J.E. Solinski
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Books
  • About
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • My Favs!

Peaceful Though Still Painful . . .

4/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
 “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” Luke 9:23

There is something that many non Christians claim not to understand about Christians, and that is their decision to deny themselves some things that are pleasurable. The irony is that often these same people will chose to do the very same thing.

Many people in pursuit of better physical health or a slimmer body will often deny themselves certain foods or ingredients. They will even go so far as to remove those temptations completely from their homes. They know that proximity often leads to a downfall as one bite will often lead to many more. Individuals trying to quit smoking will often do the same with cigarettes.

Therefore, these individuals realize that denying themselves in certain areas is, in the end, not a bad thing at all. It is a good thing. And while the process is not always easy or painless, it brings them a certain peace and joy to know that their obedience to their diet or cessation plan is bringing about positive physical, mental, and emotional results.

In the very same way, good spiritual health (which also affects physical, mental, and emotional health -- Psalm 32:3) requires denial as well. Each of us may have practices or thoughts in our lives that are not pleasing to God, that God expressly sees as sin. And though these thoughts and practices may bring us temporal pleasure, in the end they will not bring us permanent joy and will damage our relationship with God because to purposely continue in them is to be  willfully disobedient.

Just as for the dieter, the process is rarely easy. Being obedient to God’s will often requires loss and can be painful. But God has promised to be with us through the journey (Deuteronomy 31:6), and, through Jesus, has experienced those very same temptations we face and so can both empathize with us (Hebrews 4:15) and help us (I Corinthians 10:13).

God offers those who trust Him and are obedient to Him peace as well, but a different kind of peace than the world offers, a peace which  “surpasses all understanding” (Phil. 4:6) and is “perfect” (Isaiah 26:3). God’s peace never fails. Worldly peace can be shattered by a word or a look as we have seen both in our personal lives and in the failure of international peace agreements. But the peace God provides endures.

Wesley Hill in his book Washed and Waiting talks about the pain that often accompanies God’s desire to purify us from sin through our obedience. He says, “ . . . God isn’t tame or safe. True, he is merciful, but his mercy has sharp edges. God judges sin and transforms sinners in a way that often feels as if it is ripping apart our deepest selves" (128).

But he follows this statement by providing encouragement to all who are struggling with denial, when he says, “. . . . even on our loneliest roads, when the valleys are so shadowed that day feels like night, God is watching, rejoicing over every inch gained, gazing down as the Author who cares about every twist in his story” (128).

So I pray that we all stay the course, so that not only will we experience perfect peace and everlasting joy while on earth––despite the pain--but also that when we come face to face with God, we will hear Him say, “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23).

Hill, Wesley. Washed and Waiting. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI, 2010. Print.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Jody Eileen Solinski spent her career teaching in the California public school system where she enjoyed helping young adults take their place in society. A native Californian, she enjoys the outdoors and so loves living in Northern California where she can enjoy the beauty of God’s creation up close.

    Picture
    Subscribe

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015

    Categories

    All
    Anger
    Appreciation
    Art
    Attitude
    Beauty
    Belief
    Books
    Bravery
    Calm
    Change
    Christian Bloggers
    Christian Living
    Christmas
    Cleansing
    Conflict
    Consistency
    Coronavirus
    Costs
    Demands
    Disappointment
    Discontent
    End Times
    Evil
    Faith
    Fatigue
    Fear
    Fires
    Focus
    Foolishness
    Forgiveness
    Frustration
    God's Protection
    God's Sovereignty
    God's Timing
    Good Intentions
    Grace
    Grief
    Healing
    Hell
    Holy Spirit
    Hopes
    Hymns
    Hypocrisy
    Ingenuity
    Isolation
    Jesus
    Legacies
    Listening
    Love
    Memories
    Money
    Mornings
    Mothers
    Music
    New Years
    Opportunities
    Order
    Pain
    Patience
    Peace
    Perfection
    Perseverance
    Perspective
    Prayer
    Pressure
    Promises
    Purpose
    Readiness
    Reading
    Reduction
    Refreshed
    Relationship
    Relief
    Remembering
    Renewed
    Reset
    Rest
    Sacrifice
    Science
    Seeing
    Self-Centeredness
    Service
    Sin
    Sleep
    Spiritual Diet
    Spiritual Life
    Storms
    Strength
    Suffering
    Summer
    Talents
    Temptation
    Thanksgiving
    The Bible
    The Tongue
    Troubles
    Trust
    Truth
    Unity
    Water
    Weaknesses
    Wise Counsel
    Worry
    Writing
    Youth

J.E. Solinski ©2015