I went swimming yesterday at my usual pool...one must shower before entering the pool, so I try to take a cold/warm shower to prepare myself for the shock of the pool water. Yesterday, the water seemed FREEZING cold as I jumped in. That moment before taking the leap is the worst because you are anticipating the temperature, but not really knowing just how cold it will be. Well, I think they turned down the heat a few notches in the past week, cuz I was covered with goose bumps for a good 200 meters!!!
As I swam those first 100 meters, moving as quickly as possible, trying to warm up, I kept reminding myself of how good this is for me and how wonderful I always feel when I'm finished with my 1000 meters, etc., etc.
Perseverance is the key....enduring the conditions...facing the circumstances and pushing through, knowing that in the end there is a "crown of glory".
Sometimes I find that the closer I get to Jesus and the more intimate I am with Him, the "colder" the circumstances and the world around me seem, and I must lean harder than ever before on my Beloved, exercising faith like never before and enduring the challenges which before didn't really appear to be challenges. Years ago, a friend said this to me, "The closer you get to the light, the more exposed is the darkness." How very true...both in our own lives, and in the world around us. Only fully allowing His love and His grace to inhabit the very core of our being and every sinew in us can we truly live life to the fullest for His glory in this world!
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