Romans 5:3-5

There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Romans 5:3-5 The Message


I don’t know about anyone else but I seem to be “hemmed in with troubles”. Business is slow. It is even slower than after 9/11. This verse in Romans is saying that when we are having troubles that something should happen to me. So what is going on in me?

I am learning how to cut cost at the hotel and home.
I am learning how to prioritize items in my life and at the hotel.
I am learning the value of everything I pay for.
I am learning to dream more.
I am learning how to adjust my dreams.
I am learning to trust God more.
I am learning to listen more carefully to God.
I am learning to slow down.
I am learning to pray more specifically.
I am learning to look for more opportunities.
I am learning to work harder.
I am learning to pay more attention to the details.
I am learning to keep on praying, even when nothing happens right away.
I am learning to learn from others and what they are going through.
I am learning what things in my life are wants and what things are needs.

It is just amazing all these things are going on inside of me at the same time. I will now be able to sit down and think about these things. I guess it is kind of like homework. To really learn a new subject in school, I had to practice. I had to take my math homework home and work in it. I need to take these things God is talking to me about and work, think, study, meditate on them.

What has God talked to you about during your troubling times?

Then we have the second part to this passage. It talks about not being able to hold all the blessings God will pour out on us. What a promise! I can hold onto a lot. I have pockets, boxes, a garage, a bank account. I can fit a lot of stuff and this is just the physical stuff. The blessings could be family, a good job, peace, understanding, wisdom, friends and lots of other stuff you can't touch.

Have you ever linked a blessing back to the lesson you have learned? I have. It is really fun to do and a topic for another post.

Have a day "hemmed in with troubles".