Wintertide Tractations: Way

Good evening, the word for this fourth Wintertide Tractation is Way.  

Start.

I had hoped that my father and I could visit a new friend of ours this evening following church.  The man is a security guard at a local rest stop and we became acquainted with him back about July when my family and I were on an outing.  After awhile, Dad and I hit on a routine that we try to visit the man, (I'll call him Mr. Justice), every two or three weeks. 

Mr. Justice is a gentlemanly gentleman, but he has a very serious problem.  He has never been able to come to terms with the loss of his wife at the age of fifty.  Now in his mid-eighties his bitterness at God has made him blind to what the Lord is doing in his life.  

I understand loss that is painful and permanent, but I also have been blessed to have the presence of my loving Heavenly Father on Whom I can lean even through times that are hard and heart-wrenching.  Mr. Justice's case is not singular.  I have known of many dear people who have had loved loves near to them to be taken from them suddenly.  One instance is a couple whose baby was born with them knowing they only had a few months with her.  My grandparents had two of their sons to die.  Aunts, cousins, and friends of mine have lost unborn children.  A young friend in his early twenties was killed in a car wreck.  In these instances, the families, while shaken, were not destroyed by the hardships; they were strengthened by drawing strength from the Lord Who works all things out for our ultimate good. (Romans 8:28.)  But Mr. Justice cannot see this because he is spiritually blind to it.  He does not know that all things work together for good because he does not love God; he has not been awakened to the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived and died and came back to life for his redemption and for his healing. 

How I wish for Mr. Justice to see that Jesus is the Only Way to be at peace, to come to terms with life! (John 14:6.)  Jesus is the only Truth we can bank our lives on.  He is the Life that brings light to our souls.  

Without knowing Jesus, there is no real foundation to one's life.  It is as Jesus said to His disciples,  
"...whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."  (Matthew 7:24-27.)

Friend, I would love to encourage you, let hardships draw you to Jesus Christ, not drive a wedge between you and Him.  What He allows He intends to use for His glory.  See what love it took for Him to come to this vile world and give up His life so that you and I could go free!  He sacrificed so much for us (sinners!); won't you surrender to Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life? 


If this has meant something to you, or you have questions, feel free to leave a comment.