Hope Is Now

Hopelessness is such an overwhelming feeling.

I don't know if there is anything more difficult to hear, than someone who is heart sick sharing their feelings of hopelessness.

It is one thing to worry how things will work out, or to struggle to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We all struggle from time to time, wondering how things will come together. We all have issues that may scare us, discourage us, or stir fear and doubt.

But to lose all hope that things will ever get better, that is a feeling I pray no one would ever experience.

In Proverbs 13:12 it says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

When we lose hope, or when we set our hope on something over and over and it seems to fail us, we become heart sick. We get to a place of desperation, and we cry out, "if there has ever been a day I needed this to work, today is that day!" Then the day ends, and still no change.

Truth is, our trouble is going to last longer than we would like it to. Hardship comes more frequently than we prefer, and we will likely experience hurt that seems greater than we can bear.

Even still, do not lose hope.

In Romans 15:13 it says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him...

I think sometimes we wait for our hope, joy, and peace to be found when the relief or the answer comes.

God wants us to experience hope, joy, and peace even in the trusting, even in the waiting.

So if you have been waiting on an answer, hear me please. If today is one of those days when, "if there has ever been a day I needed this to work, today is that day!", I encourage you to pray this prayer.

"God give me hope, joy and peace, as I wait."

This is a difficult prayer to pray, but it also moves our focus back to truth.

Our hope is not found in our circumstance, it is found in Jesus.

He Didn't Learn That On His Own

One of the best parts of being a Dad, is watching your kids mature and develop into individually talented, unique, and beautiful people.

I have been surprised at how much my kids take in from what they see me doing or not doing. Words cannot express how small I felt years ago, the day my oldest son sat down on the couch with his feet up and his hands behind his head. He began barking at his sister ordering her to get him something to eat and drink because, "he had a long day" and it was her job to wait on him.

He didn't learn that on his own... his lazy Dad had modeled it for him.

I have come to appreciate the undeveloped character traits in my children, as they serve as a reminder of where I need to grow. It is a great tool I can use to grow as an individual, but it is also great motivation to change, since it is not only me who is affected by my shortcomings.

The reality for most of us is, sometimes we get tired of changing. To be in a constant state of growing, learning, and changing can be exhausting. It becomes easy to just let things slide, to let it go this time, or to put it off until an imaginary future date we set.

Even though it is difficult, we are supposed to be growing and changing. All the time.

Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Growing and changing is exhausting, but the benefit in return far outweighs the work it takes.

So whatever it is that you have been putting off, excusing, or meaning to get to sometime down the road; let me encourage you, pick it up, and start working on it now.

Don't wait to see the negative affects it has on the people around you. Take some ownership, and set out to make your influence a positive one.

I Caught a Fish That Was THIS Big

I am not a fisherman, but I have been fishing three times.

Once as a young boy with my best friend Wally, he managed to hook my back with his hook, tearing both my shirt and my flesh. My second time was with a group of youth leader friends in New Mexico. On the way I told them the story about Wally. This made the moment Cameron managed to firmly snag the side of my head with his hook on his back swing, even more ironic. The third trip, I sat in my friend Josh's boat freezing in the rain for a few hours, so although there were no fish involved, we did have fishing poles, so I guess it counts.

The one thing I know about fishing, is that every good fisherman, has a great fishing story. One of the main components to a great fishing story is how the story changes over time. It starts out as a 5 pound bass, and 20 years later, it is a 40 pound shark.

The thing is, as a general rule, everyone believes stretching the truth or lying isn't a good idea. Yet, for fishing stories, this rule gets a pass.

Reality is, there are quite a few places where truth stretching, or truth shrinking are accepted. I'm convinced it really isn't a good thing.

The area I want to talk about today is, truth in our relationships.

Somewhere along the way, we have defined love and acceptance as avoidance of tough truths. For the sake of the relationship, or out of love for the person, we don't talk about difficult things. We don't tell  them when we are hurt, frustrated, or disappointed; because we don't want them to feel bad.

I think part of the difficulty with this, is many of us have used the Bible to explain our approach.

For instance, in 1 Peter 4:8 it says, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. "

We say, since I love this person, I will avoid the issue, cover it up, or say it isn't a big deal. Trouble is, that isn't what this verse is saying. When paired with other passages like, Matthew 18:15-17, James 1:19, and Romans 12:17 we see that we are supposed to work out our issues through conversation. We talk about it, with respect for each other, and we do our part to live in peace.

Once we take all these verses into consideration, and then apply 1 Peter 4:8, we see the bigger picture. We are to be open and honest in our dialogue with each other, talking about hurts, offenses, or misunderstandings. The reality is, that is hard to do, so we need to make sure we are committed to loving each other; and that love will help us get through the conversation without bitterness or unresolved hurt.

So let's commit to the hard work of building relationships and encouraging each other, making sure that it is all covered with the growing love we have for each other.

Get Busy, But Not Like Before

Ever since I began in ministry, I have struggled with feeling like I wasn't doing enough.

Only problem was, I wasn't necessarily feeling like I had much more to give. In fact, there were many times I felt like I didn't have anything to offer at all.

For years I just assumed it was because I was weak.

I don't about you, but I am one of those people that likes to learn a simple lesson. One that is easy to understand, easy to explain, easy to apply. God knows that about me, and He is so gracious to package His lessons for me in such a way.

One of those lessons God taught me, and frequently reminds me of, is this; God loves me. He loves me right now, He loves me no matter what I did today, or what I didn't do today. He loves me if I am feeling down, or if I am feeling like I could take on the world. He loves me when I am focused, He loves me when I struggle to put half a thought together. He loves me when I make great choices, and He loves me when I make really terrible choices. God loves me.

I would like to re-word that last paragraph for you...

God loves you, He loves you right now, He loves you no matter what you did today, or what you didn't do today. He loves you if you are feeling down, or if you are feeling like you could take on the world. He loves you when you are focused, He loves you when you struggle to put half a thought together. He loves you when you make great choices, and He loves you when you make really terrible choices. God loves you.

This lesson, although simple in nature, can be difficult to receive.

After God showed me this, I looked at my original question again, "Am I doing enough?"

It allowed me to see something I had not seen before. If I am feeling like I have nothing else to give, then something isn't right; because God loves me, and He doesn't want me to feel that way.

If God calls me to step out in a new venture, and I struggle to believe I am the right guy for the job; I take comfort knowing that God loves me, and He wouldn't tell me to go unless He would give me what I needed to accomplish the work.

I am not saying the answer is, do nothing. God loves us, and He loves us far too much to allow us to be useless. He made us effective and powerful.

Romans 8:37-39 says, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Look at the heart of this verse, you and I, we are conquerors; not observers or spectators. There isn't anything that can stop us from fulfilling the call God has on our life.

Look carefully though, at where the source for all of this to be done comes from... "the love of God, that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

We are powerful, we are conquerors, we are effective, when we are connected to the love of God.

So don't live like I did, don't become consumed by the task; yet, also don't become ineffective sitting idle waiting for time to pass.

Pastor Bill Johnson once said, "If you're not overwhelmed by your assignment (from God), then you are not seeing your assignment clearly."

Not overwhelmed by the work, not overwhelmed by the walls that stand in front of you. Overwhelmed by the love of God, and the greatness of His plans for our life.

So get busy... get busy receiving and embracing the love of God. Yes, get busy, but not like before.