Suffering Relationship

As I typed the title of this post I thought about how, I've heard people sometimes refer to Jesus Christ as "The Suffering Servant".  It's very appropriate because He is who this particular post is about.  I feel like my relationship with Jesus Christ has hit a bit of a dry spell.  I remember a time where my relationship with Him was close, intimate, vibrant, and loud.  Now it seems distant and quiet.  Although it feels distant now, I don't believe it is.  I believe we are even more intimate, now that I don't "feel" it as much, as we have ever been.  The quietness.................well, I see God's obvious hand in my life and sense His obvious direction on a daily basis.  So maybe I'm a lot more quiet these days, not God.  Maybe the "quietness" in my life is more of a settling. It makes me think of the scripture below.

1 Peter 5:10
¹⁰ But may^[a] the God of all grace, who called us^[b] to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

As I reflect on my past.  I realize my life was so chaotic and turbulent, that having a more settled and peaceful life could be something the triggers a lot of resistance.  There are certain habits and decisions we can make in life while we are young that can really work against the peace and calm we want to experience later in life.  If we constantly subject ourselves to toxic situations we are not only robbing ourselves or a present peace but also of a later peace. Below are the different definitions of the word "Settle"

: to place so as to stay

  : to establish in residence b : to furnish with inhabitants : colonize

  : to cause to pack down b : to clarify by causing dregs or impurities to sink

: to make quiet or orderl

  : to fix or resolve conclusively <settle the question> b : to establish or secure permanently <settle the order of royal succession> c : to conclude (a lawsuit) by agreement between parties usually out of court d : to close (as an account) by payment often of less than is due

: to arrange in a desired position

: to make or arrange for final disposition of <settled his affairs>

 

Once God settles  you, it's a good idea to stay settled and not try to stir up affairs in your life.  Although if like me, you have lived a very chaotic life, out there in the world doing almost everything and anything; living a "settled" life can take years to get use to.