A Cross to Bear
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

© by Joyce C. Lock 

Being misunderstood can feel like a cross to bear. When wounded, people have found art, poetry, and music as avenues of statement. Even when our heart gets ripped, as others judge things not understood, God understands. There's comfort in knowing God is never blinded to our need, which offers wondrous things to share.

Sometimes, as we seek comfort in others, God allows them to fail because He wants to be that special person in our lives. Knowing such doesn't immediately eliminate struggles of emotional abandonment.

We're glad God loves us. We just want another to care besides Him.

Once realized that none loves like God, He becomes appreciated in newfound ways. Then, we're ready to share with others ... "Do you know how special that is? Of all the people in the world, God chose you to reach down and love." He says, "You are so special to me. Would you let me be your friend?"

When people's response to us is, "No. I don't want to be friends," that hurts. Seldom do we consider how God feels when we say, "No," to Him.

We're created in God's image. Whatever we long for, He does too. He desires not yours, but You ... someone to walk and talk with, listening to His inner most thoughts as well as hearing yours.

Once realizing God's heart is like ours, the more we avoid noticing outward appearances - to see needs of other's hearts. Only then, can we begin to love like Him.

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The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.