Shall I refuse to drink the cup of sorrow
which the Father has given me to drink?
John 18:11 Weymouth

GOD takes a thousand times more pains with us than the artist with his picture.

He paints our lives by many touches of sorrow,
and by many colors of circumstance.

He is bringing us into the form which is the highest & noblest in His sight.

It is our privilege to receive his gifts of myrrh in a right spirit.

God gives us His surpassing love in the myrrh.

If we come & complain:

Lord! We’re so dry & we feel so dark inside!
Its then we need to open our heart to the pain.
Don’t block it with the empty stuff of our surrounding diversions.

Adapted from Streams in the Desert

Are we tired? Worn out? Burned out on life’s tests? Come to Jesus.
Get alone with Christ & we’ll recover in His life.
He has real rest.
He calls: Walk with me & work with me—

Let Him in to do His life in us.
Learn His unforced rhythms of grace.
He lifts the weights of anything heavy or ill-fitting on us by His power.
Keep company with Him & we’ll learn to live freely and lightly by His strength
Math. 11:28-30 paraphrased

Why would we ever complain,
Why would we whine,
GOD has not lost track of us.
He intrinsically cares about what happens to us!

GOD isn’t flaky. He’s infinite.
He’s the Creator of all we’re experiencing.

He‘s never tired, he’s not ignoring us. He knows everything, inside & out.

He energizes us in our exhaustion, gives fresh strength even when we feel like we’re dropping out.

When we wait on GOD in confidence we get fresh strength.
We’ll spread our wings & soar like eagles,
we’ll run & won’t get tired,
we’ll walk & won’t lag behind.
He’ll carry us in His all powerful arms.

Isaiah 40:28-30 paraphrased

— Tauler.