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Publisher’s Note
It was 22 years ago when I arrived in Canada and chose Calgary, Alberta to be my home. Leaving my family and friends behind, it was a new adventure for me to be in a new country without knowing anyone. That was the time I looked for a Filipino community paper and never found any, [...]
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Silver Linings in Life

“You have to face the clouds to find the silver lining” by Pastor Nilo Briones (JwoL)

One morning as I was driving to work, I was listening to a Christian song that struck a chord with me along the lines, “Don’t you give up now, the sun will soon be shining. You have to face the clouds to find the silver lining.”

No sensible creature on the face of the earth wants hardships in life. We tend to easily give up when matters become worst and eventually hurt us deeply. But the truth is no one can avoid problems, whatever sort they may be. Our goal then is not to avoid hardships, but to know what to do when they arrive. Christian believers do have a choice on how to react to them. Do we use them as an excuse to run away from God? Or do we let them draw us near to our gracious God? In Jesus, even tribulations or sufferings are blessings in disguise. In Jesus, we have everything we need no matter what happens to us – foremost of which include the powers of faith and prayers.

A grieving widow testified to have found the silver lining in her situation when her young son finds the career he would truly take on. While his father (a decorated military officer) was alive, he wants him to become a soldier that would follow his path, a seemingly heavy task for him to bear. But with the good discipline his father had taught him, he became a pastor (a true soldier of Christ) instead!

“You let the distress bring you to God, not drive you from him. The result was all gain, no loss. Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets. And now, isn’t it wonderful all the ways in which this distress has goaded you closer to God? You’re more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible.” (2Cor. 7: 9-11).

Our life becomes more exciting as we encounter distress that drives us to connect with God. We will discover the silver lining of blessings once we bring ourselves closer to God as we become more alive, more human, more real, more passionate, more loving, more dependent on Him! We don’t achieve a happy life by eliminating pain from life. We only reach happiness by living in God’s grace. Real joy is finding peace in the midst of hardships, which is impossible to experience without the intervention of our Lord Jesus. So don’t ever let the enemy of discouragement and despair keep you from living out loud for Jesus! As we live life, let’s continue to be steadfast in living out our faith to discover God’s blessings in disguise. Let us always remember that Jesus is faithful to His promise, “I came that they (those who believe in Him) may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10b (NASB).

Our God knows what is best for us. We just cannot visualize them when we complain, become hopeless, and shy away from God’s Word. As we pray for God’s strength, let’s not grow weary in doing His will. Let’s not be moved then by seemingly negative circumstances or situations in life, but instead bravely face the cloud to find the silver lining of blessings from our loving and sovereign God!

Jesus Word of Life International (JwoL) Church celebrates thanksgiving worship and fellowship every Saturday at NEBC Bldg. at 175 Whitefield Drive NE from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. If you need prayers or Bible study, contact Pastor Nilo at (587) 215-3377. “God, mission, our mission: to preach the gospel, feed the hungry, and share the love of Christ.”

Silver Linings in Life

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