God during the "Tough Times"

So tonight, my daily reading plan had me read passages from the books of Matthew, Psalm, & Genesis. I know! A random combination scattered across the Bible, right?!?! Thats what I thought too, but of course He totally blows my mind as I read from the 3 books. He re-assured me of His presence with me during the tough times (like now).

Honestly, you feel so helpless during those times. When you're hurting, circumstances are out of your control, and you cant see relief for the future, what can you be sure of? Its tough because it seems like everything happens all at once, and has this "snowball" effect in your life. But, as I read, He showed me that it's during these times I have to remember most of all that He is with me during my hardships. 

During these times, God’s presence comforts us because He knows us intimately. He knows the desires of our hearts, because He's the one that put those desires there. He gives us what we need – His LOVE and STRENGTH, a sense of SECURITY. He lets us know that we are not alone, He is with us. He knows what it is to feel rejected. He knows what it is to feel alone. He knows what it is to suffer. He knows how it feels to lose a loved one. He carries us in His arms along with our problems & worries, and offers peace for our hearts. (Psalm 68:19). We don't need to be afraid because our God is not bound by limitations (Matthew 19:26).

God has a purpose for everything he does, even in allowing "hard times". The story of Joseph in Genesis clearly illustrates this. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery! But, God planned that those years would prepare him to become the leader of Egypt. At the time he was sold into slavery, Joseph could not see God’s purpose, **And neither will we, most of the time** But Joseph trusted Him through everything, and His faith was rewarded when he was able to rescue his family (Genesis 45:1–8).

We are called to live a life of faith. Believe God’s promises even if your circumstances are beyond you. Remember that your God is true. God will never leave you. He will never forsake you. His good purposes will always be carried out in the end.

Hate and Forgiveness

Do you hate someone? Or "strongly dislike" someone? There are always those people that make you so upset, do so much wrong, even wrong you on a normal basis, that you cant stand to be around them. Its in these times it can be hardest to do what God tells us to do; Love one another, to Instead of choosing revenge or retaliation when we’ve been wronged, love those we’d rather hate. 

Is there someone you can think of right now that you’d like to "pay back"? Do you want someone to hurt like you hurt? We have to resist that urge that comes so naturally to us, to get even. Resist repaying a wrong, because retaliation is usually excessive. When we do pay back, it’s often with interest. 1 Peter 3:9 says, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called.” You can’t always stop people from hating you, but you don’t have to hate them back. You can’t always make people love you, but you can always love them back.

Believe me, I know it isn't easy. For those of you who know my past, you personally know how hard the road of forgiveness was for me to travel. It's tough, really tough. You can see all kinds of risks involved in forgiving others. like, what if what they did was really wrong? They may not even be sorry about it. It’s said that true forgiveness is hard to extend because it demands that we have to let go of something we value… which is the right to repay. But, what you have to realize is that forgiveness doesn’t clear someone from blame. It doesn’t clear their record with God. But, it does clear you of having to worry about how to punish them. When you forgive another person, you’re not turning them loose. You’re just turning them over to God. That’s why you often hear people who have genuinely forgiven say, "It felt like a weight being lifted off my shoulders." Yes. That’s exactly what it is. It’s like a breath of fresh air rushing into your heart. For the first time in a long time, you feel at peace. You feel free. 

If there is someone your struggling to forgive, try and do something kind for that person. It could be anything from saying something nice, a quick email, tweet, Facebook message, a text…. or even a big butterfinger blizzard from Dairy Queen! (Really, thats just what I want right now…. come to think of it, don’t get me one because if you do, I’ll know you’re mad at me for something).

As Christians we are called into relationship with God, but we are also called into relationship with God’s people. 1 John 3:22 -24 "You know that you are a Christian if you obey his command, And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."