Sweet and Bitter

This morning in Sunday School, we continue our study of Revelations. We have been on that book for ....some....two or three years now? Today we are on Chapter 10 where John was to eat the book, and it tasted sweet then bitter. We are reminded that the Christian life includes both, and may look differently than we imagine. Sweetness can encompass God's vindication on sinners as well as the sheer blessings of redemption. Bitter can be the awful things of darkness in the life, as well as the trials and sufferings we experience in Christ, which ironically preclude blessings and triumph. I am once again reminded that all of life is our identity in Christ - we receive His matchless gift of salvation as well as the sufferings that He suffered. Are the sufferings more in frequency the older we get or are we just more aware of them? Hmm...something to ponder. I do know that the older I get, the more blessed I am - and the joy of the Lord truly is my strength