Sometimes the world just comes and kicks us in the teeth – or so it seems. A lot of times we can compare it to a snowball rolling downhill; as it gathers speed, it gathers more snow and just grows BIGGER. Suddenly, as we are looking up, all we see is an avalanche bearing down on us. Our response isn’t necessarily to get out of the way, as we feel it is too late, instead we tuck and roll with it. Or try to dig a quick hole to jump in and hope it just slides past us. These are the times we have a prayer in our heart and on our lips when we feel overwhelmed by the enormity of what is happening in our lives. (more…)
As we look around at the world we live in, it can feel oppressive and depressing, yet we also have hope. Hope is the one thing that can bolster our spirits when all else fails and our personal world feels as if it is crumbling around us, . Hope, like Faith, can be looked at as an intangible factor. In other words, it is not something we can reach out and physically touch. However, it is something that not only can touch our lives but can give us strength to move forward.
There are times when we are walking through the valley of life. When we look up, we can’t see the sun shining. We have to force ourselves to press on – to take one more step forward – to inhale the next breath, as we are tempted to give up in the face of the exhausting struggle with the world seemingly so dark around us. We want to sit down – or even better, lay down, curl up into a ball and just disappear. In these moments, it is easy to consider giving up. Yet it is also these moments that the spark of Light which dwells within us ignites into a powerful thing called hope. It is the hope that taking the next step – and the one after that – we will see life and the challenges become little bit easier. It is the hope that once we climb our of the valley of darkness, we will reach a plateau of light and warmth. (more…)
What do you believe in? Are you looking back or looking forward? Are you looking at you and seeing where you are and where you would like to go? 2020 has been a tough year. I doubt that there have been too many lives that have been left untouched. There has been diversity, division and destruction. People are struggling, not just in the economy, but spiritually as well.
We need to not allow ourselves to fall into despair. We need to remember that our hope lies in Christ. That when we are weak He is strong. That we can move forward in our faith because we have hope. Hope is the glue that binds our lives together. It is the thing that helps us take the next step forward. It may seem distant and unreachable at times. It is the light at the end of the tunnel, the candle in the darkness; it is the lighthouse off the rocky, stormy shores that is guiding us toward safety.
We need to hold on to our faith and hope now more than ever. We need to remember our foundational beliefs. We also need to remember that even though the storms of life may rage against us, we have a safe harbor. “I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Ps 91:2 It is important to remind ourselves of this from time to time. It is easy to struggle, to get lost, to get caught up in what the world is saying and doing. It is easy to let the waves of depression cover us; especially with the onslaught of negativity with which the news is constantly bombarding us.
It is important to know when to step back, to refresh, to find ourselves and just breathe. We need to find a place of solitude where we can communicate with our Creator and be reminded of His presence and love. We need to remember it is important to soak in all that He has for us, strength, love, peace, joy and so much more. These things are what give us hope. They are what help us take the next step. We can’t neglect our spiritual needs like we often do our physical ones. When you starve your spirit, it is the same thing as what happens when you starve your body. You start to wither. You start to lose connection with what you need to survive.
Sometimes it is important to disconnect in order to reconnect. For me I find that I need to go out into nature and just exist in the moment. Stand in a field and just breathe. Take in the beauty of a raging river or the sun rising or setting. I need to recognize the leaves drifting from the trees as the season changes and the burst of life as Spring comes along. Remember that we are not dead: we may be dormant, but when the Son shines upon us, we thrive and grow. God gives us what we need; we just need to accept it. Open our hearts and our minds. Turn from what deluge that the world is inundating us with and lift our hearts and minds to our Maker.
Even in the darkness, there is hope. Even in the trials of life, there is hope. In all things consider His ways. Lean not to our own understanding. We need to hold on to our beliefs. We need to remember why we have these beliefs. Perhaps we even need to question ourselves and see if we still believe. Find our answers and remember that when all else fails, we still have hope. Hope is not just a character quality. It is not just an invisible factor. Hope can sustain us. Hope can strengthen us. Hope can be a guide to help us continue to move forward.
So as we enter a new year and leave the last one behind, I encourage you to start your year with hope and end it with love.
We have all heard the story of the man who built his house upon the sand and the man who built his house upon the rock. The lesson of the story is that it is important to choose what kind of foundation we will build on. Will it be weak or strong? Not only is it important factor when physically building something but it is in our spiritual lives as well.
If your foundation is made up of lies and taking shortcuts, then the life you grow will be built on them. When you try to shortcut your life. you can end up far away from where you want to be or planned to be. It is easy to find yourself off the path that God has set for you. Not only are you hurting others, but you are hurting yourself. When you build your life on the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, gentleness and self control – you will find that your foundation is strong. It takes a lot to follow this path as sometimes it may seem easier to take advantage of people’s kindness to step on them and get ahead. Yet in the long term, we are not only building our lives for this realm but also for the next one. (more…)
We spend our entire lives trying to find true happiness. We search for it in others. We search for it in things. We search for it in making more money. We tend to not look for it from within. Why don’t we want to search inside of ourselves?
The majority of people, in this day and age, have grown up in some form of “dysfunctional” family or “blended” family. Very few people in my generation survived to adulthood without becoming a child of divorce. Of course, divorce causes its own problems, not only creating broken homes, but children who often feel that the reason a parent leaves is “their” fault. As adults, we understand this is not true. Yet children, no matter what you say to them, still believe they are ultimately the reason. (more…)
Have you ever stopped to wonder how people view you and your faith? Put yourself in their shoes? Have you been asked questions such as: if your God is so great then why is their disease? If your God is so great why are people dying? If your God is so great then why is there war and famine?
My God IS so great! My God gave us free will to make our decisions. He gave us the ability to choose which path we are going to follow and not force us to do His will. What does this mean? Why do we have diseases, war, famine, etc.? We choose not to follow God’s plan in our lives. He gave us FREE WILL.
Free Will defined in the dictionary is this:
noun
1.
the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion.
“they take for granted their blessed right to free will”
voluntarily, willingly, readily, freely, spontaneously, without reluctance, without being forced, without being asked, without being encouraged;
of one’s own accord, of one’s own volition, of one’s own choosing, by one’s own preference
“she left of her own free will”
Therefore, why are we blaming God for what is going on around us? If we were slaves and had no choice, then we could blame God for these crises. Of course, then we would accuse God of not loving us and being a dictator. No, God gave us the ability to choose. We have done it and now we say it is ‘your God’ who is causing these things.
God allows these things to happen. He gave us a choice. He also gave us a way to turn things around:
2 Chronicles 7:14King James Version (KJV)
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
WOW! Think about that! Just give it a moment to sink in. If we humble ourselves. How do you humble yourself? Well, think about it – can you admit to having made a mistake? What happens when you make a major mistake and you owe someone an apology? Do you apologize? Or is it too difficult to eat that humble pie?
What’s next? Pray. Prayer is like a conversation with God. We are talking to him and asking for His forgiveness, admitting we are wrong, that we don’t know everything and that we make mistakes. We are seeking Him out.
Yet, these two things alone won’t change the path we are walking. We are required to do one more action; we need to turn away from the path we are on. What? I have to not just humble myself in admitting I was wrong and apologize but I need to STOP doing what I am doing? I need to change my course? I need to use my free will to not continue down a destructive path?
Well, okay say I “might” be willing to do this? Then what? God will hear us – it means not only is He listening to what we are saying but He is hearing what we are saying. We are making a change, we are showing Him we are willing to do something different. We are willing to set ourselves on a different path using the free will He gave us.
He has heard us. What does He do in return? He FORGIVES us. He accepts our apology. Then he takes it a step further and heals our land. He fixes our mistakes! He helps us when we are willing to admit we are on the wrong path, apologize and change our ways. All of which is easier to say than to actually do.
So, yes, my God is great. Yes, He has allowed us to cause these problems in our lives. Yes, He is willing to help us to fix them once we acknowledge our mistakes and ask for help. Yet, if we are unable to do apologize and ask for help in our daily lives with our friends and family, how much more difficult do we make it on ourselves when we need to do it with our God?
This website is run by volunteers. Would you like to help defer expenses? Please donate here.
