"Trouble with Paper Trails" revisited
I have an update on my post in April called
Trouble with Paper Trails (view link to refresh your memory). In essense, it was about following old paper trails in an attempt to help someone obtain a passport.
After calling around, seeking school records, locating of whereabouts on the first census after birth to obtain a census record (and the person filing for said record), checking public records, checking for any stored and hidden records within the family, and the person having an affidavit of birth filled out by an older living relative who was there about the time of birth, the person I was helping took all the information down to the county building to send it in with the application for a passport. The person at the counter said incredulously "You want to send in all this?!" The person said "All of it." And so it was sent in.
Today I received a call announcing the arrival of the passport in the mail.
Success! I thank God for answered prayers, although hard work and perserverance also helps.
:D
Suffering
I've been considering suffering. My own and that of others, due to sin - both the evil committed against us and the evil we commit against others. I came to a point where I think I need to learn to endure suffering (that which I can't change - I'll change what I can), because since I sin, I can't just blame everyone else for my pain. As my Grandma says, "Remember, when you point your finger at someone, you have three more pointing back at yourself." I don't like pain. I cry out and I cry when I'm in pain. I hate hurting. I want it to go away. The LORD led me to purchase a book yesterday called "The Suffering God" by Charles Ohlrich. He gave me a revelation through it.
God himself suffers. He suffers when we sin, turning from Him, His love, and His ways to others and their ways and relying on self. In the Old Testament, we read about GOD's anger, anguish, and yearning toward His people - in His anger when the Israelites turn from Him to other gods, His anguish at their turning from Him, feeling like a jilted lover, and His compassion and yearning for reconciliation in His repeated forgiving of Israel and His unconditional love toward them. He also suffered in Christ's suffering on the cross.
"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself" 2 Corinthians 5:19a. God suffers.
We suffer when people sin against us, when this fallen world brings hurtful circumstances upon us, when we see those we love suffer (even those we don't know suffer) and can't help them, and when we see how we've inadvertently hurt others.
God made the world knowing He would suffer greatly and we would suffer as well. Why? If He knew all this suffering would come when He created the world and us, why did he go ahead and create it anyway? I don't think God's a masochist. I also don't think He's a sadist, He loves us very much. So why did He make us when He knew all this suffering would come to Himself and those He loves very much?
I think it's because there's something yet to come for God and for those who believe in Jesus Christ who God was in, reconciling us to Himself (see reference above). That something yet to come must be so marvelous that it's worth all His suffering and He knows it'll be worth it to us to endure all the suffering. I don't know what that something is, but the Bible gives some clues.
"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:16-18, italics mine.
Considering this "marvelous something that's coming" I can't grasp it. My mathematical mind sees it as a zero in the denominator of a fraction. Maybe in higher math something can be done with that, but for where I'm at now in math, a zero in the denominator of a fraction is called "undefined" which means, we don't know what to do with it or what it means. I see the something that's coming is
marvelous by what God says in the Bible but other than that I classify it as "undefined" and I'll go on trust.
I will learn to endure suffering, looking forward to the marvelous something God has promised is coming which will make all the suffering worthwhile.
Yard Sale Surprise
I went yard sale shopping today. I haven't done that in a long time (I only went once I think last year). I did find a 4-piece luggage set in good shape for $15. But that wasn't the surprise.
I looked in today's paper to figure out which sales to visit. One said it had ostrich eggs for sale - that was one that would be convenient to stop at, so I did. It turned out to be quite an average sale but with the ostrich eggs...until a guy stopped in asking if he could get pictures of her ostriches. She said sure. I was ?!?!?! then remembering I had my camera in the car said ME TOO! So I grabbed my camera and followed them out to the birds.
Note: I said birds -
she also has a goose, peacocks and other birds.
While talking with her out with the birds, we found out why she has them. She started carving eggs back in 2001 and found out she really enjoys it. So now she carves all kinds of eggs, has won competitions, and has been featured in magazines as well as our local paper. When I went back into the garage to finish viewing the sale items, there on a what looked like a bench was some samples of her artwork. Beautiful. Check them out at her website
Egg-Stasy Creations. She sells them starting at $35 (although I saw one on her website for $25) and price depends on egg type, design, and intricacy. You can even share your ideas and she can carve a design of your choosing.
Boy, you never know what kind of gifted people might live in your neighborhood.
