The hard things in life

Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Luke 9.23-26

there are stages in life - phrases thru which we all pass. i go thru stages of reading. there are times when i desire to read absolutely everything in front of me, and then there are times when i dread reading a chapter. currently i'm in the 'read-anything-i-can-get-my-eyes-upon' stage. so next to my bed right now are these books: The Message Bible, Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible, The Sacred Way, The Sacred Romance, Prayers That Avail Much, Revolution in World Missions, 90 Minutes in Heaven, Utmost for His Highest, Simplify Your Life, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, Book of Sudoku, The Practice of Godliness, The Power of Prayer and Fasting, Enjoy the Silence, Heaven, my prayer journal, Diary of Daily Prayer, Thunder of Heaven, Love and Respect, Red Moon Rising, Thr3E, SpiritLed Woman magazine, and The Secret of Victorious Living. Those are all the books stacked up next to my bed. (it's pretty pathetic, but i've read parts of each of them within the last 3 weeks.)

so i was reading The Secret of Victorious Living and came across this passage which jumped out at me. this is a fictional statement as to what our forefathers may tell us today. (and keep in mind, this book was written before 1934 (which is the copyright date.):
"...We were not so tempted as you are to forget that the destinies of the race are within the soul. It is easier to build a skyscraper than to build great caracter. It is easier to erect your modern apartment houses than to achieve the peace that passeth all understanding, when you are in them. It is easier to amass physical power than it is to achieve spiritual life which knows how to use it. It is easier to harness the forces of the external universe than to release the inner powers of the divine world by which man lives indeed. And when you do this easier thing and omit the deeper matter, where does it bring you save to catastrophe? Lift up your eyes and see. One civilization after another has fallen, fooled by its illusions. What profit without the soul?"

i love how our forefathers would tell us about character, spiritual life, peace that passeth understanding, and innner powers of the divine world. i long for those things, those things which satisfy the soul. and it is so easy to get lazy and not pursue them. i'm learning that it's very difficult to quiet the soul and listen for what my Savior desires to say to me. it is easier to skip on building character... oh but the profit which will come should one put in the time and energy to raise one. and about this peace that passeth understanding - in this crazy world which forces us to be constantly busy and moving, it is so tough find peace. but Jesus proclaimed that He came to bring peace. and so spending time with Him has to be fulfilling, and it builds character.

Oh Jesus,
thru Your Word i read how my forefathers struggled to pursue You. they stumbled and fell, gained strength and rose again just to stumble more. i see the same pattern or stage in my own life. but thru the trials and errors, the strength to persevere continues to pour into my soul. as i try to hold fast to you, my mind is filled with thoughts of who You are creating me to be. You've changed me - You placed within me desires that this world could never offer. i want to know this peace, and to be able to release the divine powers into a lost and hurting world, and have Your characteristics, and be compelled to live out what my Spiritual life manifests. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
thru Your Name, Jesus, i humbly pray ~ Amen.

*Tricia *GNC Event across the nation *Prom go-ers