Why the Pain?

1. How do I deal with life's disappointments?
Typically, I am quiet. I take prefer to take action, but God has recently been really working on me with that. This weekend, Dad's reaction was quite disappointing to me. I talked to him about it and then I walked away and later journaled about the situation.

2. What caused Peter to start sinking?
He saw the wind.

3. What did Jesus do?
He immediately reached out his hand and caught Peter.

4. What is causing you to sink and what do you think Jesus will do about your situation?
My job circumstances are certainly causing me a great deal of stress. I am really praying about staying focused on Christ and not looking at the "wind" of my circumstances!!

5. Scripture passages that are especially encouraging to me right now:
2 Corinthians 4

6. How does crying out to God affect my relationship with him? How do you think God feels when I cry out to him?
I think that it frees me to be honest with God. I struggle with feeling like God is distant at times, and crying out to him bridges the gap between us. God created us to have a relationship with Him, so I can only imagine when we cry out to him, he is pleased.

7. Describe a time when you asked God to intervene in a situation. How did you know God was involved?
The weekend before Dad had his "nervous breakdown," I prayed, desperately, for God to "do something." It could not have been attributed to anything else but God!

8. Did you situation turn out the way you prayed it would? How did that make you feel?
It did not turn out the way I thought it would. Very rueful. I have hesitated to ask God to intervene again because it was so unbelievably scary last time.

9. When he realized he was sinking, Peter cried out to Jesus. When you are sinking emotionally, who or what do you cry out to?
I typically don't cry out to anyone, but I try to swim on my own. When I realize what I am doing (or can't breathe anymore), I cry out to Jesus.

10. Based on your options for dealing with the most trying situation you are facing, how can you best glorify God in your response?
DO NOT distort His Word. It's easy to start fighting fire with fire, but I need to do what's right, no matter what happens.

11. What is the difference between crying out to God and simply crying? Which one do you do most often?
Simply crying is often just a release. Crying out to God is an action response. Crying out to God will allow Him to take over where we are lacking. Crying can leave me in a state of hopelessness.

12. What does your attitude about the impossible say about your faith in Jesus Christ?
My faith is smaller than it's been in the past, but larger than it's been in the past. I think I'm often limiting God and what he's doing in my life, thinking that I need to point out the obvious, which is not necessary!

13. Jesus restored Lazarus's life. Do you believe he can restore the quality of your life? Why or why not?
I believe he can restore the quality of my life - I just pray it's never the same again! I don't want to go through all this pain to have not learned something about Christ and His role in my life!

14. How many times have you, like Martha, struggled, wavered in despair - or sunk into it - not seeing what you expect from God in the here and now? What are three things you can do daily to prevent sinking into despair?
1. Pray each and every step of this journey. 2. Memorize the Scripture God has given me. 3. Remember the ways God has been faithful.

15. Because Jesus calls me, I do not need to fear the wind.