This Blessing Called Affliction

Early this morning the alarm went off….

Way too early…..

Tracie and I made it to early morning prayer at 6…….

We barely made it…..

He was waiting for us……

Once I had emptied pockets, turned off phone, removed glassed & settled down into my special spot where the rock from Easter program gouged out a bit of carpet….

I began to talk to him…….

Immediately he began talking back……

I needed that little talk……

I poured my heart out…..

He poured Himself in…….

I shared personal pressures, hurts, pains, worries and a lot of other stuff……

He whispered back and hugged real tight…..

Sometimes even Pastors & Poppy’s need big hugs……

I began to thank him for the people who I know have returned to the Lord via the passing of our sweet Annaleigh…..

I thanked him for the young mother who wrote she had recommitted her life while watching the funeral that day…..

I thanked him for the pastor who had shared a number of these blogs with his church and spiritual breakthrough came to his church….

I thanked him for the young lady who was renewed in the Lord in our altars a couple of weeks back….

I thanked him for the numbers of people in services that are prompted by Annaleigh’s event…..

As I thanked Him and rejoiced…..

He spoke these works…..

This affliction is worth it…..

This pain is well worth the gain……

Oh yes, Lord…..

The pain is well worth the gain…..

Then he reminded me things about affliction……

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2Cor 4:16-18

These earthly afflictions work in us a far better outcome than we can dream….

This light affliction prompts eternal glory….

This affliction carried weight in the heavenlies….

Because we see a bit differently than others….

We see the unseen…..

We look beyond the immediate affliction to a far greater thing we could never have dreamed….

Oh, we very much feel and effected by the seen things of this present affliction….

But beyond this pain and confusion….

Beyond this light affliction….

Beyond these….

Are the unseen….

The eternal…..

No, we do not celebrate the passing of our sweet baby…..

The pain we feel indeed is the affliction part…..

But dear friend never forget….

Family, never forget…..

God is faithful……

He always produces new life out of the darkest of circumstance…..

There is nothing good about the loss of our Annaleigh…..

But God…..

But God takes these afflictions…..

God takes these afflictions and moves us into heavenly eternal realms we could not here to for understand……

Her death is not a blessing….

But these afflictions are…..

This light affliction is working something in each of us……

This affliction is not a blessing…

No…..

But……

Earthly afflictions work in the eternal unseen realm……

Please understand….

We….

You are not alone……

For ye, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou are with me….

He is with you!!!

He is with us!!!!!

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…..

These afflictions…..

This affliction will no doubt manifest itself in the eternal as a blessing…..

We here in the finite realm might not understand…..

We can only see the temporal and earthly….

There is in play the eternal unseen…..

And hence…..

This is but one more reason that I trust Him…..

rks