Hopefully Something New Soon!! Sorry for being a blogging failure!

Hey folks!! Well...I think we can all safely say that I am really bad at keeping up on this blog and putting things on here for you guys to read. It has been WAAAY too long since I last put a post on here! I apologize profusely for that, guys, I really do! I will admit life has kind of gotten away from me and I haven't been so focused on my writing lately. BUT I am currently working on a new story that I am hoping to post when I get done with it. It could be a little while, but we will see! Just kind of taking life one day at a time! Thanks everyone!
~Tori

Savior Trumps Suffering

Hey everyone!! So I know it has been a REALLY long time since I last posted something! I apologize for that!! I will admit I got a little bit lazy with my writing for awhile and also had some writers block! But...I now have something that I just wrote recently that God put on my heart and I want to share with you guys! I am going to tell you now, that there is one little story about something that occurred in my life that I wrote about and I have it in much more detail in my original version, but because I am putting this online I am editing it to make it sound much more generic just because the story involves a lot more people than just me and I don't want to hurt any feelings or anything! It is PARAGRAPH 8 that is the changed up paragraph! So....here it is...I hope you enjoy it!! PLEASE GIVE ME SOME FEEDBACK!! Thank-you!!

                                                                    Savior Trumps Suffering

We see suffering every day. In the news when we hear about people losing everything to some disaster or that someone lost a loved one too soon. We see it in commercials on TV when they flash images of kids orphaned by AIDS in Africa. We hear it when hospitals try to raise money for cancer research to save the lives of those with the terrible disease. We even experience it first hand when we go through struggles with work, family, friends, and school. Suffering is everywhere and happens to everybody. We just have to know where to turn when it happens. And that place, is to God and His word.

The first question asked by people when they suffer is “why?” People always want to know why it is that these things happen to them. Well, there is no real answer, except that God knows and God has a plan through it all, and that plan is only understood by Him. His plan is beyond our own understanding, so we just have to trust Him because He knows what He is doing. God even tells Job, who had just lost everything and suffered a great deal, “Trust me. I know what I am doing.”

                There is another thing people tend to do when they suffer, and that is blame God. And what they need to realize is that it is never God’s fault, it is Satan’s. When we give ourselves to God, Satan’s automatic reaction is to attack us to get us to turn away from God. Satan throws suffering our way, and that is when we have to show Satan that he can’t bring us down because we have God on our side. We also have to remember that Satan can’t do anything to us, without God’s permission. Just like Satan had to ask God for permission to do the things he did to Job in the Bible. And if he gets God’s permission, it means that God wants us to look to Him and trust Him even more and that he has a big plan to come from it. To prove it, I will use examples from my own life and from the Bible.

                First example from the Bible is from John chapter 9. It is in verses 1-12 that there is the story of the blind man. In verse 2 the disciples ask Jesus if the man was born blind “because of his own sin or the sin of his parents”. Jesus replied, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (verse 3). Or in other words, the man was born blind so others could see his faith in Jesus and witness him being healed by Jesus to bring them closer to God and make them believe. I have a story of my own that kind of did the same thing for me and my family.

                When I was in the eighth grade, I got a blood clot in my right lung. This was after I had gone through a time of being depressed about being overweight. So when I got the blood clot, it made me lose faith in God completely. I honestly thought that He didn’t care and that He hated me. That was until my mom came to a realization after I had been in the hospital for several days. She told me to think back on the events of the day I went into the hospital. So I did, and I came to the same realization that she did. On the day I went into the hospital, my siblings and I were supposed to have been in school, my parents were supposed to have both been at work, and I was supposed to have had choreography practice for the school musical I was in. But, that day was a snow day, so there was no school and no after school activities. My mom also ended up getting put on call, meaning she was home that day, too. On top of that, when my mom got the call from my doctor that I had to go to the hospital, I was just about to go sledding with my siblings. If none of that would have happened, I wouldn’t be alive today. And when I realized that, I realized that God did really love me and care about me. It also made me and the rest of my family realize how powerful God is and that he works in mysterious ways. It, in turn, brought us closer to God just like the story of the blind man being healed.

                So, the lesson from both the story of the blind man, and my blood clot story is that God sometimes uses suffering to bring people closer to Him and help them grow more in their faith. So, in a time of suffering, take a look at the big picture and ask, “Is there something that God is trying to teach me or to show me to bring me closer to Him?” There just might be, and if not, there are two more stories I have that give another way God uses suffering.

                In the story of Joseph, God had him suffer at the hand of his brothers so he could come to power in Egypt and save people’s lives. Genesis 50:20 says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” This verse is Joseph reassuring his brothers that he won’t kill them for selling him to slave-traders because God used this bad situation to bring him to a high position in Egypt, which allowed him to invite 70 people in his extended family to come down and weather out a seven-year drought that was scorching Israel. Again, I had a similar thing happen to me.

                It was my senior year of High School. I had just begun an after school activity I was involved in. The first night was in January shortly after the first of the year, and I was very excited for my final year of doing this activity in High School. I went to that first night, just to find out I got left out of my group I was in for this activity. I was very upset, and along with the help of my friends, I worked to find a way to be able to still participate as much as possible. But everything I tried to do seemed to be the wrong thing in the eyes of my instructor. It got to the point where my instructor kicked me out altogether. And after a lot of prayer, I decided to refuse to let that stop me and I participted anyway on the final night I was able to participate. My Instructor ended up assaulting me and my partner, trying to stop me in a way I never imagined she would. Through the whole thing I kept my trust in God and I just gave it all to Him and told him to take control and do what He thought was best, and in the end, it came out good. We pressed charges on my instructor for assaulting me, and she plead out to Disorderly Conduct. She also has been fired from being an Instructor. So now, no one else can ever be hurt by her again, and what happened to me will never happen to anyone else.

                So, it is the same story with me and Joseph. God allowed Satan to attack us to prevent bad things from happening to other people. Also, we both defeated Satan and kept our trust and faith in God every step of the way. So the other thing to remember when suffering is that maybe God is using it to prevent something bad and turn it into good.

                Another thing to remember with suffering is it is an earthly thing and is only temporary. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says, “Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. We have small troubles for a while now, but they are helping us gain an eternal glory that is much greater than the troubles. We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever.” In other words, these verses tell us that every day we grow stronger in our faith and that the struggles we go through will only last a short time. We have to take our focus off of the visible struggles and think about the future we have coming to us in heaven that is not visible. Because that promise to us that as long as we have God in our hearts and have faith in Him we will end up in heaven with Him, is forever. It actually reminds me of a song by country artist, Carrie Underwood, called “Temporary Home”. That song basically says that our home here on Earth is temporary and that we should not let suffering get to us but, instead, enjoy life. Because our forever home is in heaven with God and that is where we belong. So basically, don’t let the suffering even bother you, because it is only temporary. Instead, enjoy life and spread God’s love to others.

                Remember when I mentioned that we see suffering every single day? Well, do something about it. Show God’s love to those that are suffering and defeat Satan and make him let go of the person he is making suffer. Do things like go on mission trips, donate money or belongings, comfort those who need comforting, volunteer for different things, and just show people the love that God showed us. In doing this you are letting go of your own struggles and living your life to the fullest to glorify God. Suffering does not control you, God controls you.

                In 1 Corinthians 10:13 it talks about God not allowing you to ever be tempted beyond what you can bare and that he will always provide a way out. I also believe that the same thing goes for suffering. I believe that God will not allow you to suffer beyond what you can bare. Remember that I said Satan has to get permission from God to put suffering in your life? Well, I don’t believe that God would give Satan permission to do it if He knew you couldn’t handle it. It may feel like you can’t handle it at the time it’s happening, but that is when you turn to God in prayer and trust Him through it.

                That brings me to my next point. You are never alone when you suffer and God never intended for you to go through suffering alone. God intended for times of suffering to be the prime time for you to put your trust in Him and let Him guide you. Luke 18:27 says, “’No chance at all,’ Jesus said, ‘if you think you can pull it off by yourself, every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.’” This verse says that there is no way you can get through suffering on your own. But, you can get through it if you trust God. The impossible becomes possible with a faith and trust in God. Just go to God and give it all up to Him and He will guide you and get you out of it. He has a plan for it all, just trust Him. Remember that God says in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This means that even though you may suffer, God will not harm you because he has plans for you and knows the things you are needed to do for Him and for others.

                So all in all, I guess I am trying to tell you to not dwell on your suffering. Most likely God is just trying to teach you some lessons to help you grow in your faith, or he is trying to use you in a much bigger way than what you can see. You just have to trust God, because He knows what He is doing and He has a plan for it all. Also, God won’t let you go through anything that you can’t handle and you have to believe that. And remember that what you go through here on Earth is only temporary and that you have a much better and happier life awaiting you in heaven. So, while you are still here on earth, live life to the fullest and to glorify God. Do things to end the suffering you see around you and make the world a better place. It won’t always be easy, because Satan is always going to want to stop God’s work, but if you stay true to your faith in God, He will guide you through every step of the way. Anything is possible with God. Satan and suffering does NOT rule, God does! Remember that He gave His son for you, so He loves you and never leaves you. Keep your faith, stay strong, and trust God, and there is nothing you can’t handle. Our Savior always trumps suffering because He is bigger than that and when He returns it will all go away and there will only be happiness in heaven.