This is a world of tragedy and pain. It is also a world of joy and fulfillment.
It is my conviction that God is present to us in both worlds.
The question always is how these two worlds can exist at the same time.
There is no easy answer.
Creativity always comes out of chaos.
But to return to our question: It is easy to sense God's presence when things are going right.
But where is God when things fall apart?
Do we not find the divine presence in the very place that Jesus found it during his crucifixion?
Could there be a greater experience of tragedy and pain than that?
In our world of pain, we can find God.
In moments of deep need, God comes in a mysterious way to give us courage.
When we seek Him by being creative and stepping out to find Him or bending a knee at our bedside, He begins to manifest His presence.
No one escapes the struggles of life.
Our goodness or our faith do not make us immune from suffering.
God never promised that life would be without its painful moments. We are promised that God will be with us no matter what we face. Someone wrote, "Peace does not come with the absence of troubles, but with the conscious realization of adequate resources." God can be found as the supplier of all the resources we need to get through life's difficult moments.
We also find God in the messages of hope. This experience of pain will not have the last word. Jesus said to his disciples, "In this world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
The ultimate victory belongs to those that can find His presence in the pain.
In 2 Corinthians 2:3 Paul states how He was ministering to others through his own fear, weakness and pain. He explains to us that it was all possible through the Spirits power.
I am convinced many have not tapped into the presence of His power or really sought after His strength. We allow the pain of the past or present to dictate or feelings.
In this world PEOPLE will hurt us and bring us down. I see this on a daily basis.
Paul teaches the people in the the Corinth Church to not focus on the pain and problems.
He taught them something I see as the: 101 principle--- find the 1% you can affirm in your life and give it 100% of your attention. Do not focus on the pain, people or problems.
Watch what God does with the 1% that you focus on.
Learn today to practice experiencing His presence in your pain.
It is our responsibility to learn about Christs power only then will we have a sense of destiny during despair, a sense of family during failures and a militant spirit when everything around us is irritating.
Have a 101% principle day,
