Corking the Bottle

Yesterday's post was made with my tongue in cheek. Sort of. Yes, I take my sports teams seriously. But of course other problems rate higher on my pain scale. Speaking of pain, my source yesterday was right about it. Carey Scott in  Unafraid  ( https://careyscott.org ) wrote, "The truth is the Lord isn't as concerned with your comfort as much as He is concerned about your character." That says to me that whenever little problems or life-changing disasters strike, it's not because God has abandoned us or wants to punish us. The opposite is true. "He allows hard things, knowing He can use them in powerful ways to accomplish His plans in you." I suffered through alcohol addiction so that God could teach me about myself, about others, and about His love for me and you. He was sorry I went through bad times, but he uses those bad times "to accomplish His plans" in me. What strength I draw from my weaknesses!

I am digesting a pretty-good book, Unafraid , by Carey Scott ( https://careyscott.org ). Today I want to relate something she wrote about pain: "The goal isn't avoiding pain -- that's not realistic or beneficial -- but instead allowing it to make us complete." I find that to be reassuring to me, a recovering alcoholic. It's especially comforting today after I just watched another Steelers loss.