Trouble , Trials and Tribulation ?

[Boaz]

Why do we have trouble , trial and tribulations ? Why are we tested by our Lord ? Why does GOD not end dying ? Does he truly love us ? Why does he not always make the way easy ? Why does he not wipe away our tears here in this world he also created ? Why must we prove ourselves worthy when he created us . Why are we promised death . Why would a good father expect so much ? Why give us freewill and expect us to adhere to his will ? Why must we suffer ? Why must we struggle to maintain our life ? Why is it said he is a merciful GOD when it does not always seem so ? .............WHY !

[Preacher Jim]

Because He loves you

[dverna]

If life was easy, many would not need God in their lives

Don Verna

[square butte]

I stopped asking why questions, for the most part, quite some time ago. Not sure just exactly when. Mostly I just accept and appreciate any wisdom or learning whenever it is provided - And try to be grateful if I can. Once in a while a why question pops up that I study on a bit. Usually I ask my wife what she thinks (smiles)

[rl69]

Filling a bit melancholy Charlie ?

Or just trying to get us thinking?

[Boaz]

When a child my mother sang much every day doing work . She sang in the choir at church , she loved singing praises to our lord . Reason I thought to post this .

We had a county farm kept up by the county of coarse . They raised a big truck garden , cattle , hogs , chickens for eggs . Grew their own feed for the livestock . There was a two story red brick building they kept prisoners it on the second story to tend the farm . The prisoners produced their own food , they were as self sufficient as possible to relieve the taxpayer .
There was also a long brick building for indigents , old folks or infirmed with no one to care for them . In those days familys took care of their own . These had no family or their family didn't care . My mom went there weekly and she took me because these people never got to see children . They would make over me big but it was depressing . A long brick building with a curtain separating the men and women in the middle . White iron beds with just enough room to walk between them . And the lay nurses trying to care for them , it was pathetic . It stunk , there was pee on the floor everywhere . These people were here to die .
My mom would make cookies or rolls (we didn't have a lot of money) to give them . She would write letters for them (many could not read or write) and she bought prepaid post cards (3 cents each) to send to their family . She would read and she sang hymns , she sang well . ..............Enough .
I hated this place as a child . Now I wouldn't take for those memories . I remember an old lady named Juanita , she begged my mother to sneak her a knife to kill herself , she had already tried several times , they kept her hands tied to the bed rails .. Mom just smiled and talked to her . So much pain , so much loneness and misery .

[Boaz]

Many times she sang this .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW7SFOyNzQs

[Boaz]

The beast shall come upon you . Fire comin down from heaven . Blood will fill the sea .Men will cry unto the mountains . I'll be commin home to Jesus and forever with him be .

[Hogdaddy]

God bless you Boaz ; )
H/D

[Bzcraig]

If we had all those answers we would have no need for God.

[Boaz]

Not true .

[RP]

People seek GOD when things are at there worst and most forget him when all is well so I think of trails are reminders that I am forgetting.

[Boaz]

There was some kind of rotation to help feed the needy in the neighborhood when I was a kid . Bad neighborhood but many good folks . Mom made meals on a given day for ceretain ones , don't know how that worked out but the church ladies had it all figured out . My sister and me delivered them . I was 6 years old , Mr. Knolls lived bout 6 houses down west on the same side of the street as us . He was my friend , would stop by his shack , he kept two horses . Plowed gardens or whatever for a little money , he was poor . When I stopped to talk to him he would heat up a can of Campbels soup and we would split it . He used tin plates , I thought that was cool .
He had been in the cavalry in WW1 , still had his saddle , rifle and gear in a small closet . I liked him a lot , he was lonely and liked to talk . He had a stroke and fell over his small cookstove and caught fire . Drug himself to the neighbors fence and called out till they found him . He died a couple days later . Heard the grownups talking about how he suffered .

[Boaz]

People seek GOD when things are at there worst and most forget him when all is well so I think of trails are reminders that I am forgetting.

I totally agree .

[Boaz]

In 93' my mom came down with a respiratory problem . She was in the hospital over a month slowly going down . She told me and my sister she was ready to meet her Lord , not to try and save her ...she was tired . She went into a coma , doctors wanted a lung biopsy , we consented . We loved our mother , wanted to keep her .
Biopsy was done , me and Susan were in the intensive care waiting room when the nurse came and asked if we could calm our mother .
Went in her room and they had put in a trek , she couldn't talk . Her eyes were flashing , she grabbed the hose going into her throat and pulled telling us to get it out . She drug her finger across her throat telling us to let her die . My sister fell in and tried to give her hope , talking talking , I knew we failed . Our love for her outweighed her needs .

[castalott]

It still hurts to this day.... I know this feeling well..... Mercy to you, Boaz... It will be ok....

[Boaz]

We are all tried in the hot crucible of trial and then tempered/quenched by the love of Christ . All have known trial . Without the hard times how would we know or appreciate the good times .

How many in your bible were not tried...did not have trouble ? They all had trouble , they all had pain . How could we as followers do what we need to do without the lessons of this life . In our failing we gain strength and understanding . Through pain and loss we see and understand the same in others to minister to them . Through Christ we learn love and are guided .

[Pine Baron]

Very hard to read this. I have no answers, only sympathy and understanding.
If it helps, my faith is simple. (I am after all a simple man). I like to believe, When I finally stand before the Pearly Gates and Saint Peter opens the Book of Life, I'll stop him and say: "I have a few questions first."
I KNOW I'll get the answers. It will all become clear. How are we to even guess at God's will, or His plan? It will be revealed.
Go in peace.

[Blackwater]

God bless you Boaz. All of us have followed our own instincts and emotions at times, when we should have done otherwise. When it occurs with one we love more than our own selves, it the memories can haunt us for a very long time. What we have to realize, is that at whatever stage of our lives we were at then, we weren't fully mature, and didn't understand as we do now. She'd be VERY proud of you, and all you've learned since then. So go in peace. When we mature as Christians, one of the hardest things we have to do is to let go of past mistakes we've made, and to simply accept the grace (unearned benefit) of forgiveness. Forgiveness isn't just from God, but from those we hurt in the past, without meaning to.

So go your way, and know your Mom has forgiven you long, long ago, and God has too, so it's wrong of you to continue to feel guilt for it. Just accept the grace God has provided for you as gracefully as you can, and know that your Mom is looking down at you now, and probably saying to the Lord and the angels around her, "Yeah, he's always been like that - stewing over what's now nothing, and long gone." She wants you to feel the joy of Christ, NOT shame and regret for past, very human mistakes. It's yours to accept or hold onto. But you and only you can decide which you'll do. Maybe this is a great lesson that God has placed on your heart to learn. God never wants our hearts to be heavy. That's why forgiveness is so complete and total when He gives it.

[square butte]

You are always in my prayers

[Boaz]

I'm good . I probably went too far but it was true . Mom died 4 days later , they wanted more tests , I told my sister ...NO . Mom's trial was over We talked , we cried , we let her go . she met her savior ! Her favorite hymn was ...A walk in the garden . She repeatedly said she wanted it sung at her service .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW0WA8OSXZg

She was definite that .. Bringing in the sheaves was not to be sung . LOL , she had sung it at funerals by request back then solo every passing , she was wore out with it . LOL , we agreed . Seems we sang it every Sunday ! She had a great sense of humor coupled with reality .
Part of this message ....Learning . Many times now I pray GOD take them instead of praying to leave them . Cruel .....don't think so .

Bout 74 I took two horses to the Weaterford TX horse sale bout 120 miles south . Coming back there was a terrible motorcycle/car wreck . Cutting it short ..... I found a dead woman in the bar ditch , another (man) was laying on the road that had been on the cycle . Skidded on the road , face gone , hands gone screaming through a face that was a piece of meat . I prayed on my knees beside him for GOD to take him while I tried to cut up a horse halter to make tourniquets . Thankfully he died quickly ...Our Lord is merciful .

[Boaz]

Dang ! It's hard to post on this thread ain't it . Reality is ...

[Boaz]

Dang ! Found the whole song , don't think it ever made it to hymn status .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-kyHppLv-w

[Boaz]

I'm through and I know it can be troubling .....or not , you might think on it . GOD loves us . And I love you . GOD bless !

[GhostHawk]

Brother Boaz I know full well the road is hard at times.

Many of us go through or have gone through cycles of despair and depression.

I have a close friend who is struggling with Bipolar, and PTSD. And he has no faith, no one to reach out to who understands.

As for why, I happened to read this the other day and it jumped out at me. It is from Mathew 24.

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Brother Boaz I say to you put on the FULL armor of the Lord and prepare. We have harder days ahead.

"the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."

It is my opinion that this is what he wants us to learn. Love.
To love our enemy's as ourselves. To be steadfast and loving through all trials. Remember, he has been fighting a war ever since Satan fell. He needs us, all of us, to be warriors of love.

Sent you a PM, call if I can help.

Love you, indeed, all of you.

[Blackwater]

I think the hardest part of following Christ is letting go when God decides it's one of our loved one's time to go. It goes against ALL our internal desires and will. But we have to, even if it's hard. Instead of wanting to keep them alive so our own wills can be fulfulled, we should be resigned enough to the realities of life itself, to know that when our time comes, it's "not nice to fool mother nature," and we should just let them go, and be eternally thankful that the good ones were a part of our lives for as long as we had them.

I faced this with both my Mom and my Dad, whom I loved and still love in the highest way. Dad went first, and when he passed, it seemed clear to me that he was just tired of suffering from stroke and Alzheimer's. He was frustrated, and it seemed he just got tired of it, and went willingly into the Lord's realm with a good spirit. When a man does that, no matter how much you love them, you HAVE to have enough honor for them to let them go, and just be grateful they were so much a part of our lives for so long. That's not easy, and it doesn't come naturally to us, but it's what we're meant to do, I believe. I did it, and when I did, I felt SO much better for having done it! This seems to be a pattern when we comply with God's will instead of our own. It always makes us feel ... "released" for lack of a better word. And as if the Lord were sending me a message that all was OK, when I cranked my car to leave, Eric Clapton's "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" came on the radio. Timing like that, and one of his songs that are very rarely played, at a moment like that, simply can't be a mere coincidence.

When Mom died, she had cancer. She was orphaned at the age of 15 in 1932, a very bad year in the Depression. When I stopped in to see her just before she passed, she was sitting up at the foot of her bed, and had the biggest, most serene smile on her face. I asked her what she was smiling so big for, and she looked up at me with the sweetest, biggest, most clearly grateful eyes, and said, "I saw my mother a few minutes ago. She had the most beautiful wings!" I was instantly choked up, and could only go over and hug her, with a tear in my eyes, and told her I loved her, and knew that if this was her time, that she'd have her own pair of wings to match her Mom's. And she looked at me with such gratefulness for saying that, that even now, I have a tear in my eyes as I relate this. And when she breathed her last, I was there, and could only sit stright up, smile, and imagine her wings for myself. I know she has them, and she got her long awaited reunion with her Mom and her Dad.

What a joyous day it will be when we all get to reunion with all the great ones in our lives, and tell them how thankful we are for the examples they set for us, and all they taught us, and instilled within us. I've always had a little "different" view of death than most folks seem to. It seems common that we grieve our loss, while forgetting the just rewards that bewait us all if we've simply been faithful. People don't LIKE to think about death, but that's because we're so willful, and stuck on our OWN wills rather than accepting God's. We'd all do a lot better, I think, if we accepted God's will when it comes to losing those we love. It's a hard lesson I know, and it always leaves a "hole" in us that these used to occupy, but it's also God's way of letting us know that we're to fill that hole with all the strength and stamina and goodness that those good ones provided for us, and we can do that ONLY if we accept His will, rather than always obsessing over our own will. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

[Boaz]

Thank you .