"blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test of time he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." james 1:12
ian said that it's hard to see now that "blessed is the man," because this suffering doesn't always feel like blessing. but of the following words in the verse, ian said "it makes me anxious for heaven, because i have a hope. and that's a really good thing. The same desire might not be there if I didn't have a brain injury."
on sunday our pastor shared a word on how many in the body of Christ are fighting to bless God through tears and sickness and suffering, and what magnificent glory that brings to Him. in my heart this week at church was sin churning, unbelief, discouragement. my mind is filled with the "what ifs,"the "if onlys," the "i can't write on this blog, i'm a mess!" and the "please, God, just do this one thing." but if i choose to not bless the Lord nor trust in His goodness, then my only other option is to curse Him. and how could i, when i see all that He has done, through the cross alone. the rest of this, along with our salvation, is grace. and we want to choose to bless, no matter how impossible it feels. and through those battles, the Holy Spirit comforts us and shows us peace and helps us to say, 'bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits."
we are so excited for heaven. we may be crawling by the time we get there, but it will be so very worth it.
love
i&l
Oh, Ian and Larissa, you make me smile! Thanks for pointing us to Jesus.
ReplyDeleteAlways praying for you,
Elaine
amen and amen. thank you for sharing. fellow travelers like you (even if only on the internet!) make the broken road a blessing.
ReplyDeletelarissa,
ReplyDeleteyour writings are deeply impacting my daily life ~
with ever gratitude and love
and in prayer for you and ian,
b in va
Dear Ian and Larissa, you don't know us, but we follow your blog - and have been blessed by many things you write..... we want to encourage you in the Lord - don't give up! He is always faithful, and will not let you go - though the way be rough and rocky....underneath are the Everlasting Arms (Deut 33:@6,27a). Wishing you His continued grace for all the moments of a lifetime...(warmly - John & Jen)
ReplyDeletehey!
ReplyDeletei have the same picture in my house of the young girl sitting and reading. and, i grew up in kittanning pa...ever heard of it? found your blog after the desiring god clip about your marriage. what a blessing you both are. i appreciate the 'realness' of your blog...seeing the battle between the temporal and eternal.
in Christ, laura
Dear Ian and Larissa,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog from the desiringgod post. I have read through many of the posts and have been so blessed by your testimony. Thank you for sharing.
I am praying for you.
God bless you.
with love,
Sunitha.
Amen! It can be a rough journey, but the destination is so worth reaching!
ReplyDeleteKeep going...doing all to His glory! You are an inspiration to all and a wonderful witness for Christ!
Warmly,
katy
I have been struggling the last few days, too, as it seems one thing piles on top of another until my hope is crushed by the weight of it all. But the worst pain was feeling farther from God. You can't be close to Him, and be angry at Him, at the same time! Last night I finally let go of everything because I wanted to so badly to crawl into His lap...and I slept soundly for the first time in a couple weeks. I want Him more than I want to understand what's happening in my life. I want Him and more of Him, more than anything else! I pray the same for you also. Thank you to the commenter who mentioned the Everlasting Arms - someone else also just told me God has me in His arms. There I will REST and WAIT on the GOODNESS of the Lord.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your words of encouragement (through your honesty). It was what I needed this morning.
ReplyDeleteHi sweet friend,
ReplyDeleteI hear the pain in your voice today - pain with hope ... and I have to believe He is coming soon ... I understand the sin churning unbelief ... but today God's Word encourages me " for when he has stood the TEST OF TIME" it truly is a test of time isn't it ... and with each passing moment of the day the TIME gets closer ... longing for heaven with you guys today.
Shelley
Wow, I am right there with you. My heart churns with unbelief and discouragement much more frequently than I can bring myself to admit. I am an ungrateful servant, serving a God who is so loving and so good. He gave up His son and yet there is still so much I grasp at with closed fist and heart. Praying for you both. Thank you for your words of encouragement and honesty.
ReplyDeleteHow often I have felt those thoughts, "If I wrote of my life right now...-I can't, I am a mess!"
ReplyDeleteWhere else can we go? Yes, we must choose to bless, because not to bless is to curse.
Thank you for always turning our hearts toward home...
Always you two in my prayers.
I shared your story on my blog. Then I started at your first post back in 2006 and got caught up, I read (almost) all of your posts. I'm so thankful for you. Your love is so real, it brings God SO much glory, and I know Jesus better because of you both. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite things is standing in worship with you guys at church
ReplyDeleteI think we will do that a whole lot in heaven
Just more dancing.
"We may be crawling by the time we get there" amen sister :) I got to that line and wasn't sure if I should laugh or cry. So I kinda had a salty chuckle. Thank you for being a real example of our Father's sustaining love.
ReplyDeletePlease keep writing! Even if you feel like "a mess". (You're not, btw!)
ReplyDeleteWe are all so blessed to have you share a piece of your journey with us.
I'm so thankful to have found you blog!
Casey S.
Makes me think of the night a few days ago when my husband & I were about to go to sleep & got lost in gratefulness to be going through the same struggles of bad backs together. Each understanding the others yelps. Like you said Larissa; "You both have a shared injury. And we have that one with our Laurie too. We are such a body of Christ♥
ReplyDelete