Beauty for Ashes

It's all too easy to compare our situation with that of others, or to what we THINK that of others might be - and fall into the deadly trap of self-pity, which is really complaining at God for giving us a raw deal! Yet the Bible says "Every GOOD gift comes from above, from the Father of lights, who never changes".

Whatever your situation or mine, let's not forget that even if you feel that you have not been given what you deserved in life, God has given His very self for you in the lovely Person of Jesus, and His Spirit is always there with you if you have asked Jesus to be your Lord. In fact, if we got what we really deserved, each of us would be lost and on the way to eternity without hope and without God!

Today I have been really tempted to be ungrateful and full of self-pity: today is my 25th ("Silver") wedding anniversary - we are still together, but it has certainly not been a great marriage by any means. Neither my husband or anyone else has even remembered this day, and I am remembering it alone and with very mixed feelings, self-pity being one of the stronger ones!

I was tempted to ask God "Why?" when sitting next to my dear friend Peggy in church today - she had come to Songs of Praise (see previous entry!) for the first time since her 83 year-old husband Ashley had died after a long battle with cancer. Ashley's long life had been one of constant service and dedication to the Lord Jesus, and his funeral packed tiny St Margaret's to the doors with 297 guests, not so much mourners as those who each had a tale to tell of how Ashley had always had time for them personally, to lead them to Christ or encourage them in their faith.

"If only I had a husband like that"...., I was tempted to think - but it was then time once again to pull myself up, or rather let the Lord LIFT me up in the gracious way that only He can, into His never-ending supply of grace and mercy!