PLAYING HURT

      You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth.  GALATIANS 5:7          

     Athletes with minor injuries will often stay in the game and participate as “playing hurt”.  They have to play through their pain

     You and I go through the pathways of our gardens-life with pain of all sorts; allergies, arthritis, depression, relational difficulties, more month than money, bad habits, pitiable world outlook and even separated from God,

     We go to bed with our pain and then wake up to find our pain is our daily partner, the shadow in our garden, a visitor who dropped in one day and will not leave.  We try pills and potions, remedies from bottles both medicinal and alcoholic.  We talk with friends, consult with counselors in offices and online.  We often feel as though we are struggling just to ‘keep our heads above the water’.

     We may see our gardens, our world ‘through rose colored glasses’ but we can not see ourselves in that world.  What is with this??? Many of us think ‘things’ should be better or bigger or easier. Where is God in all of this?

     A song from yesteryear has a phase, “I never promised you a rose garden...” We are not promised a rose garden or an easy road or a garden with no weeds.  We are promised not that we will be comfortable but that we will be comforted.

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.          2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Planting tips: Summer blooms require sunlight.  Read labels and do research if you are not sure.