trust – The Beacon

[mr. t & his battle with cancer]

Now, first–I know next to nothing about Mr. T. Pretty much the most I know about him is from what I’ve seen of him on Dancing with the Stars this season. That being said, I came across an article that discussed his faith in God and how it got him through his battle with lymphoma in 1995. So, that’s what I’m going to briefly discuss here today. I encourage you to read the article, but I’ll sum up bits and pieces as well.

I cannot even imagine being diagnosed with any type of long-term illness, cancer, etc., but I do know that the only way I’d make it through would be if I had faith in and trusted God. So, I always appreciate when I hear of others who do the same. He relates his time to the book of Job, saying that no matter how strong our faith is, all the good we do, etc., we can still go through really crappy times. The key is to have faith. This is such a hard response to have when we encounter major trials, but it is certainly the best one to have. Just trust that God is going to get you through it–no matter what it is.

Another part of this story that I love is that, now that he’s come out on the other side of all this, he gives back. He goes to hospitals to encourage and see the sick kids there, he sees it as serving God. And it is. When we help the sick, poor, needy, downtrodden, we’re ‘helping’/serving God. He loves ‘the least of these’ & we’re called to as well. Mr. T has also pledged to give any money he makes from Dancing with the Stars to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Mr. T can be an inspiration to any of us. His story helps us to remember that just because we’re Christians does NOT mean we get an easy, care-free life. We will have struggles. The key is to have faith and trust in God that He will deliver you from these troubles. He will lift you up out of that pit of depression. Have faith in Him.

thanks for reading, guys!

-erinn victoria

UPDATE: Since posting this, Mr. T danced his final dance on Dancing with the Stars and talked about his battle with cancer. It brought most people in that audience to tears the other night, and I encourage you to watch and be inspired.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFAzJ2LMxgs[/youtube]

[psalm 31:9-10a, 14-15a]

‘Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning…

BUT I trust in You, Lord;
I say, ‘You are my God.’
My times are in Your hands…’
[Psalm 31:9-10a, 14-15]

[Side note: Sorry that it’s such a broken up selection today, but I don’t want it to be too long, and these were the main points that needed to be discussed. hah.]

So, wow. Those first two verses. They really hit you, right? And the Message translation is a whole other story–‘I’ve cried my eyes out; I feel hollow inside. My life leaks away, groan by groan; my years fade out in sighs.’ Doesn’t David do an incredible job of showing that pain and depression and anguish here?

To be completely honest, the first thing that came to my head, sadly, was how I felt after a break-up. I’m seeing all my tweets in timehop, etc. and it hurts to even think about myself hurting so badly back then. I mean, we’ve all felt that though. That soul-crushing sadness that David’s referring to here. Obviously, his was for a much different, much more dignified reason, but still. However, I have always stood by the fact that a break-up should hurt. You should feel that pain, or did it really mean that much to you, you know?

ANYWAY though. I’m not turning this into a relationship blog, I promise. I am incredibly happy now, and I believe I am SO much stronger having gone through the pain for past relationships. I couldn’t be more grateful for all my past experiences. And I think that the stories I have to tell–the pain I’ve felt, the tears, the anguish, and then the new-ness, the refreshed feeling, the happiness that comes after–are a perfect testimony to these verses. I know I struggled a lot in that time, but I did try HARD to trust God. And I think that that is the absolute best solution we can come up with for times like that. Use those last two verses as your guide. TRUST in God. And commit all your days to Him.

It’s so important to know that lots of people have felt that pain–the pain you may be feeling right now. Know that you’re not alone. But also, know that the best thing you can do is TRUST GOD. He has a plan, I promise you. And though it may suck at the moment, there’s a reason for it. He’s making you stronger, preparing you for the next battle/struggle. He knows what’s best for you. And just like your parents and friends hate to see you struggle, He dislikes it so much more. You’re His kid, His creation. He will help you through this–now and any time in the future. Unfortunately, pain and suffering tend to just be a part of life. Make it easier on yourself and just trust that He’s holding your life in His hands. And He knows what He’s doing.

thanks for reading, guys!

love,

erinn victoria

p.s. If you are struggling, and need someone to talk to–reach out; I would love to help in any way I can.

[exodus 31:3, 6b]

”…and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills…Also, I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you.”
[Exodus 31:3, 6b]

For some context, God is talking to Moses here. The last couple chapters have been God giving Moses TONS of specific instructions about sacraments to build, and plenty of other instructions, as well. And in this passage, He tells Moses that there are already people He set aside to accomplish these tasks/build all that He instructed them to build. I think this is such a great passage for multiple reasons.

First, this passage shows that God gives each and every one of us specific gifts. They may seem like odd, disjointed, non-Kingdom related gifts, but He has a reason for giving you those gifts. He says, in verses 4 and 5, that He gave these men the specific skills so they could ‘make artistic designs…to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.’ These gifts/abilities all had purposes in God’s Kingdom. But you can only imagine that maybe some of the guys with those gifts were kind of confused by their talents earlier in life. This is why I think it’s important to utilize the talents God has given us. He’s given them to us for a reason and we should not take that lightly or ignore them. He wants to use those gifts to further His Kingdom.

This is definitely an area where I struggle. I struggle with knowing what exactly I’m talented in. [This is not me fishing for compliments, by the way.] I think I’m decent at several things, but to this day, there still isn’t one specific thing that I feel CALLED TO DO. And that’s a really difficult thing to feel when all we hear about is the ‘gifts’ that God has given us and how we need to use them. So, I know that sounds hypocritical when you pair it with what I said in the previous paragraph. But, all that being said, if you DO have a passion, run towards it. Point the glory back to Him because He wants to use it for something, but definitely pursue it. And if you don’t feel a particular calling? Trust that He will reveal it to you in due time. In the mean time, keep trying to live for Him and do what you feel you’re good at–but, also step out of your comfort zone every once in awhile.

WOW. That was a lot of rambling I did not expect to do.

ANYWAY. The other reason I really loved this passage is that it shows us that God has really got it all planned out. He won’t ask too much of you. He will prepare you for what’s down the road. I’m certain that hearing all of the detailed, specific instructions that God was giving him, Moses felt quite overwhelmed. I would–I did just reading it! But then, it seems that God gives him reassurance, and immediately lets him know that He already has men who can perform each one of those tedious, particular tasks. All that being said, TRUST HIM. He will prepare you for what’s down the road. But that’s also why it’s important to not look too far down that road. That will just overwhelm you, like Moses could have been if he started thinking about the logistics of it all. So, take it one day at a time, trusting that God has a plan, and He’s got perfect timing.

thanks for reading!

-erinn victoria