A River Runs Through It

I'm hungry. I'm seeking. I'm loving. I'm hurting. All at once. Life is so full of suffering and pain. It seems that some of us experience that more than others and all of us experience it in different ways than others. The unknowns can be some of the hardest hurts.
Throughout my upbringing, I experienced some hurts. God gave me a thought very early on that he was allowing these hurts for His purpose. I believe with all of my heart that the things I've experienced, I am called to turn around and help others with. I experience these things to better relate to other young women who have experienced them too. These types of things don't just stop when you get married or think you have your life "together". Amy Grant sings a song that says "Hard times come. And they'll come 'til we're done".
As most of you know or can gather from my recent blog posts, I just finished up the Beth Moore "Breaking Free" study. One of the main things I took from that study is something rather simple that I've known all my life. I let myself get desensitized to things that I've heard a lot--Bible verses, songs, sayings, or regular occurrences. This is one of those things. We all know that God has us on this earth for His glory. Some people say, "Why does he deserve glory?" or "How could an all good God allow such misery and suffering in the world?". I can't tell you how many times I've heard those arguments. I'm not very good at apologetics. The fault is my own. But I know that God IS completely good. And he IS in control. I used to think that God loves as a verb. Not true. God IS love. It's not something he can stop doing whenever he wants. It's not selective or when he feels like it, as it is for us. He is love. It's his being. He never stops loving. And even in hard times, I'm no exception to the rule. He still loves me.
Because I know that he loves me, and because I know that the hard times just add to my testimony for the sole purpose of bringing him glory, I can have peace. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 "Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!" It says that he will grant peace in EVERY circumstance. That feels good. Isaiah talked about peace all over his book. Peace will increase eternally, His peace is perfect and he gives it to the steadfast, the righteous receive peace as their reward, we are healed by his wounds, those who walk in the way of the Lord receive peace, peace will rule over you. It's everywhere! The word peace alone is used 26 times in Isaiah. Beth Moore taught me that the key to having peace is authority. She says, "When we allow the Prince of Peace to govern our lives, peace either immediately or ultimately results. Peace accompanies authority." I think that we will receive peace about anything when we are walking with him and the situation is totally and completely surrendered to him. When we take a leap of faith in what we cannot see and trust his will for our lives. I want peace like a river. One of my favorite childhood songs- I've got peace like a river. I've got peace like a river. I've got peace like a river in my soul. I love nature for those of you who don't know. And I absolutely love thinking of things metaphorically and parallel to an element of nature. A river is fitting here, of course. I think of the river that carved out the Grand Canyon. It was powerful--gosh was it powerful. It was probably turbulent, jumping over rocks when it came to them, and it was exciting. What a ride. But look at how beautiful the canyon is that this river created? Peace is not out of my reach or out of yours. It can come to anyone who will stomp on their pride, ask for it, and receive it. If you're anything like me, that's not easy to do but definitely possible. I know that this post hasn't been incredibly insightful but writing is therapy for me. I learn as I write and the truths that have become stagnant are brought to the forefront of my brain for fresh meditation. Maybe something written here will do the same for you.