Rendezvous With God

Today…I’ve been very blah. My back has been really hurting.
Probably from all the lifting at Target, and from working endlessly on
the apartment. I need to soak in a hot-tub. I am reminded though of
something a guest speaker said this past Sunday at church. He was
talking about suffering. And how the goal of many religions is to move
away from suffering. He pointed out Buddhism an how it begins with the
premise of suffering and the “enlightened one” has moved away from
suffering. To be like Christ is to suffer. A quick search of the word
“suffer” in the bible brings hundreds of results, and Christ has to
suffer and endure many things.

“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And
hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into
our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:3-4

While my back hurts, I remember the one who suffered many blows to
his back to absorb the wrath of who I am so that I might be free to
commune with a living God who wants so much for me to be present to His
presence now. Lord, my back hurts, but my spirit rejoices knowing that
you’ll restore not only my back, but all things, for you glory and your
glory alone. Amen.