The “Total Impact” of the Thing Itself…

April 27, 2022

A friend encouraged me with this video I share here at the end of this piece, this morning…so good…passing it along.

I watched it and was reminded, in what she shared, of one of my favorite quotations:

“One never meets just Cancer, or War,

or Unhappiness (or Happiness).

One only meets each hour or moment that comes.

All manner of ups and downs.

Many bad spots in our best times, many good ones in our worst.

One never gets the total impact of what we call ‘the thing itself’.

But we call it wrongly.

The thing itself is simply all these ups and downs:

the rest is a name or an idea.”

― C. S. Lewis

A couple weeks ago, a friend encouraged me with Psalm 70.

Psalm 70 (NIV)

For the director of music. Of David. A petition.

Hasten, O God, to save me;
    come quickly, Lord, to help me.

May those who want to take my life
    be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
    be turned back in disgrace.
May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
    turn back because of their shame.

But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
    “The Lord is great!”

But as for me, I am poor and needy;
    come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    Lord, do not delay.

Yesterday, a different friend took time to send three verses she wrote down while praying for me during this season of heavy difficulties…and wow…they seem pretty connected to Psalm 70.

Thank you for continued prayers.

One friend said she felt like there wouldn’t be one big answer, but a string of smaller answers and movements…and…I’m seeing that!

I hope this encourages someone else.

This idea of life being a string of phases…also might be viewed as each day, or hour…can sometimes feel like a string of phases when our world seems chronically kinda “upside down.”

This gets back, again, to the CS Lewis quotation.

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The three verses my friend sent yesterday were these:

Psalm 56:8 “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book.”

Isaiah 63:9 “In all their suffering He also suffered and He personally rescued them. In His love and mercy He redeemed them.”

Psalm 57:2-3 “I cry out to God Most High, to God Who fulfills His purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me. He will put to shame him who trampled on me. God will send out His steadfast love and His faithfulness.”

__________

So…the Bible says that God actually keeps track of these things?

That, he doesn’t simply say some platitude like “Forgive and forget….” or “Just get over it all…?”

Huh.

__________

Things surely are a complicated process on this planet! I am glad our Savior understands it all, even when others don’t…or worse…won’t…

It appears the video I was sent is only viewable on Facebook, so I am putting a clickable link here and on the image…for anyone who can access it this way!

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1 Comment
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