BLOOM FROM THE MUD

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Just remember, every flower that ever bloomed had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there! - Barbara Johnson

Yesterday Father Bob Stec, a dear friend from Northeast Ohio and a fellow combatant against opiate addiction, made the comment that while this challenge has us in the mud, he was believing some amazing and beautiful things were about to “bloom”.

And yes there are overdoses and relapses. 

Incarcerations. 

Treatments sought only to be denied. Hospitalization. Homelessness.

There is no denying that there is real strife out there, real dirt, thick mud.  

But he was undeterred!

For we all have painful moments in life; times where the seasons and our circumstances don’t seem to mesh; inconvenient troubles and difficulties, ill-timed tragedies, and drama. You don’t have to be battling addiction to be dealing with challenges.

Yet despite the circumstances we must believe that soon through the dirt, through the ashes and mud something beautiful is pending!!

GOD PROMISED there would be!!! 

(I GOD, will) give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…Isaiah 61:3 (ASV) 

In other words, we must watch for a bloom from out of the mud!

Therefore, we don’t give up. We look up. We trust. We believe. And our optimism is not hollow. Christ has proven worthy. He has shown that He never fails. That’s what makes God, God. -

SO

…the next time you find your courage tested to the limit, remember that God is as near as your next breath, and remember that He offers strength and comfort to His children. He is your shield and your strength; He is your protector and your deliverer. Call upon Him in your hour of need and then be comforted. Whatever your challenge, whatever your trouble, God can help you persevere. And that’s precisely what He’ll do if you ask Him.  - Lucado

Remember:

You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way.  - 1 Peter 1:17 (MSG)

Since God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31(NIV)

So, if you are one of those who is "in the dirt", one who is surrounded by the mud, look up and keep believing! 

GOD'S hand and heart are hovering over you. 

He is summoning the bloom that lies beneath!

It WILL come through! 

…we have no reason to despair. Despite the fact that our outer humanity is falling apart and decaying, our inner humanity is breathing in new life every day. You see, the short-lived pains of this life are creating for us an eternal glory that does not compare to anything we know here. 

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (V)

And it WILL BE a beautiful bloom!

I love you all!

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE