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And the trials continue, yet we must go on. Last Sabbath revealed that a member will not be able to attend this year's Feast of Tabernacles which is only a few weeks away. This news was quite unexpected and incredibly disappointing, yet we must go on. We are now into our second week of having septic problems at home which hopefully will be well and truly sorted before we go to the Feast, yet we must go on. Now the security system is playing up with repetitive low battery noises going off at random times; this morning waking me up around 5 a.m., yet we must go on. This week I fell in our bathroom sliding suddenly and landing hard on the cold, tiled floor before I knew what happened due to moisture on my shoes, yet we must go on. Thankfully, only muscle aches and pains for which I am grateful. A very sore and debilitating sprained ankle a few years ago is something suffered with before the Feast while rushing about getting things done. Slowing down and being careful is important and there is always a higher risk of falling in a new environment. These are just a few of the things that have been rather challenging. Some may ask, from where do we find the strength to continue? We do know where this comes from. God generously gives it to us and we should remember to ask (Psalm 121:1-2). Often, I forget to ask for much needed encouragement and God reminds me just how good this is by giving me a boost, or a lift in ways only He can, and that would never occur to me. It is in these particular times that I then find myself amazed at the timing as well as the specificity. It seems the longer the trials go on and the more intense they are, it is only then that I remember to ask for help.
During the darkest of days in trials that stretch on and on we can go to Proverbs 18:10 "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe". We can read in the Bible that David had great highs in his life as well as great lows thinking about how bitter, twisted and jealous King Saul was towards him. It is a good example to draw from when we may have others treating us badly. Psalm 27:1 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Many people live their life in fear of torment. One form this can take is in domestic violence which often includes both physical and verbal abuse, and some have grown up in a home where they are afraid to open their mouth and say anything to avoid being bashed. They just want peace and harmony so they lose themselves for a time by withdrawing from many aspects of life until they leave or their circumstances change. For those who enjoy talking about what is on their mind this can be incredibly stressful leading to stuttering, ticks, anxiety and depression. One thing which kept me going amidst all the misery, tears and stress was planning my escape down to the minutest detail. This gave me great hope, always believing it would happen and it eventually did despite a false start.
Back then God was not part of my life as my free will desired escape from everything that was known to me, including "Catholicland". Once my mother died in 1974 everything changed and became a lot worse. Imagine not feeling safe all of the time, walking on "eggshells" and even frightened to say a simple sentence. This was my life and it can never be my life again. Despite the title of the sermon in the link below, there is reference to something I experienced as a child that the speaker went through as well. Around the 55 minute mark he speaks about the trauma of his physical father coming home from work each day around 5 p.m. "when Dad came home, all joy left". This instantly transported me back to that time in the 1970s when my stomach lurched in a sickening heave of extreme nervousness to await the suffering that would follow.
https://www.ucg.org/sermons/all-foods-cleanis-that-what-he-really-said It was good to know that the outcome for the speaker and his father had a happy ending, whereas many do not. I would have appreciated my physical father knowing God but he did not even believe in Him so there was no Ephesians 6:4 or Colossians 3:21 in our family home.
God desires all of us to love one another, be kind, considerate, forgiving in every circumstance with no limits but He does not put up with any kind of abuse especially towards His called out ones. If you are a victim of abuse it's definitely not okay and you need to ask God what to do as He sees all and knows all, yet He wants you to be transparent with every part of your life. Even the very things we do not understand and especially so, in order to have the help only He can give. Tell God by asking Him for release, and in the meantime, for you to find ways of coping with a very dark situation through seeking His will. If only my Bible had been of comfort to me back then, but despite my best efforts, I could not understand the parables, or the physical as well as the spiritual lessons. As a child I took most of the Bible literally which made the book of Revelation something incredibly foreign and perplexing.
In the Bible there is an example about a woman by the name of Abigail. The more I read about her and what she went through, the more I find her life quite fascinating. The account to which I am referring is found in 1 Samuel 25:2-42. Abigail is described as beautiful and having good understanding. Her husband Nabal is described as harsh and evil in his behaviour. Despite being rich he was mean and refused to help David and his men even though they had done his men great favour, as you can read. This story has a happy ending for Abigail who went on to marry King David. Nabal not so much yet God is even merciful to the wicked by taking him in death — putting him out of his drunken misery as it were and a life of abusing others. God knew Nabal was not humble or teachable, yet Abigail was always serving others and placing them before herself, doing good when good was needed to be done with a generous, kind and loving heart. This is how we must be even to those who hurt us. Do not repay evil with evil but instead show God you will forgive them and treat them how you would like to be treated. Leave the harder work to God as He has everything in hand. Our part is still to be loving, kind, humble and serving like Abigail who showed great wisdom in how she dealt with Nabal, a drunken fool. Just a few scriptures provided here to consider, and there are many more if you further your study on this subject matter: Proverbs 20:22, 24:29, Romans 12:17-21, Leviticus 19:18.
There are many ways God comforts us and teaches us to improve ourselves through character building moments. We cannot change others but we can indeed change how we react. The following sermon is full of value in directing our way in difficult times when communicating with loved ones, whether physical or spiritual family members, friends, or neighbours. If you are in a tense time of pressure then this will surely help you by giving a different perspective, perhaps one not thought about before. https://www.ucg.org/sermons/are-we-thinking-before-we-speak. God's people are truly blessed beyond belief with support, wisdom, comfort, direction, and knowledge for how to navigate life, and this includes living with people who have a mental illness such as paranoid schizophrenia. It can be very scary to adults, let alone children, who try to make sense of a very strange illness, and it certainly takes everything out of us in order to cope. All those years ago it would have been of great benefit to have a right relationship with God instead of feeling like I was all alone.