Embrace or Escape?

A friend shared this quote with me yesterday. It sums up what God has been teaching me in recent days.

"It doesn't matter, really, how great the pressure is; it only matters where the pressure lies.  See that it never comes between you and the Lord -- then, the greater the pressure, the more it presses you to His breast."  Hudson Taylor

Recently, my health has been my prolonged trial as wave after wave of chronic illness flare have come, hindering what I want to do, making every task exhausting, and making me more prone to discouragement. Will I allow this trial to push me closer to Christ (embracing it) instead of allowing it to push me away (escaping what God plans to do)? 

Driving away from a doctor's appointment where I learned another round of required treatment would mean many months of weakness, suppressed immune system, and an endless list of nasty side effects while on prolonged overtime at work, my heart cried out to my Father as I drove home that He would help me glorify Him and walk through this graciously when I wanted to run and hide until the trial passed. I asked that He help me keep my gaze focused completely on Him during this time. He graciously has been counseling my heart in embracing this trial and trusting Him. Although I can't express His lessons in flowery words, I want to share what He has been teaching as He draws me nearer during this time.

When trials come, will I embrace them or try to escape, resenting the hardship rather than receiving the hardship as a gift from God. It is natural and easy to try to escape through novels, movies, hermitage, constant noise, and avoidance of the truth. It is easy to allow roots of bitterness to spring up in reaction to a long trial, bringing you and others around you down. 

Embracing and receiving the prolonged hardship is the more difficult and grace driven approach. But, how do we embrace the trial? Much of this comes in how we view the trial. 

• James 1:17 indicates that every good gift comes from our Father. Sometimes, those good gifts are in a very different form from what we would have chosen yet are just as precious.
• In Psalm 119:67 , we see that afflictions can be used to draw us to Himself, to keep us from going astray. Job indicates that the trials would make him come forth as gold. 
• Job declared that the Lord gave and the Lord took away, yet... blessed be the name of the Lord! He realized that God is the owner of his life and trustworthy.

So many other passages came to mind as God drew my heart to Him and realized that this time was truly a time for which to praise our precious Savior as He uses it in my life. With this proper perspective on the trial as part of God's plan, how can we walk through this graciously and live out the embracing of His will? After going to the Father, I reached out to my prayer partners asking for prayer support during the next months. These prayer partners are also faithful in calling me out if I become self-absorbed or sinful in my response to this trial. I am so blessed to have this support network! 

God has reminded me over the past few weeks that there is still a way to serve Him even in the prolonged weakness.

• He is teaching me to be a Mary worshipping at His feet instead of a Martha.
• He reminded me that He has made my body and knows my weaknesses. He will give me strength to serve in whatever way He wills. In Exodus 4, God uses what Moses has in His hand to do His service. He also reminds Moses that He made Him and knows his strength. It has seemed that God has continued to ask me, "What is that in your hand?" and "Who has made your mouth?" It made me look around at how I could serve Him where He has me right now through prayer and notes of encouragement. 
• As I struggle to feel guilty when I can't do much, He reminded me of 1 Peter 4:11. He only expects to give as He has given ability... not beyond that.  
• Paul is a wonderful example in service in trials. He was not concerned for himself, but that God would be glorified. He rejoiced in his chains. :) Jesus came to him at one point and told him to be of good cheer since he would testify of him in Rome as well. It struck me as he was going to be testifying of Jesus in Rome in chains. Yet... Jesus told him to be of good cheer. Why? because glorifying God was most important. In the same way, God uses our weakness to show His strength. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10; 1 Corinthians 1:27)

All in all, it will be a daily, moment by moment choice to embrace and be grateful for what He is doing. :) May God be glorified! :) He is all in all!