Since before the world was made, God has known you and loved you. He has never taken His eyes away or ignored you. If you were to write down all the blessings and victories He’s provided, they would prove He has called you, saved you, and has been guiding and helping you every day of your life. You might say, it doesn’t seem like it, but remember, many times we made decisions that were not a part of His plan.
It’s common to be filled with a mixture of emotions. Worry, stress, sadness, and anxiety are everywhere, but just because there is a tornado of events going on around us does not mean we have to allow them to control us. Our minds are like sponges that absorb the constant sights and sounds of our chaotic world, but remember we are called to be guardians of what we think about. It’s in the quiet secret place of God’s presence that fills us with His hope, peace, and contentment.
Has disappointment in the past caused you to not be as confident or excited as you once were? Of course, we all have times in our lives when we are upset and wonder why things happen or didn’t happen. Stop beating yourself up; you are perfectly normal. Life is a series of ups and downs, and no matter how charismatic a personality you may have, there will be seasons when we search deep within our soul to see if we are being attacked, or if maybe we are just not following God. Whatever the case, it’s easy to wallow in our sorrows, but if we will turn our attention away from ourselves and focus on listening to the Lord, the dark clouds of confusion will begin lifting, and the joy and compassion of God’s presence will fill us with hope.
I want to share a word with you from Psalm 42:5, and repeated again in verse 11: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” It is said that David wrote these words, and if you study his relationship with God, you know he had his share of sorrows, but he also learned how to encourage himself. He wrote this when his son Absalom committed treason, but even with something as devastating as this, he expresses that faith in God can generate hope when everything seems hopeless. He examines his own heart and understands there are times we will not comprehend why we are going through trials, but we are to obey and glorify God while we are waiting for our answer.
Instead of going to bed and covering our heads, let us look beyond our pity party and focus our eyes on the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. Sometimes we are so absorbed with what we are going through, we just simply forget how much He cares about us. I had two situations a while back that could have been tragic, but God intervened in them both. I was driving on the bypass and was getting ready to change lanes when, at the last second, I saw a car beside me out of the corner of my eye. If I had made that mistake, it probably would have been my last. The second situation involved me being on a ladder on my front porch the same day. I thought I was on the bottom step, but I was actually on the step above and fell onto the concrete and into the storm door. I broke the door and have a few bruises, but miraculously I was not seriously injured.
Throughout our lives, we’ve had some ups and downs, but all in all we have a lot to be thankful for. I know it’s easy at times to feel sorry for ourselves, but instead of feeling cast down, may we consider where we would be without God’s grace. Hope is a small word like love and joy, but it’s the power within the human soul to trust God and to know that His will CAN be fulfilled in our lives. Depression and discouragement come upon us when we are focused more on our emotions than our spiritual armor, so don’t forget, optimism and pessimism are hourly choices we make within our conscience. Many times we are our own worst enemy. Keep your face toward the light – and the shadows will always be behind you.
Dr. Holland is an ordained minister, chaplain, public school teacher, and Christian author. To read more about LIVING ON PURPOSE, visit: billyhollandministries.com.
