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The "in" I'm glad I'm in
by Joanne Sher There are several places I've been in where I wish I hadn't even come close to. I've been: in trouble in hot water in a frenzy in a quandry These are not good things to be in. It certainly makes everything going on around you seem minor. To be in trouble, for instance, implies that trouble is all around you. You are completely encapsulated by your struggles. Nothing gets out, or goes in, without passing through trouble. Now, this may not always be the actual case, but that's certainly the implication of the phrase, as well as the three that follow it on my little list. And, of course, my biggest goal when I'm in one of these instances is to try to get out of it. Now, this probably isn't very comforting or encouraging. However, as I was looking ahead at my devotional for tomorrow, I came across a thought that was in fact both of these things. It's related to another state that I am in. No matter the source of the evil confronting you, if you are in God and thereby completely surrounded by Him, you must realize that it has first passed through Him before coming to you. (Streams in the Desert, L. B. Cowman, July 23). Now, I know that I am in God/Christ, but I never really thought about the implications of it--at least not in this way--until this morning. When I am in Christ, it means that Christ surrounds me, encapsulates me like a cocoon. Everything that reaches me--whether it is good or bad in my eyes--is allowed in by the Creator of the Universe. He is truly sovereign, and truly all-knowing. When Marc had his first brain surgery, He was there--and he allowed it by His divine knowledge and mercy. When Marc's vision got worse for no apparent reason, God "saw it coming," if you will, and allowed it into the cocoon of my and Marc's position "in Christ." And when God moved a brother or sister in Christ to anonymously give us a very large amount of money when we really needed it, he let it slip right through that cocoon and into our waiting arms. I'll never think of being "in Christ" the same again. And that is certainly an "in" I'm glad I'm in. (c) Joanne Sher 2011 Joanne Sher is a Christian writer saved out of Judaism, traveling rough roads with God's strength. She loves to blog, encourage, write, and spend time with her family. Learn more about her at http://www.joannesher.com. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |