Thursday, December 11
joseph's heart of compassion.
from 'if you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat" by John Ortberg."when people wrestle with doubt, they may tell themselves that they will try harder to have more faith. but faith is not the sort of thing that can be acquired by trying harder. imagine if someone were to say to you, "i find myself doubting Old Faithful. i'm just not sure it can be trusted." what would your advice be? Not "try harder to believe!" the best advice for such a person would be, "just hang around Old Faithful. get to know Old Faithful better." and because Old Faithful is faithful, the better you know it, the more you will trust it. it is the same with God. never try to have more faith - just get to know God better. and because God is faithful, the better you know Him, the more you will trust Him. the way to get to know His trustworthiness is to risk obeying Him"
"when life does not turn out the way you plan, you forget that other people face disappointment too. you may begin to think only about your own hurts. your world becomes so small that your pain is the only pain you notice. this is the death of the heart, the loss of meaning."
Lord, help me be like Joseph who had a heart of compassion for others, who noticed their downcast faces, even when he himself was suffering in prison.
help me to trust.