I never understood anxiety as a real thing until after my fall in 2018.  Since then, anxiety can be brought on by things that normally wouldn't phase me at all.  I think a lot of it has to do with the realization of my lack of control.  God has always been in control, but I previously had a crazy facade going on in my mind that I had a little bit of control of in my world.  This week my emotions led to a fear of the possibility of a power outage here that overtook me, but led me to much prayer to the One in control of all things.  My mind told me I was being ridiculous, but my faith told me to rely and trust in my Protector and Sustainer.   God is faithful to take care of His beloved.

         2 Corinthins 4:16-18 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Just Breathe

 

      We should have learned so much in 2020 about things we take for granted, but one of the main ones is our ability to breathe.  The number of Covid related deaths still continues to rise at an alarming rate.  We have heard so much about people with shortness of breath, on ventilators, and on high levels of oxygen to try to survive.  Oxygen is not seen but is needed to live, as Christians we can think of God in the same way.  Have you thought about your own God given breath? 

 Genesis 2:7  "Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."  

 Job 12:10  "In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind."

  Job 33:4  "The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life." 

 Psalm 39:5  "You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure." 

 Psalm 150:6  "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord."

        "God breathed His own breath of life into man. Man is more than “dust” or physical substance. Man has a spirit. We can picture it this way: Adam’s body had just been formed by God from the dust of the earth—a lifeless human body lying on the ground. Then God leaned over and “breathed” His own “breath of life” into the man’s nostrils; God is the Source of life, and He directly placed life within man."  [gotquestions.org]

         "There is an ancient prayer called the Jesus Prayer, which also works with breathing. You inhale, “Lord Jesus Christ,” and you exhale, “Have mercy on me.” You inhale your petition. You exhale your surrender. Over and over. I heard it suggested that the Jesus Prayer may be the simplest thing to remember for people with COVID-19 who are going to the hospital, who may have to die alone in isolation. The most famous breath prayer, derived from Luke 18:13, is the “Jesus Prayer”—Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.  But it’s also a useful practice for each one of us.  When life gets overwhelming, let’s take a deep breath and remind ourselves of God’s sovereign presence upholding our existence, His breath sustaining ours."  [intouch.org]

         "God fashioned our days even before we existed (Ps. 139:16), and we exist now only because “the breath of the Almighty gives [us] life” (Job 33:4). Though we don’t know how many breaths we have left—we can rest in the knowledge that He does."  [odb.org]

          As for myself, I have been keenly aware of the value of each breath since I was 21 years old.  I began wearing a negative pressure device at night while I slept to assist my breathing at age 21.  It was a bulky device that was like a portable iron lung.  It was awful and consisted of a metal cage that fit over my chest and had an overlaying jacket that was cinched at the neck, waist, and wrists to keep air from escaping.  A hose connected to the jacket and pushed air in and out to create a vacuum on my chest to help my muscles fully inhale and exhale.  The machine was hard on me and my marriage at the time, but it was necessary.  I wore it for 13 years.  Then, I got my Trilogy/bipap machine and mask that I now use.  I used it just for sleep for a few years but eventually went to daytime use as well.

           I am thankful for the forced air, not oxygen, that my Trilogy provides.  I wouldn't be here without it and it allows me to go out and about.  Right now, I can go about 4 minutes without breathing assistance.  I live on a timer you might say that says 'time's up, get your mask on'.  It's a suffocating feeling that follows me in everything I do.  For example, I have just enough breath to brush and mouthwash my teeth then times up.  You can ponder about how your own life tasks might be in spurts.  Life in 4 minute spurts is not easy but it's doable.  God gives me just enough breath to get by and not take those 4 minutes for granted.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away.