When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine. I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning.
What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, that you examine him every morning and test him every moment? Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant? If I have sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of men? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?
That passage is in the Bible for a reason! God wants us to acknowledge our struggles and our difficult thoughts and emotions. But He wants us to bring them to Him like Job did. He continued to question God and His motives and God brought comfort to him when His purpose for the suffering was accomplished.
I was curious about Jesus' attitude towards suffering, so I did a quick study on his miracles. I was amazed when I found out that out of the 86 recorded miracles, 80 of them were Jesus healing people and 4 of those were people raised from the dead. Wow!
The gospels tell us that Jesus has compassion on the sick. According to Webster's dictionary, compassion means a sympathetic consciousness of another's distress together with a desire to alleviate it. He sees and knows when we struggle and He cares. He cried when His friend, Lazarus, died. He knew that He was going to bring Lazarus back from the dead, but He felt deeply the sorrow of Lazarus' sisters. It was also comforting to me that when I read of His crucifixion that He asked, "Why?" Jesus understands! He also knows why God allows us to suffer at times.
Hebrews 4:14-16 says, Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Tomorrow: Five things suffering does for us
Decorating
When our oldest daughter was here before Christmas, we went to Good Will to see if we could find some lamps to spray paint for her bedroom. We spent $14 and got three lamps - two for her bedroom and one for her living room. She was even more excited after we spray painted them. She will purchase new shades for the bedroom lamps.
Before:
After:
She added some colorful ribbon to the lampshade that is in excellent condition. Ok, those lamps, especially the ones we painted white, were UGLY! When looking for lamps to spray paint, you have to look for a shape that you like. The paint makes them look modern and new.
Today's Recipe - Puerto Rican Chicken Stew
Cuisine at Home - Slow Cooker Menus
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup diced pepperoncinis
1/2 cup chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp capers
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground annatto
3 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, seasoned with kosher salt
1/2 cup dry long-grain rice
Fresh cilantro leaves
Combine broth, tomato sauce, onion, bell pepper, pepperoncinis, olives, garlic, minced cilantro, vinegar, capers, bay leaf, oregano, pepper, paprika, and annatto in a 4-5 qt. slow cooker, place chicken on top.
Cover stew; cook until chicken is tender, on low-heat setting for 3 1/2-4 1/2 hours.
Stir in rice. Cover; cook until rice is tender, on low-heat setting for 20-30 minutes more.
Garnish servings of stew with fresh cilantro leaves.
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