Reaching Out

Things happen that we don’t comprehend.  Violence, rage, disease, intolerance, desperation... the list goes on.  A typical reaction to things we don’t understand is, “Where is God?  Why doesn’t He do something about what’s happening?”

We don’t see Him interacting so we worry.

We don’t understand what He’s doing so we doubt.

We don’t feel His presence so we feel alone.

Today, recommit to trusting God.   You may not see Him or feel His presence.

Trust Him.  He is there.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding. 

Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

Reach out to Him... and if you can’t feel His gentle grip right away, don’t worry... He will never let you out of His sight.  He knows you hurt... He knows you are struggling... He is not worried about your future because He has plans for it and will be there throughout it.  

He is all that we need or could ever hope for.

Whether we are in the darkness of the valley or enjoying the warmth of the peak... Jesus is there for us.  

His loving heart beats for you...  it’s my prayer that you would hear it louder than ever.  

Don’t give up.

Choose to trust.

He will never let you down.

Let Go Of It

There is a story told about a construction worker. This construction worker was employed on a high-rise building project, which required him and others to work after dark. He was busy on the edge of one of the walls which was many stories high, when he suddenly lost his balance and fell. 

As he fell over the edge, he managed to grab the edge of the wall with his fingertips. Desperately he hung on hoping that somebody would discover his perilous situation. He was in total darkness, just about hanging on to the wall, and crying out loud for help. Due to the noise and machinery at the construction site, no one could hear him; all his screams were in vain.

Very soon his arms begin to grow weak and his grip began to slip. He tried praying, but no miracle occurred. At last his fingers slipped from the wall and with a cry of horror he fell! He fell exactly 3 feet and landed on a scaffold that had been there all the time. But he had not seen it because of the darkness.

Sometimes darkness hides the truth.

The construction worker in this story was 36 inches from peace... and couldn’t see it. All he needed to do was let go and he would have been fine. But how was he supposed to know that? How are we supposed to know when to let go...or when to worry...or when to trust?

How many times have you worried about something so much that it changed?

Ever?

Me neither. It’s not possible. So why do so many of us do it? Why is worry part of our daily life? Why are we so afraid to let go and let God take over?

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7

I think the answer can be found in today’s verse with these three questions.

Am I praying about it?

Do I have to fully understand why before letting go?

Will God really catch me?

Paul tells us that if we are going to beat worry, we need to start with prayer. Go to God with an open and honest heart...both to petition (ask) and listen. Prayer isn’t a defensive maneuver or a last resort... it is the strongest and most result-producing thing we can do as Christ-followers.

I talk to so many who feel that they need to understand why before they can stop worrying. I think it’s more important to know Who. Who has the power to change lives? Who makes the impossible happen? Who has our best interest in mind? Who is trying to help us grow through crisis? God is. You won’t always understand why things happen... but you should know Who will get you through them.

The last question seems easy. Will God catch me if I let go? Will God be there if I truly give up worrying? The answer is found in the second half of the verse... when we let go... when we pray and give it up to God... He gives us “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” We let go... He takes over. We give up stress... He gives us peace. We release our grip... He opens His hand.

God will NEVER let you fall.

Today... if you find yourself worrying... take a second and pray. Even when you don’t understand... pray. Then allow your grip to release. He promises that even though we don’t see His hand below us, it’s there. Those beautiful nail-scarred hands are ready to catch us, hold us, and deliver us from where we are to where He created us to be.

Nothing Hurts

Like he’d done for the past several decades, John turned off his alarm clock and rolled over to kiss his wife Sally good morning.   He was usually greeted with a “Good morning!” but this day was different.  Instead she said, “don’t touch me!  I’m dead!”  Puzzled, John said, “What are you talking about?  You’re fine.  We’re both lying next to each other.  You’re not dead!”  She insisted that this was still the case. 

Her explanation?  “I woke up this morning and nothing hurts... so I must be dead!”

Do you experience daily pain?  I’m not talking about creaking bones or muscles... but a whole other type of discomfort....

Do you wake up feeling guilty?  Burdened?  Alone?  Troubled by your past actions, your current thoughts, or your mistakes?  These aren’t the kinds of aches that just go away... they linger and fester inside your mind and heart until they become nearly unbearable. 

But they can be healed.    All it takes is a little rest. 

Matthew 11:28 (NLT) “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’”

Jesus says that if we want to stop the pain and heal... we need to bring those things to Him.  We should confess them through our prayers and tell Him in our times of quiet reflection.  So many of us say that we’ve done this but few actually have.  Sure, we say we have “given it all to God” but then are quick to rush back to the foot of the cross and pick up our trouble again just in case God needs help taking care of it.

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.

He is the Alpha and Omega.

He is the beginning and the end.

He spoke the world into existence and is stronger than any storm.

He is the miracle maker and ultimate problem solver.

He doesn’t need our help being God.

His timing is perfect.

His power is infinite.

His commitment to us is unflinching and His shoulders are wide enough for the heaviest of troubles.

It’s time to wake up. 

Not roll over in pain and wonder how we’re going to limp through another day.

Not writhe our hands in worry and doubt we have the strength to go on.

It’s time to remember that He WANTS to carry our burdens.

He WANTS to give us strength when we’re weary. 

He WANTS us to live at peace knowing that He’s always on the job... working behind the scenes in ways we don’t realize.

Matthew 11:28 (NLT) “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’”

Need some rest today?

Give up trying to fix things your own way and give them to God.

Leave them there.

Trust. 

I’ll be praying for you as you do.   

Two Dogs

I read a story of a young boy who was being terrorized by a dog.  Not a German Shepherd or Pit Bull… but a Chihuahua.  The dog’s name?  Godzilla.

He would run around the house and the dog would follow him.  The boy played and the dog stared.  In this little boy’s mind, Godzilla was stalking him…waiting for his moment to pounce.  While we know the dog just wanted to play… to this boy… the fear was real and unrelenting.  He was convinced that he was being hunted by a beast that wanted to hurt him.  

Guilt is a lot like that dog.  

Something we’ve done, said, or thought is sitting in wait.   But our guilt is no tiny chihuahua... it’s bark is much larger... and more menacing...  It’s pinned us in a corner and made us doubt the size of our God.  It has chased us through counseling, good advice, and numerous readings of scripture.  It torments our dreams and drops in every now and then throughout our day to remind us that we shouldn’t feel good about ourselves. 

You know what you did.

You know who you were.

You can’t overcome it.  You won’t change.  

And just when it seems like we get away... it sniffs us out again.  The chase continues.  

We’re tired of running.  

So how do we handle that overwhelming feeling of guilt?  We invite another big dog into the hunt... worry.  Guilt and worry... both crushing emotions in their own right.  Together they’re simply terrifying.  They’ve been known to cause sleepless nights, hopelessness, and an overwhelming dependence on our own strength.  

So why do we do it?  Why do we allow what we did to define what we’re becoming?  Why is guilt so powerful?  

We don’t believe this verse.

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”  Romans 8:1-2 (NLT)

If you are in relationship with Jesus... and He is your Lord and Savior... there is nobody holding your past over your head except you.  Scripture tells us that when we confess our sin... when we tell God what we’ve done... He sends it away forever.  Forgotten and over.  That is so hard for our minds to comprehend... that something that once defined us is now voided?  Something that once paralyzed us with worry and fear was one confession away from the feeling of freedom?

We don’t have to fully understand it for it to be true.  God’s thoughts are different than our own (Isaiah 55:8).  He loves us unconditionally, wholly, and without reservation.  When we ask for freedom from the chains on our thought life, Jesus gives us the keys of confession to unlock them.  Today’s the day to breathe without burden... shed the shackles of the past... and leave the guilt where it belongs... with the old you.    

Those dogs... guilt and worry... they’ll stop chasing you with one simple command.  

“Be still...”

God said it to your heart in Psalm 46:10  “Be still, and know that I am God!”

Today can be the day you stop running and be still.  Guilt-free.  Burden-lifted.  Heart deep in love with God again.

I came across a paragraph by an 85 year old woman that I think sums it up best. She wrote, 

"If you live to be 75 years old you will live over 657,000 hours. Did you know that? That’s almost 2/3rds of a million hours that you’re going to live. That’s too much to be anxious about all the time. So don’t worry.  God, if I had my life to live over, I would relax & ramble around and be sillier than I had been on this trip. I would take fewer things so seriously and I would take more chances. I would take more trips and I would climb more mountains & swim more rivers.

"I would eat more ice cream and less prunes.  I would perhaps have some actual troubles but I’m sure I would have fewer imaginary ones. You see, I’m one of those people who have lived sensibly & safely, hour after hour, day after day.  Oh, I have had my moments. And if I had it all to do over again I would have more of them. Just moments one after another instead of living so many years in a big chair, acting like all those persons who never go anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat, or a parachute.

If I had it to do over again I would worry less. I would laugh more, & I would pick a lot more daisies."

Good insight from a burdened life.   Your life can be different.  The last paragraph of your story doesn’t have to say.... “If I had my life to live over...”   Shedding the guilt and worry, you will have lived it to it’s fullest without the weight of “what if.”

Make today the day that you begin to release your guilt and worry through confession... start enjoying freedom... and live the long and purposeful life you were created to.  I’ll be praying for you as you do.

Keep Climbing

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”  James 1:2-4

“…For nothing is impossible with God.” Luke 1:37

A little boy was leading his sister up a mountain path and the way was not too easy. “Why this isn’t a path at all,¨ the little girl complained. “Its all rocky and bumpy.¨ Her little brother kept on up the mountain, pausing just long enough to call out, “Sure, but the bumps are what you climb on.”

Ever faced a bump in your path?  We all do.  Many try to go around it... thinking that if they didn’t have it to deal with, they would be better off.  Not so.  Refuse to see challenges as inconveniences or barriers... they are tough but necessary steps leading you onward and upward toward a stronger faith and a fulfilled life.   

The troubles you faced in the past were tough... but you made it through them.

The troubles you are facing today are hard... some will tell you that what you want to do or where you want to go is impossible.  

God says nothing is impossible.  

Keep climbing… pushing yourself beyond what’s comfortable and easy… 

Stretch yourself to the point where fear gives way to faith… Be ready to take on the world not based on the opinions of others but on what God’s word says.  

And when you get to the peak of that mountain you are trying to climb... moving up and over all of those challenges... the view will be breathtaking.   

Butterfly Strength

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole. Then it stopped, as if it couldn’t go further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon. The butterfly emerged easily but it had a swollen body and shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch it, expecting that any minute the wings would enlarge and expand enough to support the body. Neither happened. In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around. It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required by the butterfly to get through the opening was a way of forcing the fluid from the body into the wings so that it would be ready for flight once that was achieved.

The butterfly was meant to go through struggle to make it capable of thriving in its life.

Look at today’s verse:

“In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” 1 Peter 5:10

The very reason you hurt is because there is something in it that will refine you... You will learn something about the depth of your faith...the strength of your God... and how very much He loves you.

Pushing through builds perseverance. Enduring under the weight brings strength. Leaning on God when it hurts develops faith.

You’ll need all three to become the person that God has created you to be. Perseverance...strength...faith. If life were always easy, you’d struggle with all three.

You were designed by a loving God to stand strong in the face of adversity. To fly. Instead of running from the troubles or looking for shortcuts around the trials... embrace them. It won’t be easy... Maybe you’ll want to be a martyr... or blame yourself or someone else... or feel like a victim.

You aren’t. God is bigger than anything you will ever come up against. The season you are in has been long and difficult... but you’ll make it. Never quit. Keep moving forward... even tiny steps if you have to.

And when the clouds part and the sun comes back out... break free... spread your wings and be a living testimony of Christ’s goodness and love.