give | Courage for Today

When You Sometimes Wonder if God Cares

I’ve been burdened lately for so many of my friends and loved ones that are going through tough times in their life. I so appreciate that others share their pain and hurt and, honestly, I hurt with them. Their burdens are real. Their hurt is deep. Their pain is relentless. At the center of their pain and hurt is an underlying feeling that no one cares. The world has shut them out in many cases. Their family and friends seemingly turn their backs. And, through the heartache, they sometimes give up on God and wonder if HE really cares about them.

After all, God is busy running the universe. He doesn’t have time for little old me. I know He may care about me in the “big picture,” but does He really care about my problems and my situations? The answer is an emphatic YES! As you sit there reading this post, I pray that you stop whatever you’re doing for a brief moment and just relish in the fact that God does care about you. Stop and realize that God is wrapping His heavenly arms around you even at this moment.

If you don’t believe me, here are some verses from God’s word to simply remind you of how truly special you are:

You are an heir of God and co-heir with Christ. Romans 8:17
You are eternal, like an angel. Luke 20:36
You have a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:25
You are a treasured possession. Exodus 19:5
You were chosen before the creation of the world. Ephesians 1:4
You will be a holy people to the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 26:19

You are God’s child. Your place in life, your title in life, or your position in life don’t mean anything in relation to God. What matters is that you are in the palm of God’s hand.

I wanted to give you one additional verse from the Bible to hang on to; one of my favorite versus in all the Bible. I love the verse because it is written in a way for those of us that are sometimes skeptical of God’s Love. The verse is 1 John 3:1 and it reads: ” See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called Children of God; and such we are.” The last part of the verse is what I really want you to grasp. When He says “and such we are” what He is saying is that “you really are.” He knew that we would be skeptical. God, in His infinite wisdom, is basically saying, “remember, you’re a child of God—really you are, I’m not kidding.”

He does care for you. If it matters to you, it matters to Him. Nothing is too significant or insignificant to bring forth to God.

Always remember, you are a child of God—really, He’s not kidding.

Our Lives Are Not a Sprint

Strength

I have to admit sometimes that I’m not the most patient person in the world. My friends tell me that I am more patient than most, but sometimes I don’t feel that way myself. I am always pressed to do something, whether it is meet some deadline at work, or an appointment to do at home. When you think about it, Society in general is that way now. Busy, busy, busy. Everyone’s always in a hurry to do this or that. It truly is the world of the “microwave.” Everything has to be done instantly and if we can’t finish something quickly, we just quit and move on to something else.

Sadly sometimes, we lead our lives in the same manner. If we can’t lose weight this week, we give up. If we can’t get that job we need by next week, we lose faith. If we don’t see our health improve immediately, we lose hope. It’s human nature to some degree to be this way, although I think we would all agree that we could all be more successful in what we do if we would see things through to the end and not give up quite as easily as we do sometimes.

Last week, I was looking through some old magazine articles that I collect about Sports. I found an article about a long-distance Marathon Runner from Africa who entered the Marathon in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. If you are familiar with the Marathon, the distance is well over 20 miles and travels through the Olympic City streets and then finishes the last lap or two back in the Olympic Stadium. How anyone can run that far is beyond me, but that’s a story for another day.

On this particular Day of the Marathon in Mexico City, the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medalists had already been crowned and the race was long over, or so everyone thought. In fact, other Track and Field Events were being held in the infield of the Olympic Stadium. During one of the other events, the reporters on duty noticed the crowd slowly beginning to cheer. At first, they couldn’t figure out why? Gradually, the crowd got louder and louder and eventually everyone in the stadium rose to their feet to cheer. The reporter finally noticed that a lone Marathon runner had entered the stadium, hours after the Medal winners had finished, to begin his final journey around the Olympic track to complete the race.

The runner was limping into the stadium and even stumbled a couple of times. The crowd cheered even more loudly, all for a lone Marathon runner that had no chance of winning. After what seemed like an eternity, the lone runner finally crossed the finish line and collapsed from exhaustion.

What struck me most about this event was the conversation after the race between a Reporter and the Marathon runner. The reporter asked, “why did you go through all the agony and pain to cross the finish line in a race that you had absolutely no chance to win?” The runner answered, “my Country did not send me all of these thousands of miles to ENTER the race; they sent me here to FINISH the race.”

How appropriate is this analogy for our own lives? I know there have been times when I have been ready to give up. There have been times that I wanted a quick fix and wasn’t patient in waiting for God’s timing. I would suspect most of us have been in this same situation, or maybe you are now?

As Christians, we are charged with the responsibility to fight the good fight. You may not be the best at what you do. You may not be the fastest at what you do. You may not have the best education. You may not have the best abilities. However, in God’s eyes you are a unique and special creation. To quote the Marathon runner, God did not put us on this Earth simply to enter the race. HE placed us here to finish our race. If you are in a place in your own life where you face discouragement, I encourage you to carry on with God’s strength; don’t give up; and finish the race.

The Legacy of Establishing Your Footsteps

Self-Worth

I was sitting here this Sunday morning just reminiscing a little about my Daughter; Son; and Foster Daughter, all of whom are adults now, making adult decisions. All have left the “roost” now and are working hard to meet life head-on with it’s many challenges. I’m so very proud of them and how they’ve endured tremendous challenges in their lives, but continue to stay strong; move forward; and not give up with their dreams and ambitions.

When my son and daughter were both much, much younger, they enjoyed playing “dress-up.” I suppose it gave them a chance to pretend they were older and act like mom and dad. I always thought it was such a hoot. My daughter would wear some of my wife’s high-heeled shoes and my son would get some of my size 13 dress shoes and they would both try to walk around the house in those shoes much too big for their own feet. It was hilarious to watch, but by wearing those shoes that were instantly transformed into larger than life people. It seemed to give them confidence and strength so that they really didn’t have a care in the world. In fact, wearing those shoes of ours seemed to almost be like Superman putting on his cape; it made them confident that nothing the World could throw at them would have any affect whatsoever. It didn’t matter to them that the shoes didn’t fit. What mattered was that the shoes represented someone greater than them, in their minds, at the time.

I just completed reading Psalms 119:133 which says: “Establish my footsteps in Your Word. And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.” That’s where I want to be. I don’t pretend to always understand God’s Word. Sometimes, God’s Word just seems so “large” and just “doesn’t seem to fit” with my life. It reminds me of my children wearing those large shoes so very long ago. Even though the shoes didn’t fit, they wore them anyway in faith.

We’re all going to establish our footsteps somewhere. Where will yours be established? As for me, I want to establish my footsteps in the Greatness and Majesty of God’s Word, even when it doesn’t make sense and even when “it doesn’t seem to fit.”

Are You Giving God Your Presents or Presence

Self-Worth

I can understand why the Holidays are sometimes depressing for many folks. We start weeks before Christmas buying our gifts for friends, family, and loved ones. Everywhere we go, we hear Christmas music on the radio and in the malls. We see the excitement (and sometimes fear) in children’s faces when they have that all important chat with Santa. We are busy planning Christmas get-togethers with co-workers, friends, and family. There is the tremendous build-up before Christmas, then the Big Day comes, and it’s over. Just like that; it’s over.

Of course, there are many that dread the Holidays because they don’t get to experience any of the things and events I mentioned above so it can be depressing for them not because of the let-down, but because there “never was” to begin with.

For most of us, the few days after Christmas, before New Years, is dedicated to taking down Christmas Trees and ornaments and packing them in the attic until next year. Or, we might be spending our Gift Cards from our favorite Department Store, or perhaps returning that Sweater that only your great-grandmother would have loved in the 1930’s. We all spend too much money buying gifts and presents, with good intentions, but most of the time it ends up being more gifts than any of us could possible use or need and, then, its back to life as normal—just with more stuff than when we started.

I have to remind myself on occasion, as a Christian, that there is really nothing I can buy, wrap-up and give to God as a Present. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve certainly tried. I’ve tried to dress better when attending church. I’ve tried to give to worthy causes (sometimes just to eliminate my guilt). I’ve tried to educate myself in certain church classes and doctrines to make others think I was more intellectual. I have tried to impress others with my Outside Appearance instead of any Inside Gifts I may have. Before you judge me, you’ve done the same things. I’m just being honest. We all try to “wrap ourselves up” with some beautiful wrapping paper so we can give God ourselves in some form of a Present that is as worthless to God as my great-grandmother’s 1930’s Sweater.

What God wants from us is NOT our Presents, but He wants our Presence. HE created YOU and YOU alone with special gifts and talents to be used in HIS service. He wants your presence in speaking to others when the opportunity arises. He wants your presence in touching the life of a young person. He wants your presence in restoring the relationship with your spouse. He wants your presence in setting a better example at work. He wants your presence in reaching others for HIM in only ways that you can do it with the gifts and abilities that God has uniquely blessed you with.

As you look at your Christian Life, are you guilty of giving God your Presents or your Presence?

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