Embrace the Suck

Today has been interesting. I use a Cloud service called OneDrive. Today it showed me a bracelet that quoted Psalm 46:10--

"Be still, and know that I am God."

God used that bracelet years ago with me, when I was begging Him to do something in a certain area. He didn't answer. Finally, in frustration, I opened Instagram to a post by www.mintandlily.com and I was staring at this cuff bracelet. God was telling me to Stop Striving, and to Trust Him.

And here we are again. So I opened One Drive, noted the image (Ok, God), then opened my bible at random to Luke 2:22-23, in The Message:

"[Jesus] went on, 'It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the religious leaders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and on the third day be raised up alive."

Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: 'Anyone who intends to come after me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat -- I am. Don't run from suffering, embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.' "

Ok, embrace suffering, don't run from it, right, right. Not my favorite scripture passage, but probably just random, right? Next I opened again at random and was staring at Job 13: 20-21, where Job is entreating God in the middle of his agony:

"Please, God, I have two requests: grant them, so I know I count with you:

First, lay off the afflictions, the terror is too much for me..."

Ok, God. This is about my pending cancer diagnosis, right? Give me courage! Then God spoke to my heart these words:

"My Grace is Sufficient."

God was quoting 2 Corinthians 12:8-9a to me. In context, the Apostle Paul, the same Paul who performed incredible healing miracles, had a physical affliction himself. Paul writes,

"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' "

Ok, God. My heart was a peace. A couple of hours later, I finally got the expected phone call. The doctor said I have Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and that an oncologist would be calling me to set up an appointment. So it's On. God had been preparing me for it for the past few weeks, and again this morning, so the call itself wasn't devastating.

Even so, I still had a breakdown this afternoon. In a moment, I felt emotionally drained. Like it was the end of everything. It came on so fast-- in a matter of seconds. And in my despair, God quickly spoke to my heart John 16:33,

"Be of good courage, I have overcome the world."

Jesus was with his disciples on the night of his betrayal. He had a lot to say to them, but then he told them WHY he was telling them all these things.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world."

So God was telling me that this is going to hurt. But that He is there with me. As our soldiers and marines say, it's time to Embrace the Suck. But, God is here, and he is asking me to Trust Him.

Be still and know that I am God. (And Embrace the Suck.)

https://mintandlily.com/products/be-still-and-know-that-i-am-god-cuff-bracelet?variant=31078491324489

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