If you are like me, you've had some amazing moments of victory, breakthrough and joy. If you're also like me, you've had some serious times of trials, disappointments and heartbreak.
You've probably had weeks where everything seemed to be in rhythm, in sync and on track. You were ready to take on the day and its challenges with a spring in your step. Other weeks, just getting out of bed in time for work was a victory itself.
I recently took a glance at the goals I had written down for myself just before this year began. Some goals I had accomplished, but many of them are off track or still in progress. I don't know about you, but sometimes looking at all the things we hoped to do or change but didn't can be discouraging.
But guess what, it's OK. No, really, it is. Not everything we plan works out. We're human. And many times God will take over our to-do lists, our goals and our Google calendars, exchanging them for something else. Something better.
Instead of taking the highway straight to where we want to be or where we want to go, he'll force us to take the backroads. Sure, it might take longer. Sure, there might be a bunch stoplights along the way. Sure, it might be extremely annoying and inconvenient.
But those detours are where we learn patience and learn to lean on God's understanding instead of our own. We can't appreciate the sights and sounds of the journey when we're going 80 miles per hour on the highway. Sometimes we have to slow down, pull over on the side of road and take in the view.
God has given me victories this year that have proven his faithfulness again and again. Years from now I will be able to look back and say "God was faithful in that situation, and I know He will be faithful in this one." In times of uncertainty and heartbreak, His presence has given me direction, strength and comfort. It's in those times where we are molded into the men and women God wants us to become.
And guess what, 2013 is not over. There are still 24 days left. That's 24 days to get back on track. Twenty-four days to finish strong. Twenty-four days to love God and love people like never before. Twenty-four days to let God have His way in your life and mine. Twenty-four days that can serve as a prelude to 2014.
Write down your dreams. Recommit to your goals. Open up God's word. Write a mission statement for your life. Hit the gym again. Make a budget. Do something.
Don't wait for January 1 to take a step of faith. Lay down the foundation for next year's journey right now.
Dust. Clutter. Unopened mail. Overflowing boxes of junk. Out-of-control stacks of books everywhere.
It's been a crazy few weeks and in the midst of it all, I had kind of neglected my living quarters. And this morning I was staring at the outcome of my neglect... and it wasn't pretty.
So I decided enough was enough. I grabbed just about every cleaning product in the house, plugged in some worship music and proceeded to clean just about every square inch of my room (except the closet; that's a battle for another day).
In the midst of this purging I discovered the usual junk... old receipts, mail from nearly every credit card company you could think of and more. But I also found other things...
I found photos of friends who stuck by my side during some of the best times and difficult seasons of my life. The more I dug, the more I found... Notes and words of encouragement from people who have invested in my life and helped me grow, through mistakes and all. Old journals and notebooks chronicling times of victory and moments of sorrow and uncertainty. Photographs of friends and memories of events that have helped shape me into who I am and who I will become.
During trials, it's nice to get some perspective and see all the times that God has come through for me over and over and over again.
Sometimes it's easy to lose sight of how far we have come on our journey through life. We forget about God's faithfulness, love, mercy and grace time and time again. We have to get through the junk to get a clear view of the blessings that have been in our lives all along. We need to get rid of the stuff that ends up getting in the way of focusing on God's love for us and all that we have to be grateful for (I guess cleanliness is next to godliness, after all).
When we don't regularly do some housecleaning, both physically and spiritually, things get cluttered and we begin to lose sight of what's really important. What kind of stuff do you have to clean out in your own life that's preventing you from seeing and enjoying God and what He has blessed us with?
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord." - Psalm 27:14
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We are always waiting on something.
Whether you're waiting for the results of that make-or-break final exam or waiting in line for a white chocolate mocha at Starbucks, we constantly find ourselves in a position of waiting. When the wait for one thing ends, we seem to quickly move on to something else to wait for. It's part of life.
Confession: I hate waiting. Always have. But patience, the capacity and willingness to endure all things, can only be built through the waiting process. There are no shortcuts to acquiring patience.
God is asking us to trust Him in whatever situation we might find ourselves in. I feel like Psalm 27:14 was written just for me. David writes "Wait for the Lord" not once, but twice! And in the middle of it all, he encourages us to be strong and courageous.
Patience isn't about what you are waiting for, but how you are waiting for it.
PRAY
"Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer." - Romans 12:12
Pour out your heart to God. Bring your fears, doubts, uncertainties and frustrations to Him. He can handle it. Then be still and listen. Sometimes we get so eager to make something happen that we forget to listen to God for direction. Spend time with Him in prayer, listening for His instruction and seeking His will in every situation.
PRAISE "But I will hope continually and will praise You more and more." - Psalm 71:14
Always remember the things God has already pulled you through and give Him all the praise and all the glory for those victories. Recalling those triumphant moments not only renews our faith in who God is, but provides hope and courage in present situations. Stop focusing on what you don't have and give thanks for what you've already been blessed with.
PREPARE
"Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything.... do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified." - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
If you're running in a marathon, hopefully you're not going to just stand there and do nothing in the meantime. If you're smart, you start preparing months in advance. You get up early. You train. You build up strength and endurance and stamina, so that when the day of the race finally arrives, you're ready and you know what you're doing! What can you do right now to prepare for what God has already prepared for you? What is God trying to teach you in this moment? Get into His Word and apply what you've learned to your life.
PROPER PERSPECTIVE
“For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:9
Many times, our perception of a situation is way off because we're stuck smack dab in the midst of a situation and we can only see the situation from our vantage point in the here and now. But we need to take a step back and take a look at the bigger picture. It's not about what we think will satisfy us now, but what God's will is in the situation at hand.
PRESS ON "Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:12
Keep moving ahead. There are things to be done right now. Opportunities are always right in front of us, but we can easily miss them if we're constantly looking into tomorrow. Today is all we are guaranteed. How can God use you where you are at right now?
When we are faced with uncertainty, with doubts, with questions about the future, or really any kind of hardship, it becomes easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. We instinctively get lost in our dark moment, our storm, our circumstance... we become consumed by it. It's easy to have faith when things are going well. But how about when things get tough? I'm a music junkie, I love finding new music, reading the lyrics, dissecting their meaning and trying to apply it to my own life. A song recently made its way onto the radio, a new song by one of my favorite bands Sanctus Real called "Promises". The first time I heard it, it hit me close to home. It was a reminder to hold on to the most important thing we have. To hold on to the hope that never dies, the love that never ends, the grace that never ceases, the One who is always faithful. To hold on to the promises and truth of God's Word.
Sometimes it's hard to keep believing
In what you can't see That everything happens for a reason Even the worst life brings
I don't think there's a person on the planet who hasn't asked "Why?" at some point. Why did something we pray for not come to fruition. Why did someone we love suffer harm. Why we go through difficult trials and stormy seasons of life. I don't think we'll ever truly have an answer to those questions. I know I have questions. I know I have doubts. We won't always know why.
For many of us, are toughest and darkest days lie ahead. There will be tough times. Trying times. It's a scary thought, I know it scares me.
If you're reaching for an answer
And you don't know what to pray Just open up the pages Let His word be your strength
I've been hit with a lot of uncertainty lately, especially with my job situation. I was hit by fear, by doubt, by worry and anxiety. It was a frightening time because I felt like I had just fallen off a cliff, like I was free falling without a parachute not knowing where I was going to land.
But when I opened up God's Word, He led me to Psalm 25... "My eyes are always on the Lord, for He will pull my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am alone and afflicted. The distresses of my heart increase; bring me out of my sufferings." It was a reminder to hold on the truth of who He is. That He is faithful and trustworthy. What did I have to worry about? What is there to be anxious about? In my life, God had proven to be faithful over and over. Whenever I was in need, He always delivered and always came through. I just had to lift up my eyes and realize where my help and my hope came from.
And hold on to the promises
Hold on to the promises Jesus is alive so hold tight Hold on to the promises
It is in those difficult circumstances, those tough times, when we need to hold on to God's promises more than ever. To depend on the Lord, who promises to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11), supply us in our need (Philippians 4:19) life to the full (John 10:10). That doesn't mean that everything in life will go smoothly, but it means He'll be there when things get rough.
All things work for the good
Of those who love God He holds back nothing that will heal you Not even His own Son
We have been given the greatest gift of all: God's One and Only Son. With whom the victory is already won. He is our healer, comforter, counselor, friend and savior. God proved His love and faithfulness by sending us His Son. Why should we doubt that He would not be here with us now?
His love is everlasting
His faithfulness unending Oh, if God is for us who can be against us So if you feel weak... Hold on to the promises
I will never fully comprehend God's love. I will never understand God's faithfulness. I will never have a grasp on how good and how great God is. It should give us confidence to know that the God who loves us, the creator of everything, is on our side, fighting on our behalf. No enemy, no circumstance, no trial is bigger than our God. Nothing can stand against His purpose and will. That should give us strength to stand, courage to continue, endurance to press on.
Neither life, nor death
Could separate us
From the eternal love Of our God who saves us
No matter what happens here, nothing could ever separate us from God's great love. Nothing can happen that would cause God to not be there. He is mighty to save, worthy of our trust in good times and bad. God never changes. He is always faithful. Always loving. Always ready to meet our needs if we would just surrender and depend on Him rather than our own strength and ability.
"Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, ⌊hostile⌋ powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!"
