When Life Goes Up and Down!

Letter

Building One Another

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. I Thessalonians 5:11

When Life Bounces Up and Down!

Dear Friend,

This morning I enjoyed a conversation that was delightful. It warmed my spirit and left me feeling good. Directly afterwards I read an email that was completely annoying!

Life is full of such moments in which we hardly know what we are feeling, although I have to admit the bummer email tended to overshadow the upbeat conversation.

The concept of spirituality in our day is increasingly linked to the emotional, to the visceral, to what we are feeling. In the upbeat moment we may “feel” God’s presence and we enjoy an experiential sense of God’s love. In the downbeat moment we may “sense” God’s presence standing with us in our suffering, although some of us may have the opposite reaction and “feel” God’s absence.

We are feeling creatures, something our Lord understands very well. The Apostle Paul offered a wonderful word to us whose emotions can move up and down every other second. He puts it simply, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” II Corinthians 5:7* True spirituality is based on our trust in the Lord who loves us and not on our feelings in the moment by moment circumstances of our lives.

I love that! Our relationship with God comes out of trust, of faith, of relying on Jesus!

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust God; trust also in me.” - Jesus

Joy to you -- E. Stanley Ott

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Show Notes

Life will have its ups and downs in the year to come. Will you choose to trust Jesus, no matter what your feelings of the moment may be? Remember Jesus' words, "Let not your heart be troubled. Trust God and trust also in me." John 14:1

Use this prayer as a wonderful way to connect with the Lord who loves you:

May I know you more clearly,

love you more dearly,

and follow you more nearly.

(Found in a prayer by Richard of Chichester and in the song "Day by Day" in the musical Godspell)

The song "Day by Day" from Godspell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWAqW5D5kZo

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The song "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPgS26ZhqZs

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Photo by Jeffrey Grospe on Unsplash

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