This is the offering

that you shall make...

         Ezekiel 45. 13

(What if I viewed

this hardship,

these difficult people,

this tight spot,

this sacrifice of my time,

     talent and treasure,

this givenness,

the tight corners,

the upward slope,

this miry bog,

this plain old hard work

  that overflows its banks,

differently

   as an offering to God?

Am I willing

   to walk this path with God?

Am I willing for Him

   to use it for purposes

   beyond my vision?

Can I view it as worship?

Not just having a

       fresh attitude about it,

but a new heart.)

 

O LORD,

You never promised

that our path or life

would be easy,

but that You are with us

and You bring the strength.

Help us to see hard things

with new eyes

            and a new heart,

knowing that

      nothing is random

and no sacrifice

    is ever insignificant.

You are redeeming all things.

We just cannot see it yet.

Help us to know You more

    not just in the outcome

    but along the way.

Even in this.