Tag Archives: Romans 15:13

The Terrible No Good Day

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Have you ever had one of those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days, as Alexander had in the book by Judith Viorst of the same name? I’m guessing it would be safe to say you have.

Recently, a friend and I exchanged text messages. I was following up with her after she spent several hours in the emergency room the previous night. In our exchange, I mentioned how my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day before went. Ending with saying it was nothing compared with what she faced in a few days. She disagreed.

We each have our terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days, don’t we? Sometimes those days seem to gang up on us. Sometimes they spread out enough to give us space to breathe before they strike again.

Jesus told us we’d have those days. He told us in this world we would have trouble. It’s a guarantee. You will have. Not some of you might have. Or it’s possible a few of you will experience. Nope. Each of us will have trouble. We’ll have those days which can only be described as a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Why? Because we live in a fallen world determined to attack and make us lose our joy.

When Jesus said we would have trouble, he didn’t end there. He went on to say we should take heart. Be encouraged. Stay strong. For he overcame the world. He left his Spirit to strengthen believers, so we can make it through those days we wish never happened.

That’s how we get through those terrible days. That’s how we soldier on past the horrible days. That is the way we live to die to self another day, when the no good days hit. It is only through the Spirit of the Lord who lives in us, we can move past our very bad days.

In this world we will have trouble, yes, but Christ has overcome the world.

In Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, by the time Alexander’s day, where absolutely nothing went his way, ends, he declares he is moving from his family in New York City to live in Australia.

You and I do not need to move our residence to feel joy in the midst of our troubles. All we need do is move closer to the source of our joy. Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, Sustainer, Chain Breaker, Hope, and Strength.

The joy of the Lord is our strength. Even on those days when the only way we can  describe them is terrible, horrible, no good, very bad.

How do you turn your terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days around?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NIV)

You can find my February Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Electricity and Jesus

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by Sandy Kirby Quandt

When life is difficult, it might help us to think about electricity and Jesus.

Crazy, huh? Let me explain …

Seems everywhere I’ve lived as an adult there have been storms of one kind or the other that threatened the reliability of the flow of electricity into my house.

When we moved to the Texas Gulf Coast from Florida at the height of hurricane season, one of the first things I did was place candles and matches easily accessible in every room. I put flashlights next to each bed because that is what I needed to do in Florida.

I wanted to have the security of a light within easy reach for those unexpected times of darkness when the electricity was interrupted.

I don’t understand how electricity works. All I know is when I flip the light switch, the light comes on. I expect the light to go on whether or not I see all the wires and turbines that create it.

I believe the electricity will work. I put my trust in the fact the electricity will work.

Just as we trust electricity to light the way when we can’t see it, shouldn’t we also trust Jesus to light our way even though we can’t see him?

When the power goes out in our life and the darkness of our troubling situations seem to surround us, isn’t it comforting to have the security of the Light of the World within easy reach for those unexpected times of despair?

Our hope rests in the power of Jesus through his Holy Spirit. He is the one who gives us the peace and the light to endure. He is our hope, our candle in the dark. Even the worst of storms cannot interrupt the flow of Jesus’ power to us.

Might I suggest we flip the switch on, and never turn it off?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope. Romans 15:13 (Phillips)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Hope in the Dark

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By Sandy Kirby Quandt

Have you ever found yourself in the dark without electricity? If you live in areas where storms can knock out your power in an instant, then you are probably nodding your head, “yes”.

Seems everywhere I’ve lived, with probably the exception of Africa, there have been storms of one kind or the other that threatened the reliability of the flow of electricity into my house.

When we moved to Texas from Florida, one of the first things I did was place candles and matches easily accessible in every room. I put flashlights next to each bed because that is what I needed to do in Florida. Even though we do have hurricanes here, just like in Florida, it seems we don’t have the summer storms that knocked out our power as frequently.

Nevertheless, I wanted to have the security of a light within easy reach for those inevitable times of darkness.

I don’t understand how electricity actually works. I just know when I flip on the light switch the bulb lights up. I expect the light to go on whether I see all the wires and turbines that make it work or not. I believe it will work. I put my trust in the fact it will work.

When life is difficult it might help us to think about electricity.

Crazy, huh? Let me explain…

Just as we trust the electrical current that runs from point A to point B when we can’t see it, we should trust Jesus is with us to give us the power we need to get through those rough times even though we can’t see him.

When the power goes out in our life and the darkness of our troubling situations seem to surround us, isn’t it comforting to have the security of a light within easy reach for those inevitable times of despair?

Our hope rests in the power of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who gives us the peace, the light to endure. He is our hope, our candle in the dark. Even the worst storms cannot interrupt his power flow to us.

Might I suggest we grab hold of his hand and never let go?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant with hope. Romans 15:13 (Phillips)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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