Discouraged?

There is hope.  The valley may seem dark.  The mountains may block the sun.  The path may be rocky.  And the perils may threaten every move.  The worst of fears may be realized at times.  But there is hope.  The days may be long.  The nights may be longer.  The emptiness of grief may seem to swallow your hope.  Pain may seem unbearable.  Losses may seem to many to restore.  Daily frustrations may multiply, divide and multiply again.  But...
God still reigns.  God still stands.  God never lets go of His own.  Jesus still loves you.  Jesus still cares.  Jesus beckons, "Come unto Me, all ye who are heavy-laden, take My yoke upon you, and I will give you rest." 

There is someone who cares.  There really is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Take a moment, turn away from the frenzy, the blaring noises, the wailing children, the negative pundits on television.  Take a moment (only one) and go into your private closet with the Lord.  Ask that He refresh your spirit, restore the joy, and give you strength to meet the task before you.  Be it the stack of bills, the unmade beds, the whiney children, the unkind neighbor, or the responsibilities of your role in life.  Confess your inability to deal with it all, trust in Him to give you what you need, wait until you sense His peace.  Then set your mind on the prize before you.  Even if that is survival for the day.  He cares about that too.  He really does. Even the seemingly smallest task before you has a place in God's plan.

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58
[Copyrighted hariette petersen, 4-2012]

Wisdom

Choices.  Some prove disastrous, some fruitful.  Several I've made were disastrous.  In hindsight, I see the reason I failed so miserably is because I didn't look to God for help.  I forged ahead and made decisions based on emotion, on whim, on impulse, on bad advice.  Not a good idea. Not wise.

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere."  James 3:17 ESV

This passage is a great guideline for interacting with our world.  If I follow the checklist in this simple verse, I can avoid a lot of misery.

First pure":  hmmmn...seems my thoughts should not have any devious, self-centered motives.

Second: "then peaceable"...if my decision breeds discord, it bears rethinking.

Third: "gentle":  if my conversation and attitude is harsh, arrogant, and comes from an air of superiority, then I need to look at myself and make some changes.

Fourth: "open to reason"...if I am narrow-minded, stubborn and rigid-- unwilling to compromise, and settle for something different that what I wanted, it is not from a perspective of wisdom.

Fifth: "full of mercy"...oh, my.  remember that I am not living on an island in my decisions.  I have more than myself to consider.  I must show mercy to those involved with the ultimate choice I make.

Sixth: "good fruits"...if my decision produces anger, resentment, bitterness, misunderstanding and discord, then the fruit of my choice is definitely not from "above".  It's from inside.

"Seventh: "impartial"...ah...this one is tough.  But favoritism is void of consideration and creates problems of jealousy, envy, and division.

Eighth: "sincere":  Wisdom consists of honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness.  It seeks to do the best for all concerned.  It looks to God and follows His standards and principles-- not the world's.

In the end...wisdom is not a single thought; it is a process of several. Each bears the mark of God when wisdom is from above.  selahV