Chewing On the Last Bite

I've loved sharing the bite-sized nuggets of wisdom

from our godly, older friend, John.

We began our little feast by tasting,

"take it from the Lord."

We moved on to the tasty morsel called,

"leave it with the Lord."

Tonight, the finale in the spiritual feast of simple wisdom is

"this too shall pass."

Disappointed because it's too simple?

Remember, they aren't pat answers,

they're promised victories.

When I was given this advice,  I have to admit,

it didn't make me very happy.

I thought it didn't exude enough sympathy.

It didn't acknowledge the depth of my agony.

I wanted something I hadn't heard before.

Nodding in agreement?

You know what I learned?

It's  true, very true.

The trial you're going through?

"This too shall pass."

Agonizing over potty training?

Guess what?  I'm not.  That stage passed.

When  agonizing with another mother of teenagers she cried out,

"And we used to think potty training was hard!"

Speaking of teenagers?

Agonies that caused me more tears than my cancer have passed.

A friend heard over a year and a half later of a certain trial we experienced.

 She wrote, relaying her love, prayers and sympathy.

The trial was so resolved,

the Lord had restored what the locusts had eaten,

and I could hardly remember the agony she spoke about.

It had passed.

Time passes without help,

but trials only pass with prayer and faith.

 Ignoring struggles doesn't make them go away,

cling to the Lord and His Holy Word.

Some trials  may never pass on earth.

 I've been told my papillary thyroid carcinoma 

will never be in remission or be healed.

But, the trials will still pass.

Whether our faith in Christ brings us to heaven through physical death

or through the Rapture, we have a great eternal promise.

Revelation 21:4

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;

and there shall be no more death,

neither sorrow, nor crying,

neither shall there be any more pain:

for the former things are passed away.

 

Since there's a promised end to the trials,

on earth or in heaven,

To gain that peace we must

"take it from the Lord"

"leave it with the Lord"

and then by the grace of God,

"this too shall pass."

our focus shouldn't be on the trial,

but on our testimony and obedience while enduring the trial.

When it passes, we don't want to look back with regret.