I can only take in so much....

I can only take in so much.....

I am glad God gives us snippets sometimes...just glimpses instead of the whole view...there are times when a sunset or sunrise is just so beautiful that i can't take it all in or the pain is  too deep that He gives us a cocoon .....after the death of a loved one, we seem to be in a fog for awhile until He lets us slowly reenter the world around us...there seems to be too much for us to take in all at once....we may not remember all that goes on or even some events that take place...we are finite ...no infinite as God is...

Even physical pain sometimes doesn't register....I had been so caught up in my husband's care, that I didn't realize that my body was so tired, my right hand was injured, or even my whole right side was traumatized ....everyday was different, but there was no turning back, we had to keep moving, caring, laughing, grieving, planning at breakneck speed it seemed...there was no time to think, we just DID....those were the times we were carried in God's arms....

Then The same thing happened with my father. I was a little more prepared, I had already been down the similar path...but the cocoon was still there, the love, the God arms holding us up again and again...

Even when Jesus taught, He gave only what the people could take in, could understand....not the whole lesson...He knew their minds just as He knows ours....He knows us much better than we know ourselves ....

When we reach heaven, will we get the whole? Will we be able to take it ALL in?   Our whole being will open to His Glory....it is hard to imagine....finitely....

Thank YOU that you reveal what we are able to handle...not too much, not too little..Just right...

Jesus calling-January 8
Softly I announce My presence. Shimmering hues of radiance tap gently at your consciousness, seeking entrance. Though I have all Power in heaven and on earth, I am infinitely tender with you. The weaker you are, the more gently I approach you. Let your weakness be a door to My Presence. Whenever you feel inadequate, remember that I am your ever-present Help.
Hope in Me, and you will be protected from depression and self-pity. Hope is like a golden cord connecting you to heaven. The more you cling to this cord, the more I bear the weight of your burdens; thus, you are lightened. Heaviness is not of My kingdom. Cling to hope, and My rays of Light will reach you through the darkness.
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
—Psalm 46:1
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
—Romans 12:12
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
—Romans 15:13

If you are having trouble viewing this daily devotion, please click here Secrets Revealed Daily Devotional for January 8 From the Writings of Ray Stedman From your friends at www.RayStedman.org Read the Scripture: Mark 4:30-34 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand (Mark 4:33). This verse presents one great rule of revelation in the words as much as they could understand. Jesus teaches people only as they can take it. This is the rule upon which God works with us. He does not show us everything at once. If He did, He would destroy us. One man who attended a pastors' seminar held at Peninsula Bible Church was a great big man. He was drinking in all that was given to him, and at our closing meeting it was amusing to watch him. He was like a child around a Christmas tree, so turned on by all he had discovered that he was just glowing, going around hugging everyone he met. He told me, Oh, this has been so great! I'd like to go home and take my Bible and get into it and find so much more of this. Then he stopped himself and said, But I suppose if I did, it would kill me! I just couldn't handle it. And he was right; he could not have handled it. It would have been too much. And God knows that and does not show you any more than you are able to handle. That is the glory and the wonder of the Scriptures. They are put together in such an amazing way that it takes both the Word and the Spirit to understand the Bible. You can read the Word, and if you are not ready for them and open to them, those words will not say a thing to you. But if you are open, you will learn something from them. The next time you can come back, read the same words, and learn something more. Each time you will learn something more. It never ceases to refresh your spirit and instruct your mind and to open and expand your capacity to receive from God. That is the way God teaches us truth--as we are able to bear it. And this is true also of His revelation to us about ourselves. One of the things about Scripture is that it shows you who you are and who you have been all along. God is gracious to us that way. He does not just rip the veil off, and suddenly you see the whole ghastly thing. If He did, we would be wiped out. But He lifts it little by little. You shake and tremble and say, Is that the way I've been? You are aghast at the way you have been treating people, and you think, Thank God that's over!The next week He lifts it a little higher. You shake and tremble and go through it again and say, At last we got to the bottom! Then God lifts it high enough for you to see more, and you are wiped out again. But you handle it, little by little. Because, along with the revelation of yourself, He also reveals Himself and His adequacy to handle your inadequacies. Is it not wonderful that He understands us that way and deals with us like that? If He revealed the glories of heaven to us suddenly, everyone of us would be running out to jump into the ocean, to get there as fast as possible. But He lifts the veil only a little at a time, as we are able to bear it. Open my eyes, Father, that I may see glimpses of truth you have for me. Help me to under stand what I read and to search out what I do not understand. Life Application: Are we willing to accept God's timing as He brings us to mature understanding of His will and ways? Are we perhaps pushing for instant maturity or avoiding the process? Related Message: This daily devotional was inspired by one of Ray's messages. Please read "The Dimming of the Light" or listen to Ray for more on this portion of scripture. Devotions for January from Mark << Previous Day Next Day >> Subscribe/Unsubscribe to the Daily Devotion by Email Copyright © 2007 by Elaine Stedman — This daily devotion is from the book The Power of His Presence: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman; compiled by Mark Mitchell. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice and a hyperlink to www.RayStedman.org if the copy is posted on the Internet.