"Our Light Affliction"

There are a couple of ways to view the burdens that are laid upon us as followers of Jesus Christ, and some will find they are more direct than others. What that means to us as believers has the value of whatever we are faced with, verses whatever we let stand in our way. Riddle me this: What is it that causes you to take your eyes off of the Lord, verses, what causes you to put more faith in the Lord? To some extent, they may be the same! Yes I know, another crazy post about something that is too strange to get a grasp upon. But seriously; what might be a burden to some, is a catalyst to others; depending on where you are in your walk with the Lord. For some, the sin that so easily makes them stumble is what causes them to take their eyes off of the Lord; while for others, that same sin can be the object which causes them to put more faith in Jesus for strength. Again, we are talking about choices that are made in the individual, not in the power of God that is available to overcome sin; with one new dimensional difference. Because, on the other hand, the other burdens that we might be facing involve persecution for our faith; which again could cause some to waiver, while in others, it could increase the faith that they have in the Lord; depending on how we might view our relationship with God. Here is the dirty little secret: I am under the impression that they are one in the same! Come Again??? Well, let's look at this from a little different perspective; and let's say that the power to overcome sin that is in our life is the same power to endure persecution: they are one in the same; based primarily upon love for God, we choose to be holy, while that same love for God causes us to be strengthened in times of need. Okay, maybe that was a little brisk; because the measure of what we base the love of God in, may not be the same for you as it is for me; but then again, it should be. As I have watched the actions of some who claim to be His children, and yet are taken down by the things that should otherwise have given them strength, I have some doubts as to what they have put their faith into. It is not that they have not put their faith in Jesus to forgive them for their sins, because I think that they have; but then what? For the reason that we were delivered from sin was not just to be pulled from the grip of hell and death, but was to be given life and love. I know, this seems as though I have covered this topic before, and indeed I have; but this time my focus is on the Love of God more than just the choices that we make. There is nothing more stable in the life of a Christian than the Love of God, and a prime example of this would be the moments that Jesus battled with His fate in the garden the night of His arrest. His power to continue the journey to the cross was based upon God's love for man, not upon the will that He possessed; and we know this by His proclamation: "Not My will, but Thy will be done". Likewise, we that are followers of Jesus Christ, having known the love that God has for us, are not governed by our will to do this or that, but we are governed by His love; love that does not change, as do our emotions and our feelings. Once we learn this very simple concept, then are our afflictions (or burdens) light... "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17 & 18)