The Constant Battle Of Affliction

“I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like one without strength.” Psalm 88:4 (NIV) 

I enjoy playing chess. Since I am just an average player, sometimes I find myself pitted against an opponent far better than I am. In situations where I know that the odds are very much against me, I could hold back, try to play defensively, or just avoid the challenge, but I don’t. 

Facing chronic affliction, we must take on a mindset that enables us to keep fighting even when we are weak and without strength. Our strength comes from the Lord, and He can enable us to fight when our strength is gone. 

I hold nothing back when faced against an opponent greater than myself. I take chances, look for any opportunity, make sacrifices, and sometimes beat my better opponent to a draw, playing far greater than my abilities. 

With affliction we are not left to our own strength and strategies. Our best efforts may fail, and our great plans fall short. Yet I believe that God takes pleasure in seeing a fighting spirit in His children. We all love the David and Goliath story from scripture. David was outmatched in size, strength, ability, and no reasonable person could have looked at that scenario and expected David to win. 

But David wouldn’t give up the fight, and neither must we. David won, and so can we. You are not in this battle of affliction alone. God stands with you. No matter how hopeless the situation looks, keep fighting, keep hitting back, get up just one more time. 

It might be that one more time that wins the battle of affliction. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, life can feel like a constant battle. We face a variety of challenges. Help us to keep fighting in Your strength and power. Amen. 

Karlton Douglas 

Copyright 2017 

Understanding Why Being Made In His Image Is Important

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) 

I think sometimes when the first chapters of Genesis are read we think of being created in God’s physical image, and leave it right there. Yet the Hebrews have an important word that goes with that story of creation, it is called Neshama–the human soul. They believed it was not so much the physical image that was important, but the human soul–Neshama–that God placed in us that is what makes us in His image. 

It is important to take a deeper look at the value of people being in God’s image based not merely upon the outward appearance, but upon the human soul and God’s Spirit within us. If we say we are made in God’s likeness, then God must be short, tall, fat, skinny, attractive, not attractive, with all the physical perfections and imperfections common to humanity. 

However, if what makes us like our Father is something within, and not merely two arms and legs, two hands and feet, a torso, neck and head, then we are moving beyond mere physical importance relating to what places us within His image. Having moved beyond the mere physical view, we can truly see the worth of each individual beyond the material boundaries. 

Having been made in God’s image, the core of our being given the ability to reason, to be self-aware, to practice free will, to choose and act on love, we begin to see the important life issues. We understand why it matters that babies are not destroyed, why it matters that the elderly are not discarded, for we are dealing with human souls made in God’s image, carrying about the human soul implanted by God. And for those who have accepted Christ, they carry the very Spirit of God within. 

What all this means to us as Christians with afflictions and disabilities is that our value and worth is not dependent upon functioning limbs, or working eyes and ears, or even healthy brains, but upon the fact that we are God’s children given a human soul and recipients of the Spirit of God. By our very existence we matter. 

We are representative of God on earth as He lives, moves, and breathes through our lives. God makes us valuable. God makes our lives worthwhile. And God can impact the world through us, not because we are examples of physical perfection, but because we are human souls carrying about the love of God within us. 

We matter because He matters, and He makes a difference in this world through us, regardless of our physical abilities or handicaps. 

It is a privilege and an honor to be God’s children. We matter because we matter to him. Your life has value because God has given you life. Don’t let physical handicaps or limitations get you down. Hold your head high because you are a living example of the image of God.  

Prayer: Dear Lord, life often gets us down, and sometimes we feel down because of physical limitations and handicaps. But do not let us lose sight of our unique nature, we are truly made in Your image, and we praise You for it. Amen. 

  

Karlton Douglas 

Copyright 2017 

Speed Bumps On The Road Of Affliction

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV) 

I seem to have two main modes in my life with affliction, “normal bad” and “bad bad.” And then there are the “speed bumps,” those new or badly flaring episodes that can stop me in my tracks. 

I have gotten used to “normal bad” mode. I have to pace myself, allow for my challenges and everyday difficulties, but can function on some level. The “bad bad” days can place me in survival mode, just treading water, trying to avoid being overcome by the challenge of affliction hitting me full in the face. But it is the “speed bumps” that are most difficult to deal with. 

The speed bumps of affliction seriously slow me down, forcing me to assess my condition. My inabilities can cause me to question God’s fairness, even His goodness. Speed bumps take a deck that seems stacked against me and clobbers me over the head, making the point that I’m dealing with circumstances hard to rectify with the idea of a fair and kind God. When we are already suffering so much–how is it fair that we are hit with another affliction, a worse-than-normal flare-up, or a deteriorating condition? 

The challenge for afflicted believers is to keep faith alive in the midst of hitting speed bumps of affliction. I think we can make peace with a certain level of hardship, but when affliction is piled upon affliction our natural tendency is to turn to God and ask: “Why?” “Why more God?” “Why allow even more hardship to enter my already difficult life?” 

Such questions do not have easy answers. As much as we would wish it to be–life simply is not fair. In the end we must rely upon our core beliefs, keep alive our hopes, and ultimately trust that even though we may not understand why God allows certain things in our lives, what we can do is to hold on to God in the midst of the storms, leaning upon Him for support when the speed bumps of affliction bring us to a halt. 

We all face challenges of many kinds. And this side of heaven we may not understand why so many challenges come our way, but even though we may not be spared the “speed bumps”, we can take hold of God so that we do not veer off of the road. He can hold us together when the ride gets bumpy, and perhaps one day we will better understand it all. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, please make the road smooth before us, and keep us on the road even when speed bumps slow us down. Amen. 

Karlton Douglas 

Copyright 2017 

The Fullness Of God In Affliction

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV) 

How do the afflicted walk in the fullness of God? It is a good question and I wish I had a quick and easy answer for you, but the truth is that sometimes it is all I can do to crawl in the minuscule things of God, much less to walk in His fullness. 

Very often the daily battle of affliction gets in my way of being the better person I want to be, the more spiritual person I want to be. I seem to do better in my spiritual walk when I’m not constantly stubbing my toe on one affliction after another. True, I probably pray more when affliction is worse, but I also get moodier, angrier, less patient, more frustrated, and generally “less spiritual.” 

If it all depended upon me, I’d be a spiritual wreck. Thankfully it doesn’t all depend upon me or you. We are not facing life and the particular obstacles of affliction alone, we face challenges, difficulties, and this horrible business called affliction with the Lord beside us. It is His goodness, His mercy, His kindness, and His fullness that enables us to walk spiritually rather than just crawling in the dust of affliction. 

Walking in the true fullness of God is walking in the knowledge that Jesus is the Lord of our life, His Spirit dwells in us, He comforts us in affliction. Because He is, we live, we breath, we love, and have a life worth living that does not depend upon how good or bad we are feeling, but upon how good He is and who He is and that we are His. 

Rest in the fullness of God through knowing the person Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of everyone who calls upon His name. When we fall down, too often our focus is upon our inabilities rather than His helping hand that is there to lift us up. When we turn our eyes upon Him, and turn our hearts toward Him, we become better than we are, greater than our afflictions, because we know the One who has given everything for us. Jesus is the fullness of God, and we live in fullness when we live in Him. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to keep our eyes upon You, and not upon our weaknesses and inabilities. Fill our lives to the full with Yourself. Amen. 

Karlton Douglas 

Copyright 2017 

Remembering Jesus As A Family Member

“When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’ ‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.'” John 2:3-5 (NIV) 

Families can be an incredible blessing. I really don’t know how I could have survived so long if my family had not been there for me throughout my affliction. Yet there are times when families can also be a challenge. 

I love the scripture that tells about Jesus’ mother wanting Him to help the wedding couple that ran out of wine. I love it not so much because of the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine, but because it reminds us that Jesus too had a family here on earth that He interacted with. Jesus also had a mother. 

Life can be challenging enough for those with afflictions just trying to sort out their own fears, anxieties, expectations, frustrations, and disappointments. Add to that expectations from family and friends and those with health limitations find themselves with additional challenges and obligations. 

I think Jesus must have felt obliged to do something for His mother, much more so to than to do something for the wedding party. Otherwise Jesus would have just went ahead and turned water into wine without His mother pestering Him to do so. Yes, I said pestering. That conversation between Jesus and His mother happens every day across the world as mothers are nudging their sons to do things and the sons reluctantly respond. 

It is encouraging to know that Jesus had family and obligations to His family. It reminds us of the human side of Jesus, and it reminds us that He understands what it is like to have a family with all its pressures and blessings. 

With the holidays upon us, pressure on the afflicted is magnified, both from our own expectations and the expectations others have for us. This can make it even more difficult to accomplish our goals, and cause us to fall short of unrealistic expectations. We need to allow ourselves some room to breathe. We need to let family and friends know about our limitations and that we may not be able to do everything we might like to during the holidays. 

It is better to be honest than stretch ourselves to the breaking point and put additional stress on our relationships as well by making unrealistic promises. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, strengthen each of us through this season of gathering with friends and family, and help us to stay honest with ourselves and others about our afflictions and limitations. Amen. 

Karlton Douglas 

Copyright 2017 

Lack Of Wisdom Can Cost You Your Life

my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. 

“Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. Hosea 4:6 (NIV) 

Years ago, during one of my visits to the Emergency Room at my local hospital, I noticed a doctor pleading with an elderly man who was in the room next to me. Evidently the older man had some sort of heart problem and the doctor was doing his best to convince the fellow to take a baby aspirin, but the old man refused. 

I wonder if that is not how it appears in heaven at times. God doing His best, sending His angels to nudge us, His word to convict us, His very Spirit to persuade us to do the thing that will preserve our life, and perhaps our very soul, but we resist Him. It may take very little effort on our part, perhaps just bowing our will to His, and we could preserve our life. 

It was shocking to me that anyone would refuse to take a baby aspirin to save their life. When so many people go through so much to try and stay alive, yet the simple act of taking a pill is refused to preserve life.  

Yet how many times do we resist God and His wisdom when He wants us to do little things, simple things that could improve our life and relationship with Him, or perhaps to make the life of someone else a bit better.  

Ask God for wisdom, and then listen for His reply. And when God nudges you to do something to better your life or the life of someone else do not resist Him. Even a small act of obedience could end up saving your life or the life of someone else. Listen when the Lord calls you, and respond with obedience. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, show us Your will for our life and help us to be sensitive to Your guiding voice. Remove far from us a disobedient and rebellious heart. Amen. 

Karlton Douglas 

Copyright 2017