Holly Moments

 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”   1 Corinthians 10:13

This holiday season, I was strongly drawn to the Holly bush. I even used it as a theme in wrapping some of my Christmas packages. Its display is pretty and so festive. I also thought a lot about holly as I went about my days. 

It’s so pretty with its vibrant, robust colors. Shiny, red berries splashed among dark green, prickly leaves. Yeah, it beautifully represents with the colors of Christmas, but there’s the other aspect of the spiny points which will draw blood. 

Today, I think of Noah who struggled to build a boat among mocking neighbors. Joseph, sold into slavery by his own brothers. Baby Moses, who had to be hidden by his mother to stay alive. Mary, the young virgin mother, was almost put away and shamed. Apostle Paul penned messages to the church from prison, and Jesus, the Messiah, was despised, rejected and crucified. 

There are multitudes of stories, of yesterday and even today, in which good people have been walking in God’s promises...or maybe more like suffering through them. We ask ourselves, is this really the way it’s supposed to be?! What’s going on?

It’s easy to associate and equate suffering, confusion and what we consider negativity in our lives, with shortcomings, not being pleasing to God, or having hidden sin in our lives. That’s not always the case however. 

Sometimes walking in God’s promises doesn’t look much like what we expected it to. 

The truth is life is life. Good and bad things happen to us all. We all experience doubt, fear, anger, disappointment and hurt in this fallen world. We experience happiness, contentment, peace and satisfaction too. We may even experience all the feels in a single day! 

What does it actually mean to walk in God’s promises? 

Well, I found the answer in the Holly bush as I was feeling a bit creative one day last week. It’s pretty, true, but can sure cause a painful, shrieking “ouch!” too. 

Walking in God’s best promises really looks like perfect, “God-sized doses” of beauty and suffering as we walk along holding His hand. 

Our days may not look or feel anything like we expected or imagined, but walking in God’s promises is the perfect mixture for us- of ups and downs, good, bad and ugly too. 

The beautiful thing for us is that God goes ahead of us and tempers every trial down to something we can handle, but only with His presence. Not only that, but when we’re walking in His promises, He is always by our side during every moment, propping us up and seeing us through. Finally, He NEVER wastes a hurt. At the end of every hurtful, prickly moment, He insures that we’ve taken something away from the moment to help grow our faith and trust in Him. 

This is what walking in God’s promises really looks like. Beauty. Pain. Intentional and perfect doses from our Helper, mixed with us in the forefront of His mind. His promise is not to shield us from every hurt and disappointment, but to be there through it all and bring us through victoriously. 

I’m not suggesting we “enjoy” the pain, but rather, during those painful moments and seasons of life, for us to recognize God’s promises are still true for us and when we’re walking in His promises, that even the pain allowed into our lives is perfectly measured for us - and our good. 

Remember the Holly, my friend!

Lord, help me remember to praise you through the “ouch!” and remember each dose is overseen by You -  for me to bring You glory. Walking in Your promises isn’t always a cakewalk, it’s about holding Your hand through to the other side - and knowing I WILL get there. Amen~