It's Still There...

Remember when you were young and you knew that you would be in trouble when your parents got home? Perhaps you did something you shouldn't have at school. Maybe you broke something playing in the house or maybe you were playing outside when they told you not to and a neighbor thought they would bless your parents with this information. Remember how you felt as you anxiously awaited your parents arrival? I would venture to say that many Christians know this feeling quite well, because it's the same feeling we get when we think about God or the return of Christ. Why? Because we're painfully aware that the verse that says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" rings true in our own experiences.

We know we've not been perfect and that scares us when we consider that we have to stand before a perfect God. God is pure, we are not. God is holy, we have hangups. God is righteous and we feel wretched. What can we do but feel anxious? I would like to suggest that there's a better way. We can remember that we have sinned but place it next to the fact that God's love is still there.

It's Still There.

Psalm 100:5 tells us, "For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation." (New Living Translation)

Even though we're imperfect, even though we're broken, even though we disappoint ourselves and feel as though we've disappointed God we can rest assured that God's love is still there. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39) so don't allow anxiety to grip your heart. God knows everything about you and love is still there. He knows every mistake you've made, every promise you've broken, every missed step & missed mark and yet, love is still there. 

Never forget that. Granted, there may be work that needs to be done to carry you out of where you are and into where God has always wanted you to be but it will not be conducted by a spiteful superior...God will lovingly walk you through. He still has plans for you. He still has a perfect plan for your life. He has an undying love for you that began long before you did anything right or wrong.

Rest in the love of God because, believe it or not, it's still there.

**Have you ever felt unlovable? How did you snap out of it?

Fix Your Focus

Have you ever been in a season when all you wanted to do was just lay in the bed and sleep your life away? This can be a challenge because in moments like those, if you're anything like me, you can't really sleep that well but it just seems better to lay there anyway. If you're dealing with that type of experience right now, I know how you feel.

When you're feeling pressed down by a discouraging present you probably aren't doing much thinking about the possibilities of the future. How could you? Your present requires so much attention, right? Perhaps, but over the last few days I've discovered that it helps to fix your focus beyond your present circumstances. It doesn't matter how distressing the difficulty if you can keep your focus fixed on your destiny, but if your focus is broken it multiplies the impact of the problem. All of a sudden a challenge becomes a catastrophe because now you are unable to see beyond it. The mole hill has officially become a mountain and you can't imagine ever being able to climb over it.

Fix your focus!

When things have gone terribly wrong it can shock you for a moment but it would be in your best interest to preserve your focus. Keep your mind focused on higher things than what has happened. What can you be grateful for? What can you learn? What can you concentrate on instead of your present? In other words, how can you get a vision again? The Bible shares that "Without a vision the people perish." (Proverbs 29:18) and if you feel as though your life, your year, or your passion is passing away you may need a fresh dose of vision.

As I scanned my life to consider what I would do if I could do anything with the rest of my life, instead of feeling down about my present or past, I mumbled within that I have always wanted to learn how to play the guitar. That sounded like a glimpse of vision to me, so guess what I did? I bought my very first guitar yesterday and have spent 6 or more hours playing it along with tutorials...and that's just after 1 day! Am I a pro? Not yet, but am I still slouching around thinking "Woe is me?" Absolutely not. What changed? Did God fast-forward past my problems? No. I fixed my focus. I stopped looking back, and even stopped looking around me, so that I could start looking forward.

How can you do the same?

If you've been discouraged or depressed lately, fix your focus. Get a renewed vision for your life and for the possibilities of your future. You just might see that there are brighter days beyond your present problems. Keep pressing forward and when it's tough to do so, give yourself a vision to shoot for and watch your mind & spirit begin to rise up and reach beyond where you are.