Let me be the first to tell you, life is probably not going th | ✞ Dr C 17 ✞

Let me be the first to tell you, life is probably not going the way you want it to right now. Mine is no different than yours either. Many of you don’t know my personal struggles and maybe I’ll share one day but let’s just say that for the last 7 months my entire life has turned upside down. I had it all, or so I thought. There are a few pieces left that are grounded , and I believe they’re left intentionally and specifically by God- my beautiful wife, my sons, my family, and my true friends. Everything else I had including a large part of my health has stumbled, left for good, and/or fallen hard.

You ever feel that no matter what you do or how hard you try that nothing you wanted , nothing you planned, nothing you thought you needed is going the way you wanted or staying with you?

You ever pray that God will save you from drowning in your misery and anxiety of your inability to control it or stop the downfall only to find that it still falls nonetheless ?

Why, you ask ?

One of the hardest lessons in life, and one that I am learning myself, is to humble thyself and submit your life and will to the perfect will of God.

You think you know what’s best and you think you have your life planned out. However, Your Finances, job/s, house and place you live in, the friends you have, the possessions you own, the future in front of you, and everything you think you have or want to have.....it isn’t deserved, or earned - it’s given.

The opposite is also true. The loss of finances, getting fired from jobs, losing your house and moving from the place you live, losing friends you have , and losing possessions you own isn’t deserved - it’s given.

This perspective is given in the Bible- Faith, Hope, and Love - the greatest of these is Love. Faith isn’t just believing in that which you don’t see, it’s the assurance that even though you don’t see it’s still true. Hope isn’t a wish of something that could happen, it’s assurance that something WILL happen. And Love isn’t the prize you get- it’s the reason. Love is both the greatest gift and greatest weapon, not only against the enemy on the outside (undefeated) but also the enemy on the inside. God’s love is a promise that no matter what happens in your life, to include death, that everything happens because it’s given out of love- the hardest lesson to learn in life.

Think about the phrase “one door has to close for another to open”- that isn’t just some euphemism.

But the struggle within comes from the lack of faith, hope, and love for and unto Him. We think that losses in life cast doubt and mean it’s harder to , and question the reason we even keep the faith. We think that losses in life mean Hope is fading away as what we thought was going to happen in our future isnt happening, and that our life is falling apart. We then think All of this must be because of the lack of love God, or others, have for us.

In reality all these things are happening because through maintaining faith, hope, and love , in all things and events, we will become, through and following the “death” of that which once was, something born anew into and unto God’s perfect will.

For those who believe , and even those who don’t, Instead of anguishing and fearing that which we can’t control and the inevitability of unfolding events around us, give thanks for all these things because even though you can’t see it, nor can you control it, you’re being presented with an opportunity to be born anew.

And only if you’re looking will you see.

>>Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see. ‘Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear and Grace my fears relieved, the hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils, and snares I’ve already come, ‘Twas Grace that brought me safe thus far, and Grace will lead me home.