Worth the Wait
“I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born.” Isaiah 66:9 (NCV)
I held the newborn baby in my arms and marveled at her tiny fingers and toes. Soft skin and a delicate body took my breath away. As I stared into her peaceful face, I realized how precious a newborn baby is.
The birth of such a beautiful baby is not an easy thing. Months of discomfort and pain lead up to the anticipated arrival. However, if you ask any mother, she will say that the nine months was definitely worth the pain and waiting.
In Isaiah 66:9, God speaks about the pain of pregnancy and the joy of delivery. “I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born.” In the same way new birth comes after a time of pain, spiritual refreshment comes after times of trials and troubles.
When we experience sickness, death, divorce, loneliness, stress, or failure, God gives us this promise: I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born. When we trust God in our times of trouble, He will create something new within us. Through the pain, He will give us a new hope and faith that comes from learning to surrender to Him. Every season of struggle is an opportunity to see God bring about new spiritual life.
When that new life springs forth, you will realize it was worth the wait.
Thought for the day: Through the struggles that you face today, God is working to make you new, help you grow, or draw you closer to Him.
ASHLI ROUSSEL
Ashli Roussel, a nineteen-year-old sophomore at Harding University, is passionate about sharing the truth and love of the Lord through writing. She loves camping, running, playing the piano, and participating in missions. Most of all, she is passionate about knowing, following, and serving her Lord and Savior. Without Him, her stories would mean nothing.
Ashli has battled and overcome an eating disorder, which God used to teach her great truths about who He is and how He is involved in our struggles. Now she desires to comfort others with the comfort that she has received from God. Keep an eye out for Ashli’s regular articles on iBegat.com! (read more…)
Curtain Call Resolution
“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 NIV)
I check my microphone one last time, listening through the double doors for my queue lines. I clench the bag in my hands that will be used during the scene, making sure I’ve got everything, sending up a silent prayer to God for help. Suddenly I hear it—my queue!
Instantly I throw open the door and come running through the audience, hearing my laughter echo loudly across the speakers. I’m almost through the auditorium and at the last row of seats before the stage when… I fall. One of those brilliant ‘face-eats-carpet’ moments.
My bag of props goes sprawling before me. I don’t even have time to feel embarrassed by how far my skirt probably flew up! Grabbing everything I possibly could, I arrive on stage late, improvising a new entrance before getting into place for the dance number and song.
Half way through the music I notice…I can’t move my hand. Worse than that, with every movement I’m forced to make, excruciating pain shoots through my fingers and wrist.
I later found out that I’d snapped the tendon in my hand when I fell. True, God didn’t spare me the pain. Instead, He gave me the strength and comfort I needed to make it through till curtain call.
God doesn’t promise us lives without pain, but He will be there every step of the way, strengthening and encouraging us till that moment when the final curtain falls and we go to be with Him in paradise.
CHRISTINE WESSELIUS
Christine grew up in the windowless basement of her grandparent’s house and has thus been fondly nicknamed “The vampire in a box” by her friends. She has a strong affinity for sarcasm, shiny purple things, and random, useless information that “normal people probably wouldn’t care about.” She likes to sing, act, draw, write, read, and make fun of Prince Charming in her spare time. Some of her epic skills include: surviving a piano being dropped on her, carrying on a five hour conversation with a wall, and making a grilled cheese sandwich spontaneously explode. (read more…)
<<<more posts by Christine…
Impossiblly Possible
‘Impossible is not a word.’ ~ Geth, the Leven Thumps series
On one of the bulletin boards I have hanging above my desk, there is a small blue card that reads “The task ahead of you is never as great as the power within you. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
Most of you know that verse by heart; you’ve heard it so many times. It’s everywhere – Bible book stores, sermons, bumper stickers, t-shirts. For such a ubiquitous verse, it’s easy to not pay attention to it. And if we do happen to actually notice it, we don’t really take it literally. “Oh, sure, I can do all things, blah, blah, blah. Great.”
Why do we get this reaction from reading this verse? Because, living in the society we do today, we don’t often see miracles performed. Nobody blind randomly starts walking, we don’t hear news reports of a bunch of pigs throwing themselves off cliffs, and we certainly don’t see anyone who was dead come back to life (Elvis aside).
But just because those huge, gigantic, jaw-dropping miracles don’t happen before our eyes any more doesn’t mean that there are no more miracles. I have had many miracles happen in my life. My mom suffered a heart attack not long after we moved to Georgia a few years ago – and during the heart attack, she died. My mom’s heart stopped beating, and she was dead. But do you know what? With everyone praying for her, God allowed her to live again. Defibrillators were used, and she came back to life.
I’d call that a miracle. My mom was raised from the dead.
Not long ago, my Dada also had a heart attack – and underwent bypass surgery. But in spite of these events, both of my parents are now whole and healthy. God came through for them in an amazing way.
But what does this have to do with us? We KNOW God can perform miracles. But we can’t.
And what I have to say to that is –
No, we can’t.
So what does that verse have to do with us personally? The fact that God can perform miracles through us. In and of ourselves, we are powerless. We have nothing. But if we allow God to use us, he can work miracles in the lives of others that you would never dream. Allow yourself to be used by God, and you can do the impossible – through Christ who strengthens you.
MIRRIAM NEAL
I am many things, but I’ll just share a few of them with you right now.
I am, first and foremost, a Christian, and have been since I was six years old. I love the Lord and am trying to please Him to the best of my ability. I am an avid reader, and lean toward fiction although several of my favorite books (the Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, Blue Like Jazz, Primal, The Barbarian Way, the Soul of C. S. Lewis, etc.) are non-fiction.
I love animals, and I love music (soundtracks, Christian, Korean and K-pop, some secular music, Immediate Music, X-ray Dog, Taylor Swift, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Owl City, Hayley Westenra… the list goes on and on). My favorite movies are the Last of the Mohicans, G. I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, Inkheart, the Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, Robin Hood(s), Star Trek, IRIS (Korean drama – use caution when watching), the Fantastic Four(s), the Spider-mans, Batman Begins, Iron Man, (I love Hero movies) and many, many more. (read more…)
OTHER RESOURCES
Check out the Leven Thumps Series
Worth the Wait
“‘Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?’ says the LORD. ‘Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?’ says your God.” (Isaiah 66:9 NIV)
As I held the newborn baby in my arms, I marveled at her tiny fingers and toes. Her soft skin and delicate body took my breath away. As I stared into her peaceful face, I realized how precious a newborn baby is.
The birth of such a beautiful baby is not an easy thing. Months of discomfort and pain lead up to the anticipated arrival. However, if you ask any mother, she will say that the nine months was definitely worth the pain and waiting.
In Isaiah 66:9 (New Century Version), God speaks about the pain of pregnancy and the joy of delivery. “I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born.” In the same way that new birth comes after a time of pain, spiritual refreshment comes after times of trials and troubles.
When we experience sickness, death, divorce, loneliness, stress, and failure, God gives us this promise: I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born. When we trust God in our times of trouble, He will create something new within us. Through the pain, He will give us a new hope and faith that comes from learning to surrender to Him. Every season of struggle is an opportunity to see God bring about new spiritual life. When that new life springs forth, you will realize it was worth the wait.
ASHLI ROUSSEL
Ashli Roussel, a nineteen-year-old sophomore at Harding University, is passionate about sharing the truth and love of the Lord through writing. She loves camping, running, playing the piano, and participating in missions. Most of all, she is passionate about knowing, following, and serving her Lord and Savior. Without Him, her stories would mean nothing.
Ashli has battled and overcome an eating disorder, which God used to teach her great truths about who He is and how He is involved in our struggles. Now she desires to comfort others with the comfort that she has received from God. Keep an eye out for Ashli’s regular articles on iBegat.com! (read more…)
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