Give Me Jesus

"In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus." In the middle of the stormy seas, give me Jesus. In the chaos of a broken life, give me Jesus. In the middle of a joyful place, give me Jesus. What ever situation I am in, just give me Jesus, because there is no other power strong enough to heal a broken heart or bring joy to a frazzled day. It does not matter who I am or who I become I am absolutely nothing with out Jesus. All that I am and all that I will be is because of him. I can stand at the top of a mighty mountain and preach the good news and great joy of who he is and was, but if I do it just to be seen, what do I gain but a prideful heart? If I feed the homeless children and clothe the needy, yet do not say one word about my gracious savior, what do they gain, but a full belly? Should I not only feed their stomachs, but their hearts as well? If I act as if I have my life together and I speak as if I am a changed person, yet the change in my heart has not been made, what else am I but a hypocrite? When did the church become a place of judgement where no one can talk about their struggles, instead of a hospital for the ill and broken? The beautiful thing about Christians is that we are all broken in need of the same savior. Each of us have struggles and doubts. Why is it that those in the church judge those who are desperately looking for a place to belong and a place to be healed and held? What would the world be like if we laid down our pride and our image and dropped to our knees to serve those around us? What would life be like if instead of looking down our noses and taking pity, we raise our hands to our Father? Step off your pedestal and look at the puddle on the ground. Is that reflection looking back at you someone you want to be, or a better question a child of God? A better question: If you met met our Father right now, would he say. "Well done my good and faithful servant."? Do you spend more time perfecting your outside image than the condition of your heart? You see, sin is like a illness, once it catches you it slowly attacks every good part of you with no hope for a cure. The more you sin, the bigger the gap between you and God, the bigger the gap, the harder it is to dig your way back out. What would your life be like if you put down our technology and picked up a Bible? How sad is it that we choose time with man made items over time with our creator. we are not perfect. we make mistakes, we sin, we get caught up in the world, and we over think everything. The only difference is that we know where we are going. we fall down a million times a day, but our father is right there to pick us up when we stumble back down. we have a reason to smile and find joy in the little things, because we have chosen to lose our lives, to gain a new one. There are times when life knocks you down so hard that you honestly do not want to live to see another day, but in those moments. The times when your heart hurts so much, you are frustrated with anything and everything, and no matter how hard you try you just can not find God. The times you begin to wonder if all this is really worth it. Do you really need to pretend like everything is okay and walk around with a smile all day every day? Life is hard, but I promise you that if you just keep pushing, keep praying, and keep listening, it will be so worth it. Remember after every storm comes a beautiful rainbow and promise. When those rainbows are covered by clouds, it does not mean the promise is gone, it just means you can not see it at this time. When my heart is heavy and falls from my standards, I fall in a cloud of grace. Grace I do not deserve. Grace. The only cure for the sin that attacks our souls. So take this world. Take this life. Take these talents. Take all of me and just give me Jesus.

When the Waters Rise

Life. Sometimes life just does not go your way or the way you think it should go. You are often put in situations that you do not know how to handle or think you are not strong enough to go through. Life throws some pretty wicked curve balls and when they hit you, you are out for awhile. Life hurts you. It tears out your heart, rips it apart and throws it aside. Life can be absolutely awful at times, but life can also be a wonderful experience. Life can be beautiful and carefree. Life can be easy. The best part about life, is that no two people have the same story. Not one person has lived the same adventure as another. Sure there are similar experiences that help you connect with others, but each person has a uniquely crafted testimony. To those who feel like life is out to get them. I am sorry. I really am. I can't pretend to know how you feel. I can empathize with you and offer my sympathy, but I will never truly know how you feel. If I had to guess I'd say you feel so low, so hurt, and so angry that you don't believe you can live to face another day. You get yourself all worked up until you are crying hysterically and whispering, "I can't. I just can't do this anymore. It hurts too much. Why God, Why?", and a multitude of other cries.You feel like you have failed and you are just ready to give up and let the world win. Life doesn't seem worth living. You look at your life and you don't understand why God would allow all of this to happen to you and why some never see the slightest pinch of pain. Just when you think the storm is finally over, a wave comes crashing down or a new one is on the horizon. You think that you don't deserve all you are going through and all you want to do is run and never stop, but you can't. there is no escape. You are trapped on the ocean floor. Tears stain your face and you wonder if this thorn in your paw will ever fall out, because it has been days, weeks, or even years and no change. It has been years and still no change. How long must you live with this dark shadow? By now, you feel as though your heart has been thrown in a blender and your life has followed. Nothing makes sense any more and you are almost done trying, but you give it one more shot, because why not? Not everyday is a total disaster. You find reasons to smile and laugh, but there is a dark cloud dampening your mood that you just can't shake. Your hope is in all of the wrong places, until you remember the reason for the sliver of joy you have. God. With out your hope and faith in Him, life is nothing but gloomy days and dark shadows. With God as your hope and anchor, there is not storm to vicious for the both of you. When God is the center of your heart, not every situation will magically resolve, but you will have more reasons to smile and find joy in the little things. Every day and every life is a gift from God. Life can either be the worst gift you receive or the most exhilarating and joyful. YOU are the one who has to decide what to do with this gift. There are complications and storms, but there are also beautiful skies and happy days. Life is not perfect. Read that again. LIFE IS NOT PERFECT. It was never meant to be flawless. If our lives were clean and storms never arose, then there would be no need for our savior. If we were meant to have a pain free life, then Jesus came and sacrificed his life for nothing. Life is suppose to be messy and crazy and make no sense at all. because, in the middle of all the hail, the lightening, and the crashing waves, the life guard who died to save you, still walks on water. Don't be like Peter. Grab Jesus' hand and step out unto the water. It's only when we lose our faith that we start to sink. Even, when you have landed on the ocean floor, you can look up into the water and see a hand reaching down to save you. There is no way to sugarcoat life. Mistakes will be made, people will leave, and life will happen. There is no negotiating with life or God. You are either with God, or not, but either way you have a ticket for this ride of a lifetime. When the hurricane comes, let God be your anchor. He will carry you safe to shore and he will never leave you stranded to fight alone. So put down your phone, your laptop, your book, or what ever you are doing that is keeping you from living your life and give all that you are and all your worries, fears, hopes, and dreams to him. Give it all to God. He has already read the ending to your story, in fact, he wrote it. Don't let a rough few minutes make you have a bad day and don't think that a bad day means you have an awful life. There is always something beautiful to find in the world. Sometimes harder to find than Waldo and sometimes you can't help but smile at all the joys. Find a reason to smile. Let life be life and you find ways to make the sun shine a little brighter. In case you are wondering, God still hasn't left you and He never will. There is your number one reason to smile everyday.