Well, here you are. In the middle of life, and honestly, it’s not what you expected. What do you do? Give up? Run away? Get a divorce? The attraction is; wherever I go has to be better than this! Disappointing job, house, spouse, church, etc. doesn’t really matter. It sucks!
Some look for the answer at the bottom of a bottle, only to find it’s empty. Others turn to substances that only dulls the pain, but never removes it. Some fight. They fight society, the government, churches, and worse yet, other people. You want to know the truth? Whenever any of this happens, Satan sits back and laughs. John 10:10 says, “Satan has come to kill, steal, and destroy…” What you might ask? YOU! He’s still mad at God for not letting him have his way, and he is using you to get even.
You want to know the Truth? The rest of John 10:10 says “…but I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly.” Jesus said that, and He is Truth. He also said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) Accepting Jesus and living his way is not a cliche, it is truth, and it works. He doesn’t promise you a perfect life with a perfect job, house, spouse or church, but He says He will be there with you through it. The reason you keep hearing this is because it is truth, and it will set you free. Pastor Linda Budd, of RiverGate Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma said last Sunday, “Jesus doesn’t speak the problem, he speaks the answer.” Jesus didn’t say, “Oh my. It’s stormy out here. We could be in danger. Perhaps we should go back.” No! He said to the storm, “Peace be still!”
I needed to write this today, because I needed to remind myself of the truth, about Truth, and what He says to storms, disappointments in life. I say to my storm, “In the name of Jesus, peace be still!”
Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.
The above conversation was changed a bit, but is true. It’s something I had noticed as well, but didn’t know anyone else had. Several years ago I begin to see that after I walked into a place of business, any business, they started getting very busy. One day I had understanding as to why. It is because I am a child of God and I am blessed and highly favored. Therefore, the places I visit are blessed as well. The blessings don’t stop there either. I find favor among men in many ways and at many times, and am blessed.
God is perfect, but He doesn’t expect it!
It can be challenging, trying to blend two cultures, but it can also be fun. For instance, I grew up in America where my mother and father had a lot of people over to play card games, eat, and laugh. I thought it was pretty cool. Something I have tried to emulate as an adult.
I had a friend that once stated she doesn’t want to hear her spouse say, “I love you” every day. Somehow, she feels it cheapens the words. I asked her, “Well, how do you want to know you are loved then?” She replied, “Just knowing someone is thinking about me makes me feel loved.” Yes, the next question I had to ask was, “How do you know you are being thought of if that person doesn’t express it in some form?”
If you have tried everything, does that list include Jesus?
I got remarried yesterday evening, after being divorced for twenty-three years. I no longer have to check that dreaded little box, “Divorced”. I married a wonderful woman of God who is a Filipino. The only problem is, I’m an American, and she is not allowed to enter the United States without a Visa, which could take a year or longer to arrive. When she said, “I do,” she became an “IR”. Instant Relative. This status gives her priority over everyone else trying to enter America by any other means. Work Visa, Student Visa, Fiancé Visa, etc. It also gives her access to a “Green Card” and two weeks after she arrives in America she will get her Social Security card. Being an “IR” has instant privileges.
brady, mark a. 