There’s always something.
It never ends.
It’s one thing after another.
I hear it all day long. Life’s a bxxch. The struggle is real. Come, Lord Jesus.
We count the days on the calendar until our vacation and we work for the weekend.
We escape to the mall, the movies, or social media. We drink, drug, and dream.
All for a little relief. Because life is hard.
Somewhere along the way, the enemy has convinced me that relief is the answer. That if the struggle would just go away, then I would be happy…
The enemy keeps me clamoring for a place, a situation, an event.
And I forget that all I need is right where I am. Just the way it is.
Relief only offers relief. The noise stops, the work ends, the pain fades.
But our real problem lingers… even in the relief.
It’s quiet, but we wonder why we don’t have peace.
It’s easy, but we wonder why we aren’t happy.
It’s comfortable, but we wonder why we can’t rest.
We finally got the relief we wanted. But we’re still empty.
The enemy sold us a lemon. What we really need is free.
We need the assurance of the cross, the presence of the Spirit, and the hope of Heaven.
And it’s not coming this weekend, or this summer, or when I get a chance to soak in the tub.
It’s eternal relief for the soul.
It’s in the hand of my Father, reaching out into the here and now.
Stooping For Manna 
Beautifully expressed, Karen — as always! Love having you as part of the FMF community!
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Thanks so much for stopping by and for your consistent encouragement.
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Karen,
oh how well woven this was! And yes, the relief is like drinking saltwater that doesn’t taste salty, but keeps making you thirsty.
We want the results without the work, because the results are the relief that the work is done. 🙂 Thank you, I loved this!
~Tammy
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Tammy- Thank you so much for your kind words. May we both long for Jesus alone.
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Well said.
I look at it this way…there IS no relief coming in this life. Best to bend to the duty at hand…and then the next.
Here from FMF, writing on a borrowed Smart Phone, as my ISP bas gone mad.
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God offers His Spirit now, and Himself now. And isn’t He the source of all joy, peace, rest, and hope? You are correct- we won’t have it fully on this side of Heaven. Only in Heaven will we have God and all He offers fully… but we do have a certain relief in Him here and now- Thank you so much for leaving your comment. I look forward to reading your FMF post. 🙂
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Tried to leave a comment…using a borrowed Smart Phone, think I messed up.
Anyway. Great post.
Here from FMF.
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You didn’t mess up. Are you relieved? 🙂
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Wow! This is a beautiful post. You are right, eternal relief – The hand of my Father, reaching out into the here and now. This blessed me so much. Thank you Karen. I’m so glad I found you here. #fmfparty
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Amy- Thank you so much for that encouragement. May we both long for Christ alone.
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Love!
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Great post! You’re right, we often seek relief in the wrong, temporary things.
Happy Friday to you!
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So true. Relief only brings relief, not true peace. Good words to consider Karen. Thank you for your consistently thoughtful posts.
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Relief comes through Him… yes, it’s true! If only we would lean into that more and trust Him in it! Thanks for these words!
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Your posts are some of my favorites because they are concise and easy to read. They are a relief to lengthy, wordy posts. Can’t believe I just said that!!! #FMF
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Beautiful reminder !!!
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