Some days are hard

Today is one of those perfect Fall days in New England.

As I drove with the windows down, and sang songs and smiled…joy filled my soul.

And some days are like this.

Some days are not.

Some days are hard. Some days are brutal.

In both kinds of day, God is with us. He cares for us.  He is faithful forever and He is perfect.

Days like today help us, help me believe truth.

But a momentary sorrow can upend joy.

Especially when we choose to believe the lie that we are some kind of mistake.

A failure. Not wanted. Not loved.

We are not mistakes…and our failures and our success do not define us.

God turns our failures into good for us and for His glory.

Aaron Keyes wrote it this way-”Even what the enemy intended for evil-God will turn it to good and use it for His glory”.

In the valley in the shadow of death- God is faithful, He is with us- we are never alone.

I think one of the saddest lies we hear is that

God will not give us more than we can handle.

The truth is-we cannot handle most of what life throws at us.

But God can. 

We need to be reminded of the truth.

He is with us in the fire, in the flood.

In the sunny, crisp Fall days- in the good times.

In the bitter cold and rain and snow- in the hard times.

God is with us.

This morning I had coffee with two friends. We talked about the value of a table.

Where there is room for all of us.

Where we can be real- and be reminded that we are loved.

Our souls were created to be in relationship with people who see us and with the God who made us and loves us.

In the book of Romans it says we long for this. We wait and anticipate this day

 All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us; any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting.

We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

How amazing- those things we dread- death, pain sorrow…they enlarge our souls, increase our capacity to love and care for others…IF we choose to allow God to do what he can do, turn all things good

Here is the good news-Christ has come.

Lived a perfect life, died on the cross and His blood covered all of our sin- redeemed us from the Kingdom of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of light.

And today we are in this waiting room of life and as we wait for for His return- we have 2 choices- we can worry or we can worship.

So today, around a table and walking in the sunshine- I choose to worship.

And I know that every moment I worry, I lose the chance to worship for one more moment.

So I am expectant and excited about what the season ahead will bring.

And I am looking forward to the transformation that will take place around a table.