“He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.” (Lamentations 3:4-6)
It is not easy to live with hardship, and to suffer enduring pain. We can lose ourselves in the hardships that come into our lives. Not long ago I was talking to someone who told me about a member of his family that was so caught up in a disappointing event that the person had a mental breakdown over it.
We can let our hardships become so all-encompassing that it is difficult to see beyond them, even single events in our lives can swallow up the good things, the many wonderful events, that God would have us focus upon instead.
I think that for those of us who suffer, and have suffered much difficulty in life, if we were to balance everything out on a scale, the good things, the undeserved blessings, the wonderful events in our lives, they would far outweigh the bad things that have come our way. I do not make light of hardship, but wrong thinking, and obsessive thinking about only the bad things in life can swallow up so many good things around us. That wrong thinking must be avoided.
Reading God’s word can help us to keep perspective, gain wisdom and insight, and stay away from wrong choices. Humorous television programs, uplifting music, good literature, and breaking bad mental habits, as well as monitoring our own attitudes for growing pessimism and negativity–these things can be beneficial.
We need the Lord to keep us off of the dark paths of pessimism. We may not always be cheerful and feel uplifted, we may even struggle continually with depression, but we know we have reason for hope as Christians, the pathway may be dark on occasion, but the end result is glory and paradise with our Lord, and on earth fellowship with our Savior and those who are His children.
Don’t let pessimistic thinking, and focusing upon one, or a few bad events, rob you of the many wonderful blessings God has brought into your life. We can let disappointing experiences steal away so many wonderful events, we can be blinded to a long list of undeserved blessings, or we can focus instead upon those blessings, and place our disappointments in their proper context. Both hardship and blessings are what life is all about, we can grow from our disappointments, relish our blessings, or choose to be a complainer who cannot see the forest of blessings because of the thorn bush in our path.
You may feel weighed down by disappointments, but when you are feeling low, if you will start adding up the blessings God has given you throughout your life, it will help you gain perspective.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to see the entire picture of our lives, and to place hardship and disappointment within a context that also includes the many blessings You have given us.
About the Author:
Karlton Douglas lives in Ohio with his lovely wife. He sometimes finds it easier to count his disappointments than blessings, but God’s blessings always outweigh the hardships in his life.
You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com
Do you find it easier to focus on disappointments than blessings? Have you tried to add up your blessings?
Thank You so very much for this timely blog post. I just am coming out of an extremely painful Rheumatoid Arthrtis flare, so severe, at times I could not walk. I thought for sure that this flare would bring me to my knees. It did in a good way. Lean on the Lord, ithat was my constant thought. It was because of our Lord that II was able to come of the darkness of my pain and into the light again as the pain began to subside. God Bless You and thank you again for this timely blog post! <3
I agree with Susan. This is a very timely devotion Karlton & worded sooooo well, as usual.
This has been a battle all week…..to stay focused on the blessings & not on the many illness challenges & problems that have been thrown our way this week!! I loved your wording & imagery of how we sometimes get to the point that we “cannot see the forest of blessings because of the thorn bush in our path.” That imagery will stay with me…..thank you Karlton! Lotsoluv Kerryn
Dear Karlton,
I am in the middle of a long weekend with out any family around. For this I am very grateful. I say this because my adult sons can be very pessimistic. I understand the source of their pessimism but they find it hard to extract themselves from it because the are in the midst of their own alcoholic behavior. For myself, I gre up in an alcoholic home and I can easily get caught up in codependence in which I let other people’s behavior affect me and my own thinking. For weeks there has been an abundance of pessimism and my boundaries have been worn thin and sometimes I have felt like I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. It does happen even if you are doing all the right things to protect yourself. My sons went out of town and my grandchildren are with their mother and I have a three day “vacation” to let God restore my own sense of self. It is a blessing to just be by myself. I am getting the sense that I need to be living away from the chaos and pessimism that come with alcoholism, but today, in my devotions I was reminded to be patient. The scripture, Psalm 37, is the same one that came just two weeks ago and so I will be patient. I trust God will keep me safe as I do my part in taking care of myself. Thank you, Karlton!
I was one who got lost in the hardships that came along with my chronic illness, and I also nearly lost my life in the process. That was years ago and I don’t remember there being any resources like this to help encourage my spirits, but I do know how important that is for those of us that already have a lot that we are coping with. I still have my moments of despair – just today I have been fighting with feelings of being incapable of joining the rest of the human race. Part of that feeling comes from the heat & humidity outside – I am just cranky. part of it is that I didn’t sleep well last night, and part of it is that I needed this blog to remind me that I can choose to focus on more positive things.
Dear Peggy,
I read your post and my heart went out for you. I closed my computer, lifted you up iin prayer and then just had to share with you. I know your heartbreak as I have an alcholic son who is a very severe in his alcholism. I did not grow up in the disease, but saw it in my dad and grandfather when they were close to dying. I will never know , but I do not think they were true alcoholics as my son is. He began in his teen years and is now 40 years old. It has been a long long siege, as I feel like we (husband and I) have been in the fight of our lives forever with this horrific disease. I have been a codependent mom forever also(feels sometimes like all my life ) and it hasn’t been pretty.
Just some background on me to share with you that I reallly understand and know your heartbreak as a mom. I could go on forever but I want you to know that I am going to continue lifting you up in prayer ESP during this long weekend you have for yourself!! Hooray for this time for you. I am so glad you have this break so you can regroup and be strengthened in body, mind and spirit. I pray you do whatever makes you happy, and gives you joy and peace in your heart. Something fun, just f or you. Personally, I watch English murder movies (Netflix) most people watch comedies and laughter is medicinal, but what can I say, I’m amused and entertained with mysteries. Read something just for fun or something inspirational, eat lots of chocolate, call a friend, go out for lunch, whatever is just taking care of you. (I’m sure you already know these suggestions)As codependents, as you know, taking care of everybody but ourselves wears us out and leaves us so weary , drained and nothing left for ourselves. So, i thank God for arranging this long weekend for you. It has taken me, literally, years to learn that I need to take care of me, it feels selfish , doesn’t it but it’s so not selfish. But knowing and practicing behaviors is another issue. I fall back , one step foward, etc. i believe it will be this way for me till I leave this earth, or until my son is sober.. We have almost lost him one or more times, but God apparently was not ready for him to lleave this earth yet. I, of course, am so so grateful for that. I often wondered why , why , in my past and still do sometimes but now I try to concentrate more on how I can use what I
have learned to help myself, my family and others, Failing miserably at times, but pressing onward, setting
my boundaries with my son, taking better care of myself, and looking for joy and peace wherever it can be
found.. It was always there, God,s blessings, I just didn’t let myself see them or appreciate all that He was
doing for me. I am working hard to take my blinders off and let the blessings shine thru! We are all a work in progress aren’t we? It’s how we learn from the Master of all teachers!
Praying you have a wonderful holiday!
Hugs for and to you, dear Peggy
Hugs To you dear Peggy
Dear Peggy and Patty,
My grandfather was an alcoholic, at least in his younger years, before I really knew him. But I can’t really relate to what you two are going through. I just know it must be extremely difficult and heartbreaking. I’m very thankful that not one of my closest family members are afflicted this way. My husband and i struggle with our own addictions, that are more sociably acceptable in the Christian community, but they are, nonetheless, addictions. Mine relates to food.
Peggy, I pray for a wonderful weekend of solitude for you. Patty has some great suggestion for taking care of yourself. I also pray that it will refresh you and build you up to follow the Lord in your circumstances.
Patty, it’s good to see the compassion you’ve shown toward Peggy. I’m sure your comment will help her to feel less alone in this trial of hers. God bless you too. !
Dear Patty,
Thank you for your heartfelt response yo my post. We both speak of our alcoholic adult children. I sometimes think that when a child, adult or youngster, is caught up in addiction, the pain goes so deep. There is a myriad of reasons why. For me, I grew up with two alcoholic parents, then married an addict and now my sons are addicted. What I feel is great loss. Also deep within is shame, something I tapped into recently and am working on. Patty, your understanding response is special to me and I will hold onto it. I will also lift you up in prayer as well. My three days are coming to an end this afternoon and I have been blessed with some renewal. Thank you, God!
Beth,
Thank you for your response. Yes, the pattern of addiction is pretty much the same with whatever the addiction is. I have my own. As I struggle with codependency, which really came from growing up in an alcoholic home, I can more easily get caught up in the behavior patterns of my sons. Trying to fix their addiction is the codependent action I use to try to ease my pain…..the pain that comes from watching people you love drink their life away. Even if I tried to stand back and not be involved, I’ve discovered they try to bring me back into their world in very sly ways. That is why it was so good to have them out of town for three days. I feel stronger and gained some insight. I will wait upon the Lord. Yes, I am grateful for Patty’s understanding.
Thanks Susan 🙂
Blessings.
Karlton
Thanks Kerryn 🙂
Blessings.
Karlton
Peggy, it is hard fighting against a stream of pessimism. I wish you well in that battle.
Blessings.
Karlton
Melanie, sometimes affliction can really drag us down, and a lack of sleep seems to amplify the problem. I hope you are feeling better.
Blessings.
Karlton
I really needed to read this today. Have totally succumbed to my own chronic pain discouragement and my husband’s recent surgery to amputate his big toe (diabetic). I went from taking care of his mother, who lived with us and had dementia, to taking care of him, all while being in pain myself. I won’t go into all my issues, but I sure fell apart during the two hospitalizations of my hubby (Dec. and June), with NO health insurance. We are completely without the ability to pay off our debts.
Yet I know God is in control and I need to keep my eyes on Him…
Shelly, so sorry to hear what you are going through. I pray thing will improve for you and your family.
Sincerely,
Karlton
Dear Shelly,
Yes, God is in control and will supply your needs. Yet, we are all human and forget just that. My prayers are with you and I will lift you up to the Lord for strength and wisdom each day. When you might stumble remember God’s grace is right there to lift you up again.
Many blessings,
Peggy
I’m fascinated that the verse in Lam. 3 comes b/4 these verses by Jeremiah:
Lam. 3: 22-26
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
The bitterness & hardship of Jerusalem’s destruction led Jeremiah back to God & his faithfulness. I confess that I’ve not always been as faithful as Jeremiah, as I’ve been swallowed up by the hardship & bitterness in my life at times. But I also rest in God’s salvation & faithfulness. In the end, the glory will go to God.
Thank you for your devotion. Yes, at times the chronic pain has come close to overwhelming me. I’ve learned to think better thoughts. I read the bible and listen to uplifting music. Even though I still have some physically painful days, now these types of days don’t overwhelm me emotionally, as they did in the past.
Thanks Rachel and Randall 🙂
Blessings.
Karlton
Karlton
Thank you so much for this post. It is so so true, and, yes, sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees, if that makes any sense.
Thank you also Beth and Peggy for your kind comments.
Peggy, I had a rough day today with two conversations with my son and dil. They are never easy with him.
I was hurting so much physically and then emotionally as I am usually drained after dealing with my son’s problems and concerns.
And trust a few minutes ago I lifted bin and dil up in prayer as it was thundering outside and I was praying and holding onto my beloved little dog. After praying, I went out to seemy husband who was working on a project in the garage and when looking out as the storm was waning, low and behold, the most beautiful rainbow in God,s sky that you would ever want to see!!!
I toldmy dh and we both just stood there in awe! How could anyone ever believe there is no God when you see the rainbow. My dh just came in and said it’s still there! More than 15 minutes now!
I am crying tears of joy and thanks fullness for our awesome God and His promises to never forsake us or leave us! Thank you Jesus for your everlasting love, hope and grace that never fails to amaze me!! Peace that passes all understanding.
In His most precious name
Thanks Patty 🙂
Blessings.
Karlton