I Am Struggling Too Much!

October 8, 2020

Struggling Too Much!

It is not all that enjoyable to make a decision and then have to adjust that decision every few days!

It is not all that fulfilling to propose and plan and prepare and then receive a message that undoes most of the work already done.

It is not all that gratifying to straddle the line between those who want things the way they used to be and the undeniable pull to step into a future that is significantly different.       

Some days I am struggling too much!

I am struggling because I sense the Holy Spirit is moving in ways that may be unprecedented during the last two or three generations.  Something new is being conceived right now, something with life is being birthed right now, something life-changing is being delivered right now.  I am convinced!

During the first century, there were some who sensed something similar.  They believed that something new was just about to happen and they were seeing signs of this something new all around.  The Apostle Paul was one of those who was convinced the Holy Spirit was about to do something new.

In Romans 8:22 Paul writes; “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now…”  Something new, something with life, something life-changing was about to happen.  It was like a mother in labor as she prepares to deliver a new life into the world.  Paul felt the labor pains of God’s creation giving birth to something new, something different, something awesome. 

I can sense creation’s labor pains today.  There is some anguish and some discomfort and some pain; we call feel it!  But at the same time, there is also anticipation and excitement and joy.  I can feel the energy that is moving us forward.  My hope is growing for the new thing Jesus is about to do in our midst.

I don’t know exactly what this new thing will look like.  But, I know the Holy Spirit is part of the delivery process.  In Roman 8:23 Paul continues to describe the delivery process that occurs when the Spirit is about to do something new.  Paul writes; “…and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.”

Along with all of creation, we are groaning inwardly, too.  As the Spirit delivers a future with hope, brings us into the Father’s promise, and draws us closer to Jesus’ heart we groan because there is some change, there is some adjustment, and there are some labor pains accompanying His new creation.

Just like a mother will endure the pain of labor in order to deliver her child, so we will groan as we endure the pain of the Holy Spirit delivering new life.  There is a new way to live and love with one another coming.  The struggle right now is that this new way to live and love is uncomfortable. 

Some are desperately holding onto whatever they believe will relieve the anguish, ease the discomfort, and stop the pain.  For most, those things cannot deliver what we need most.  I am reminded of the mother who has just delivered her child.  There is only one thing she wants to hold in that moment; it is the new life the Creator of life has brought to her.  She reaches for that new life, holds it close, and cherishes it with all her heart.

Some days I am struggling too much!  My struggle is knowing that all of creation is groaning in labor and that the Holy Spirit is about to birth something new for you and me.  My hope is growing for the new thing Jesus is about to do in our midst.

I am reaching out to embrace this new life the Spirit is bringing to our world.  I invite you to join me in enduring whatever the inconvenience, whatever the discomfort, and whatever the pain so we might together embrace the new life the Spirit is delivering now.  When we do, we will delight in the Lord!

Take delight in the Lord,

Doug