You feel emptied out. Like your life might be over.
When was your ugliest time? When it seemed unfair and scary and you had no idea if you’d get through it? For me, when I was going through a divorce… or when our daughter had seizures… or those financial times where you have no idea where the money is going to come from.
We all have those seasons, and maybe even as a country right now we are in one of those. How do you live in peace when there are violent things happening all around us?
I think about our God… who expressed His love on a cross in the middle of dirt and sweat and ridicule. His glory came in the middle of the mess, and he went through it wearing his love for us like a banner. Our answer to the world right now and to ourselves may be the same thing: Love.
Romans 8:38-39 – 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.
As long as we walk willing to get messy, holding onto the love that He showed us first, we have victory.
-Sam
Sam,
I just downloaded the Spirit app and saw your name this morning. Now, I think I know how Paul felt when writing to the churches, because I have such fond memories of the time I spent listening to you and Scott during my morning commutes between Olympia and Seattle. I don’t know if you remember me, but I phoned in to answer the Impossible Question almost daily for several years (I won a couple times). You even recognized my voice and greeted me by name before I could introduce myself. I miss those short conversations we shared, and I truly felt like you and Scott were my friends. I was going through dark times back then and being able to share some of those moments with the two of you was a light in my day and helped me keep moving on. I thank God for your friendship. You have shined the light of Jesus in my life.
My prayers are with you. Hearing some of your personal challenges, I hope you find some encouragement in knowing that God has blessed so many people through you. The glory of Jesus shines in you. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18