Courage for Today

Providing Hope and Encouragement for Your Daily Christian Walk

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Singing in the Rain

Encouragement

 “It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.” Isaiah 4:6

Some of my favorite memories as a child were when our family went on Camping Trips.  Camping was an inexpensive way for all of us to pack up and visit places we normally would not have been able to afford to visit.  We camped near beaches, on mountaintops and everything in between.  There is just something about the camping experience that makes wonderful memories.  Maybe it is the chance to get away from your normal routine.  Or, perhaps its the smell of bacon cooking in the morning.  It might be that your camping neighbors just always seemed to be friendlier than your normal neighbors.  Whatever it was about camping certainly made a lasting impression on me.

I remember one particular trip we took to a local State Park.  We went through the normal routine of packing the car full with our coolers and our tent and clothes and barely leaving enough room for all of us to fit in the car.  Somehow we managed to make it to our destination and start the unpacking and tent set-up.  I have to admit that we weren’t much help to my Mom and Dad.  He pretty much had to set-up the tent and unpack all of our “stuff” while my Mom kept an eye on us as we gathered wood for the eventual fire and had sword fights with the fallen tree limbs we found.

As nightfall approached, we finished our dinner of hot dogs over the open fire finished off with roasted marshmallows.  We slowly made our way to our tent and started coloring in our coloring books and just having fun as a family.  Suddenly, without warning, a huge storm approached.  It rained and rained and rained some more.  My brothers and I were fairly young and, of course, we were scared as the rain pounded our tent and the ground rumbled with the sound of thunder.  Just when we thought the storm was slowing down, some of our tent poles collapsed and the center of the tent fell upon us.  We kids panicked thinking the world was coming to an end while my Dad climbed out of the tent and reset the pole in the driving rain storm.  He managed to re-sturdy the tent and climbed back inside, soaked to the bone, dripping water over all of us.  Despite all of the drama, we could see the calm face of our Dad and somehow that calmed our nerves and made us feel safe and secure.  It wasn’t very long until we were back working on our coloring masterpieces.  The weather finally calmed down and we managed to all snuggle in our sleeping bags for a comfortable night’s sleep—our tent and our Dad protecting us from the storm’s fury.

This story reminds me of the many trials I have been through in my own life.  Trials that many of you are going through as we speak.  There have been times when I honestly didn’t know what to do next.  Times when I thought all was lost.  Times when I felt hopeless.  During those rainstorms in my own life, it always comforted me to know my Heavenly Father was there protecting me and repairing the damage of the storms.  Over time, I learned that the driving rainstorms of life didn’t have to be depressing and defeating.  Instead, I let the storms remind me of His Heavenly protection and shine as an example of His many miracles.

Are you experiencing your own rainstorm in life right now?  Instead of feeling defeated by the trial and the storm, let the rain be a gentle reminder to stay focused on God’s presence in your life while providing you with encouragement that the warm sunshine is not far behind.

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Choose to Let Your Ruins Come to Life

Self-Worth

I was walking through a residential area near my condo several months ago and was paying close attention to the many gorgeous homes of all colors, shapes, and sizes.  There were brick homes, two-story homes, ranch style homes and on and on.  It was a wonderful neighborhood with homeowners walking their dogs down the street and children playing in their front yards.  What caught my eye on this particular day was something I didn’t expect to see.  Sandwiched in between all these model homes was a decrepit, ugly home in dire need of repair.  The home was obviously abandoned and was in need of a tremendous amount of renovation.  I’m certainly no home repair expert, but there was no question that this home would require a lot of time and money to make it comparable to the other surrounding homes.  It was actually depressing to see what was probably a beautiful home in such disrepair, especially sitting amongst the other spectacular homes.

Not more than two weeks after I originally spotted the damaged home, I suddenly noticed a flurry of activity taking place.  All of a sudden, the home was surrounded by construction crews and equipment with workers moving in and out and around the home.  This abandoned home was now a beehive of activity.  There were roofers and carpenters and painters.  Obviously, someone had purchased the abandoned home and was spending a lot of money to make the necessary repairs and make the home livable once again.

I followed the construction progress and the efforts of the many, many workers over the course of the next several weeks.  It was amazing how the former eyesore of the neighborhood was being transformed into a magnificent new mansion.  What was once viewed as ruins was now coming to life in the form of a gorgeous new home.

I often think of my own Christian journey of faith and still stand amazed at how God has transformed my life.  Arguably, my life was like the shack I saw in our neighborhood—in disrepair and in need of some tender loving care.  God entered my life and transformed me into the person I am today.  What God has done in my life is nothing short of a miracle but the true miracle is that HE can do the same thing for you.

You may be looking at your own life and feeling like you don’t quite fit in.  You look around and you see others who appear to be smarter than you or better than you at something or, perhaps, seem to always get ahead in life.  You see others who always get the breaks and you seemingly want to raise your hands toward God and wave wildly while telling HIM, “Hey God, remember me!”  I know how you feel; I’ve been there myself.

As the renovation of the old home in my neighborhood was nearing completion, I noticed something truly startling.  The entire look of the home had changed.  A garage was added.  A front porch was added.  New landscaping was completed. New siding was added. Bright, new colors were used.  Having known what the home looked like before, I was amazed at its transformation.  I know homes don’t talk, but it was almost as if the home was proud of itself once again and what it had become at the hands of others.

God can do a similar transformation in your own life.  Don’t focus on others and what may be happening in their lives.  Don’t focus on what you haven’t done or mistakes you’ve made.  Instead, focus on what God has, can, and will do in your own life.  Allow the master carpenter to mold and shape you as never before and you’ll quickly see your own life move from ruins to royalty.

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Why You Should Learn to Forgive Yourself

Forgiveness

One of the hardest issues we battle with as Christians is forgiving ourselves.  I don’t know about you, but I think sometimes it’s easier to forgive others for what they may have done to us rather than forgive ourselves for mistakes we’ve made in our own lives.  I’m not totally sure why that is, but I do know that if you’re out there struggling to forgive yourself, you’re not alone.  It isn’t a new phenomenon that applies only to you; the battle has been around as long as man has been on this earth.

I was re-reading John Chapter 21 today and realized what a perfect example this Chapter is of God’s never-ending love for us, no matter what we’ve done in our lives.  As background, Peter had already denied Christ three times and Jesus had already been crucified and resurrected.  There had been some sightings of Jesus after the resurrection but no one really knew what to expect next or if anyone would ever see Him again.

If you’re familiar with this particular story in John, you’ll remember that some of the Disciples were at the Sea of Tiberias.  Peter was one of those Disciples there that particular day.  I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe that Peter was probably feeling guilty and ashamed and depressed about how he had denied Christ in the past.  Even though Peter was with his closest friends, that didn’t mask the fact that Peter still couldn’t see a way to repair the past and may have to live with those feelings the rest of his life.

It helps to remember that Peter was a true fisherman at heart.  I’ve known people in my own life that live, breathe, and sleep fishing.  They are at home on any lake or stream at any time.  On this particular day, Peter decided to go out and catch fish.  In fact, Peter did exactly what you and I do at times of trouble or when stress or guilt is unbearable—we go back to what’s comfortable.  Peter went back to what he was most comfortable with to (perhaps) find peace and solitude.  Fishing was a relief to Peter and I believe helped him to relax and erase some of his pain or guilt.  As Peter decided to go fishing, the other Disciples that were present decided to join him, but no one caught any fish.

As everyone was out in the boat fishing, they suddenly heard a voice off in the distance from someone standing on the shore.  The person on the shore was asking those in the boat if they had caught any fish.  The Disciples, not knowing who this person was, shouted back “no.”  This stranger on the shore then did a peculiar thing.  He instructed the Disciples to cast their net on the right side of their boat.  They did so and caught so many fish they couldn’t even haul in the net.  Shortly thereafter, some of the Disciples recognized the person on the shore was Jesus and pointed this out to Peter.  As soon as Peter heard this, he jumped in the water and swam toward the shore, toward Jesus.  I wonder what Peter was thinking as he swam to the shore?  Was he going to apologize to Jesus for denying him?  Was he going to ask if Jesus was angry with him?  Did he want Jesus to say some comforting words to him?  We can only speculate, but as soon as he began swimming, the other disciples that remained in the boat followed him to the shore, towing the net full of fish behind them.

As Peter swam closer, he could see that Jesus had already started a warm fire of coals and had some fish cooking on the fire, along with some bread.  He invited Peter and the other Disciples to bring some of the fish they had caught and have breakfast with him.  Before Peter could say anything to Jesus, or do anything to ease his own guilt or pain, Jesus was already there waiting with open arms! Peter didn’t have to do anything to make things right with Jesus; it was if nothing in the past had ever happened.

I think about my own life and how many times I have second guessed myself, made bad decisions, and wished I could make things right with God.  It helps me to remember the story about Peter all those years ago.  No matter how hard I try to erase what has happened and forgive myself for what I should or should not have done, God has already forgotten my mistakes and is there with open arms ready to welcome me.

I thought I would list some quick, practical suggestions, I’ve learned over the years that may help you with forgiveness:

  1. Don’t be afraid to forgive yourself.  This sounds simple but, sometimes, we hang on to the past—even when it hurts—for fear of being alone in the present or future.  Surround yourself with friends and loved ones that can support you as you sever the past and embrace the present/future.  Allow others to pray for you.
  2. Remember that forgiving yourself of the past doesn’t mean you have to forget the past.  It simply means you refuse to allow the past to control your emotions now.  Stop punishing yourself.
  3. Don’t hold yourself to a higher standard than anyone else does.  We’re all imperfect and make mistakes.  Peter denied Jesus three times and Jesus welcomed Peter back with no questions asked.  Embrace God’s Grace, as Peter did, and realize that nothing you’ve done will keep God from opening his arms to you.
  4. Realize that it’s OK to let go of other people’s expectations of you or what others have said about you.  You don’t have any control of what other people say and do.  It also helps to separate what you can control versus what you can’t control.
  5. Look for small things each day where God shows you how he is working in your life.  It may be a kind word from someone; an opportunity that presents itself; a chance for you to do something for someone.  Trust me, God shows you each and every day—you just have to be aware.  Keep a prayer journal or diary of what God shows you and teaches you each day.
  6. Surround yourself with positive verses and quotes.  Write your favorite versus on index cards and stick them on refrigerators; on your bathroom mirror; or in your car.  Place them everywhere possible so that you constantly see positive verses.  It’s amazing how this will change your perspective.
  7. Realize that forgiving yourself is a journey, not a destination.  Don’t fool yourself in believing that you can flip a switch, and you’re there.  It is a gradual process of baby steps.

May God bless you along your journey of forgiveness.

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