When I think back over the past six years that Jesus and I have been really close, it's easy to figure out the pattern that comes with the so-called "ups and downs" in our relationship. I say "so-called" because I know without a doubt that they are actually just caused by my lack of drawing near to my Father, since James 4:8 says that He will draw near to me if I draw near to Him. Honestly, I think that the only thing getting in the way is self.
Self-anything, really. Self-doubt. Self-depreciation. Selfishness. Being self-absorbed. Self-glorification. I know I've struggled with them all at times. Once I allow myself to focus on myself, it's a quick downward spiral into getting so stuck inside my own head that I forget there's a dying, hurting, broken world out there that needs Jesus and I'm supposed to be sharing Him with everyone around me.
Even if, and especially if, we've been hurt or we're broken or we're sick or tired, it seems to me that the very best thing we can do is get out of our own heads and start to focus far more on Jesus- His power, His perfection, His goodness, His love- and far less on us. The result can't help but be magnificent!
The disciples learned the secret of literally rejoicing in suffering simply because they understood that their lives were but a grain of wheat in comparison with the glorious reality of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross.
"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." John 12:24
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