Seeing Things For What They Are

How often do we all regard God's dealings in a wrong light and call them by the wrong name? We frequently speak of certain things as 'afflictions' when they are really 'blessings in disguise'. Lately I have been thinking about everything I have been through and how at the time, I would not have seen certain things as blessings, but in the end thats exactly what they were from the things I learned, to how they brought me closer to God, to helping me see how all things work together for good, to delaying things while He works in me, to revealing things in my own heart while I wait, but most of all just reminding me once again of how I serve a faithful and trustworthy God who will never let me down.

Another area of not seeing things for what they are is in that sometimes we, including myself, don't see our sin for what it really is. Reading "The Enemy within" really helped me see sin in a new way. We must not try to 'sugar coat' our sin to make it appear less bad, or ignore it. The bible is very clear on this, and does not have any 'gray scale' areas about sin.

I found the following in an article written by Theodore Cuyler, where he talks about God's light on dark clouds....

"Let us hesitate before we condole with a brother who is under the chastisement of our loving Father in Heaven. Be careful how you condole with a man who has lost all his money—and saved his good name; or congratulate the man who has made a million—at the expense of his piety. When a Christian is toppled over from a "dizzy and dangerous height of prosperity"—and "brought down to poverty," he is brought down to Christ, the solid rock at the same time. In the valley of humiliation he has more of the joy of God's countenance, and wears more of the herb called "heart's-ease" in his bosom, than he ever did in the days of his giddy prosperity.

The adversary tries hard to break our lamp, and to steal our diamonds in those dark passage-ways of trial. We need good eyesight in such times of trouble, so as not to stumble, or to lose sight of the Comforter, or of the bright light which shines at the end of the way.

I have seen people tenderly condole a weeping mother whose godly child has flown away home to heaven. But they never thought of condoling another mother over a living child who was a frivolous slave of fashion, or a dissipated sensualist, or a wayward son, the "heartbreak of his mother." A hundred times over have I more pitied the parent of a living sorrow—than the parent of a departed joy. Spare your tears from the darlings who are safe in the arms of Jesus—and spend them over the living who are yet dead in sin and obstinate impenitence.

Let us learn to see things correctly—and call them by their right names! We too often drape our real blessings with a shroud—and decorate our dangerous temptations with garlands! The sharpest trials this nation ever knew—have turned into tender mercies. President Garfield in his grave has done more for us than Garfield could have done in the presidential chair. Satan outwitted himself when he armed one of his imps to be an assassin.

Let us all pray fervently for spiritual discernment. Lord, open our eyes! Then we shall see this world to be a mere training-school for a better world; we shall see a Father's smile behind the darkest cloud; we shall see in duty done—our highest delight; and at the end of the conflict—we shall see the King in His beauty, and know Him even as we are known!"

Lord thank you for all the blessings you have given me Lord, and forgive me for not seeing things as I should have from the beginning. Please open my eyes to see my sin for what it is and to see my so called 'afflictions' as blessings, in which they are. Amen