“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
~ Winston Churchill
~ Winston Churchill
JEREMIAH 20-22
2 TIMOTHY 1
6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 9He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.
JOURNAL
Jeremiah is discouraged and mourns his very existence. He is being persecuted for speaking truth and warning the Israelites of future danger and as a result he was beaten and put in the stocks.
Paul already in prison, is reaching out to Timothy in what is his last letter before he is executed. He sees Timothy as a "son" in the spirit of God. The letter is written as a personal one from a Father to a son, encouraging him to keep going and to live a life of dedication and service.
There are days when life gets the best of me. Days when the effort to keep going and be positive feels like pushing a 200 lb. boulder up a hill. When I read of Jeremiah's discouragement and the other prophets who in the midst of it all wish it would just all go away, it helps me to know that the bible is not all BS. Here are real people struggling to make sense of it all. Real people who have dedicated their life to God who still get discouraged, still have problems, still suffer.
It also helps me to know that all suffering is not my fault. It's not all because I didn't perform well or because I was not dedicated enough. Although there is suffering that I brought on myself...The reality is that suffering happens to everyone. Dedicating my life to God will not relieve me of that suffering, it will not remove unfortunate and difficult circumstances from my life. However it will connect me to the God who loves me and will help me to be embraced in a way that understands the heartache.
Paul already in prison, is reaching out to Timothy in what is his last letter before he is executed. He sees Timothy as a "son" in the spirit of God. The letter is written as a personal one from a Father to a son, encouraging him to keep going and to live a life of dedication and service.
There are days when life gets the best of me. Days when the effort to keep going and be positive feels like pushing a 200 lb. boulder up a hill. When I read of Jeremiah's discouragement and the other prophets who in the midst of it all wish it would just all go away, it helps me to know that the bible is not all BS. Here are real people struggling to make sense of it all. Real people who have dedicated their life to God who still get discouraged, still have problems, still suffer.
It also helps me to know that all suffering is not my fault. It's not all because I didn't perform well or because I was not dedicated enough. Although there is suffering that I brought on myself...The reality is that suffering happens to everyone. Dedicating my life to God will not relieve me of that suffering, it will not remove unfortunate and difficult circumstances from my life. However it will connect me to the God who loves me and will help me to be embraced in a way that understands the heartache.
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