I Peter 1:7 NCV
These troubles come to prove that your faith is pure.
This purity of faith is worth more than gold.
To put it mildly—life is full of struggles and challenges—no one is immune. Writing, now a creative way for me to meditate and worship, was once very difficult and a source of disabling anxiety. I dreaded stressful college nights of typing and editing with “old-school” type-over tape. One such research paper—half of the semester grade—was due at 8AM. As dawn approached my angry deliriously-caffeinated mind unraveled and I hit the carriage so hard that it landed on the floor.
Gone is the noise of flying type hammers and the annoying clicking carriage. Good bye eraser dust, whiteout mess, dozens of sheets of paper—most of which became crumpled projectiles in or near the trash can. Stay there on the dusty shelf old dictionary, thesaurus, and grammar handbook. All have been replaced with quiet instantaneous electronics, and the wonders of spell and grammar check. Engineering and social science call it progress or evolved technology, for me it’s a gift from God. While trying to follow some creative train of thought, I needn’t care about the little things, because the word processor: catches my mistakes, automatically corrects them, or allows me to choose. Although my skills are weak, I’m so thankful that technology has advanced beyond my level of proficiency.
Daily choices add or detract from our character, and the Holy Spirit is near by to help us. I can scarcely believe what God has done to keep my family fed, healthy, and safe in spite of our many sins and turning our backs on Him. His gentle correction and forgiveness is automatic, but He also provides opportunities for us to face consequences, and my poor choices have brought on many. Faith in God is so important to me now.
Our awesome creator put the desire into all of us to rise to a higher standard through daily adversity, and even traumatic disappointments. God designed a self-correcting mechanism into each of us guiding us to what truly matters.
This writing is of small value, no reward of money or gold. God is interested in a commodity far more important. We are drawn to serve Him throughout our day to please Him for the greater good, which is to one-day share heaven with as many of us as will accept His call.
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