If you’re going through extreme suffering

you can either wallow in self-pity, or you can live in denial of the suffering with a positive mental attitude, focusing on the positives, ignoring the negatives. OR. You can THANK Jesus for the extreme suffering. My flesh likes either self-pity or denial, but my flesh knows NOTHing about delivering happiness to Dave. Jesus uses extreme suffering to retrain me in a much-better way to live: as a Jesus-dependent, clueless-I-know-what’s-best, trusting that He’s in charge and is delivering precisely what is best, so I’m curious/expectant to see what He does NEXT, in me, others, circumstances. Ahhh. Extreme suffering is paaainful, costly, but when it comes from the hand of a Loving Savior who knows exactly what we need, it’s a BARGAIN. The happiness flowing from fresh sanity doesn’t last long, however. I’m in constant need of the Spirit’s fresh work in my life.

— Dave McCarty, GospelFriendships, being grown by Jesus as a thank-er for evathang, wondering if the seculars around him are noticing the difference

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