There's something about a tumour in the navel that's just horrible. I've got other masses in the abdomen, visible through skin - and shirt - and more on the chest wall, but the navel...well, that's unsettling.
And the temptation that arose was to throw away hope; not the hope for a miracle, but the hope that my actually meant something.
And that, I think, would have been disaster.
The temptation's not wrong; acting on it is.
There have been times when I was tempted
to ask the Lord to take me back
to a place where I would be protected
against this vile and cruel attack.
But in the asking, I thought me wrong
and cowardly, frail and weak;
doth not faith attend to the strong
to lead them to that which they seek?
The words then ring out from the page
in tones of thunder, timbre-true;
"This changes in the Christian Age,
for My Son was tempted, too."
We cannot avoid temptation's say,
but must not fail to turn away.
Thanks to Carol Ashby, Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart is back on Kindle, and will be available in paperback soon.
Friends are everything. I couldn't have done it.
Marley, the canine waif from Afghanistan, whom WE helped save, has a Facebook page! Please drop by to see how happy he is today.
Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.
(((((Andrew)))))
ReplyDelete(((((Barbara)))))
Annie in Texas
((((((Annie!))))))
DeleteYour presence here means the world to us.
And I hope that I may say this...long ago I had a Pit Bull named Annie, who accompanied me on my six-mile runs, and who was the mirror of my heart.
When I see you name, I am given a remembered and future joy that I can't describe, for I shall see her again.
Andrew, so much truth in your words! I'm praying for you friend. As I read your introduction, I thought about Jesus in the garden, asking His Father if it was His will to let that cup pass from Him. But, He chose obedience and to follow through with what He knew He must.
ReplyDeleteI loved what you said about temptation not being wrong, but us needing to make sure we don't give in to it.
Jeanne, thank you for this...I really beat myself up about wanting to just quit, until I heard about a minute of David Jeremiah saying that being tempted is something that Jesus undersands, because He WAS.
DeleteI can go a long way on that.
Stephanie, thank you so much for this, a heartening, strengthening example!
ReplyDeleteI am so grateful that you are here.
Ugh. You would write about this, exactly when I'm going through about the same thing, on a different level, in a different situation. Silently. But not alone... because God.
ReplyDeleteGod is the only certainty.
Prayers.
And we are praying for YOU, Diana.
DeleteHe is indeed the only certainty.