Life is hard, isn't it?! I feel like I was always looking for the time in life when it would be easy, but even in this amazing stage of life I find myself in, I am still struggling with challenges. I wanted the white picket fence, the perfect family, house, etc. Here I am living it and its just not the problem free reality that I envisioned and desperately hoped for as a girl.
Don't get me wrong, I love my life, but where along the way did I pick up the notion that the good life was a perfect life? Where did I gather in the info that a problem-free existence was possible. I've been a Christian all my life, and I've studied the Bible, but does it say that anywhere in that book? No, in fact, it says just the opposite. We are told about the problems of life. It shouldn't be a surprise!
John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Its no accident that John 15 comes before this verse. John 15 talks about God as the vine and us as the branches. He discusses the vital truth of being close and connected to God to grow and thrive. We need this truth in order to survive life.
There was a time in my junior high days that the first chapter of Jeremiah struck me with a nugget of truth. Read part of it with me:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Now go back and look at verse eight. Do you see that word, "rescue?" God doesn't promise we won't go through the "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day," or days as it usually goes in life, and he never promises the perfect, scripted life. Instead he promises never to leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5-9, I Kings 8:57, Genesis 28:15, Hebrews 13:5) and he promises to rescue.
Why does God promise that? Because he knows when life is hard, we feel alone, defeated and inadequate. Jeremiah wasn't just some random guy having a bad day, Jeremiah was a prophet that God sent out to share his truth and love, knowing Jeremiah wouldn't be received with open arms. He knew he would be treated badly, but he still sent him because God loves people and wants the best for them. God also loved Jeremiah, which is why he assures him he will rescue him.
Often in scripture, God sent people on missions by giving the job description and then promising to be there. He doesn't say it will be easy, he promises his presence, which means something when you are an all-loving, all-powerful God. When God says he will do something, he will do it. It doesn't matter if the promise seems impossible. Man and God don't operate in the same realm. He doesn't have our limitations. In fact, our God didn't just send us, he also sent himself in the form of Jesus, who did everything he told us to do. He led by example.
Also, have you ever noticed the richest life usually comes as a result of the passage through the "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad" experiences? The sweet life isn't being a Stepford Wife - in fact there perfect existence is in reality, no existence at all. Messy life is the best life.
I can't finish this without reminding my Christian readers out there, that this Bible filled with people like Jeremiah doesn't just stop with the men and women in this book. We have been given a mission. Matthew 28:16-20 is God's mission for us. Go read it if you don't know it, and if you do, go get reminded. These promises are still for us today as we walk the same road that has already been walked. As you struggle to love that woman that trash talked you, face cancer, stand up for truth in a loving way, share love with the homeless, listen attentively to that annoying talker, invite that friend to church or Bible study, be loving to a spouse that is on your last nerve and the list goes on, remember you are on a mission from God.
So what are the keys to a good life? I think its pretty simple.
1. Know Your Mission
2. Know Your God
3. Enjoy the Beauty Amidst the Storms
4. Press On In Love
Maybe its time to throw out the childhood expectations you had for life. I know I need to and re-calibrate what I am aiming for. God will rescue you if you let him. Being his means having a peace in the one true God no matter the circumstances, but it doesn't mean problem free. Sometimes I need reminded of that reality. God loves me and he always has. He loved the girl with the abusive stepdad, with all the baggage after divorce and abuse as much as he loves the wife and mom I am today.
Do you need to reconnect with God today? Do you need to clarify your mission and get to know your God, your master, a little more? Do you just need the encouragement that you aren't alone and you are seen? Take this truth and keep on. You are needed. Happy Wednesday! - Carrie
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