Life is hard. I would be the first one to agree with you. But, nowhere in God’s Word does it say that life will be easy. The apple has been bitten. But, there is hope in the midst of every storm. Hope that strengthens you. Hope that helps you to wipe away all of those tears. Hope that calms your spirit. Hope that comforts you. Hope that prepares you to run a race that you were predestined to run, and designed just for you, by a God that has loved you from the beginning and loved you so much that He sent His son to die in your place, so that you may one day see Him face to face.
I don’t know about you, but that gives me chills. Especially given the fact that for most of my early adulthood, I was a single mom raising two boys under a blanket of shame for having children out of wedlock, and the fear that I could completely mess their lives up. But, God. By the grace of God, and nothing short, they are maturing into men that love God, not because of me, but despite me.
Don’t get me wrong, every decision was intentional, and there were times that I made mistakes that I apologized for later on. But, I believed with every part of my heart that even when hard times came (and there were many), my job was to hold onto the hope of God's Word and His promises. The same Word of God that is mentioned as the Sword of the Spirit in Ephesians, the 6th chapter. The same Word of God that preached peace to the children of Israel in Acts. And, in James, we are commanded to be doers of the Word, not just hearers. If God did it before, He will do it again, according to His Time and His Glory. (Let me stop before I start preaching!)
Think about a time in your life when you were faced with a challenge and you did not run from it, you faced it without hesitation and you fought. You fought so hard that when you reached the mountaintop, you did not just praise God. You danced. Or, maybe in your that season right now, and you do not see the mountaintop, only the mountain. But, here is where I want to encourage you. There is hope. But, I maybe all you can see is the need and not the opportunity. (Come on somebody! I am from a southern Pentecostal background, can you tell?)
Have you ever heard that song by Leann Rimes, I Hope You Dance. Have you ever stopped and not just sang along with the chorus, but took in the verses? If you are having a bad day, it could encourage you, and if you are in the middle of making some tough decisions, it will inspire you. Because let’s be real when life happens, it happens. And, you always have a choice to either allow it to overtake you, or to fight through it. You must never forget, you have an enemy that is hoping that you let it overtake you, or at least distract you. But, my prayer for you, and what I have learned to do is dance in the midst of the storm.
Dance on top of your past. Dance on top of the hurt. Dance on top of the pain. Dance on top of the sorrow.
And, when the song is over, dance without music. Live in the present knowing that you have a future that has been handcrafted for you. A future made for you to prosper and not to fail. There is a purpose in your pain.
Father God, thank You for how You have wonderfully knit us together, and planted a purpose that is greater than us and deeper than our imagination. Allow us not to be stuck in our own minds, and surrender to Your Will. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours. Let our eyes see Your Glory. And, may the Holy Spirit be the small, still voice that guides us. In Your Name we pray. Amen.
