God's gifts

“Father help me please. Be merciful my Lord and hear my plea.
I have been lost in this vast wilderness without hope.
May your Devine light shine upon my wilderness and set my thirsty soul free.”
                                                                                         T. Garafola

I once read a cute but true saying, “No one ever promised us a rose garden but with the amount of fertilizer we get, we should have prize winners!” Author unknown.

It’s easy to get lost in this world. So many days we feel alone and filled with uneasiness. While of course there are physiological reasons that can’t be ignored, there are so many more reasons why we feel the way we do. Life is stressful.. really stressful. And oh yes, we can’t forget about the news. If you want to feel bad, just watch the 6 o’clock news, with more at 11!

There are days that the troubles of the world seem to be resting on our shoulders and then there are days it just feels like the whole world is out to get us. 

Even those with complete faith in God struggle with sadness and emptiness sometimes but it is inevitable, after all, we’re human.

Quite often, many of us struggle with these feelings more often than not. Some even fear that they don’t have a secure foundation in the Lord or that they somehow have failed to believe strong enough to break out of the sadness that confines them. But we all have to remember that God knows our hearts! Thankfully, He loves us in spite of ourselves!

Personally, I’ve learned the hard way that being a Christian doesn’t mean we are exempt from the heartbreak, it does mean that we have a pretty amazing support system!

I’m a firm believer in prayer! When we pray (thankfully) He listens. He understands our pleas for help. Whether or not we feel beat down by the world, we should always reach out to Christ and ask Him to show us the way. God is there, waiting for us to call home, we just need to pick up the phone.

Those of faith understand that God always answers our prayers. Of course though, the answers are in His time and are always what He knows is best for us. Sometimes the answer is ‘yes’ and it just fills us with joy. Then there are times that the answer is ‘no’ and we’re not so filled with joy. But, whenever He turns us down, it’s usually because it wasn’t the right choice for us. But… we have to be listening. We have to open our ears and quite our minds to hear the message being sent to us.

When the answer is no, we should remember that God always has something better in mind for us. I know it’s sometimes hard to accept when you’re praying for an ailing loved one or praying for freedom from a difficult situation but it is the truth nonetheless. It is during those difficult times that Christ is the closest to us but… that’s a whole other discussion.

The days that we are chained to despair and pray for freedom but don’t seem to get the loud and clear answer we hoped for, then maybe the Lord is waiting on us. Pray loud and hard, give your love and thanks to the Lord and then go out and seek some happiness. We have to look past the madness in the world and check out the goodness God created for all of us.  

As they say, don’t sweat the small stuff. Reach out to an old friend, make a new friend out of a stranger, love your family, sing a song of praise, go for a walk, go to the beach and watch the clouds sail by, enjoy nature, cuddle your pet, paint a picture, go to church or seek a bible study group to make new friends. There are so many things we can do to help ourselves become free of our burdens when pray and take full advantage of the wonders God has given us. Most importantly, know that God has everything under control.

“For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I               will help you.
                                      Isaiah 41:13 NIV