I’ve spent a good chunk of my life wrestling with the answer to the question, “Who am I?”

To take it one step further, “Who am I to God?” 

Like, what does He actually think of me? 

As cliché as it sounds, maybe you’ve asked yourself these questions at some point, or…maybe you haven’t. 

I must admit, sometimes I think I’m an alright guy, but sometimes, I’m like yeah, God’s looking down at me, but overall He must be pretty disappointed with what He’s seeing. 

But what can you do?

Because it’s so hard to manage the tension between who you currently are, and who you think you should be.

And that’s frustrating. 

Some days I feel like I’m doing all the right things, thinking all the right things and saying all the right things, and on other days, well, I just feel like a mess.

And I think God might’ve not quite got the job done when He put me together. 

I don’t know, maybe I didn’t understand fully, who God actually is. 

But also, throughout my life, there’s been a constant influx of voices, basically telling me that I’m “this” or “that”. 

Besides that, I’ve created labels for myself, that I’ve allowed to define me. 

But strangely enough, I’ve become a little too familiar with all the stuff that I feel should disqualify me from God’s love. 

And trust me, there’s a lot I could tell you.

But, oh was I wrong. 

Well, I was very wrong. 

Because actually, believe it or not, God sees us as His beloved creation.

In fact, you mean the world to Him. 

He sees something different from our flaws…somehow. 

Psalms 139:17-18 says, “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!”

Now, I may or not have tried to count the grains of sand on the beach when I was younger. 

But let’s say, hypothetically speaking, of course, that I tried to count them, the bottom line is that, well…it’s impossible.

Though these grains of sand are so uncountable to us, God is saying that His thoughts about us, far outnumber them, it’s not even close! 

I mean, I think it’s even amazing that God thinks about us at all, much less to know that He does it all the time. 

Oh, and in case you were wondering, these thoughts aren’t ones of disapproval, disappointment or condemnation.

Instead, they are precious, which means something of great value, not to be treated carelessly. 

So essentially, God’s thoughts about us are intentionally good. 

So now imagine God looking at us and saying, 

“You are loved; you are accepted; you are forgiven; you are justified; you are holy; you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and you are my child”.

Now, do not scratch your eyes, just believe it, because that’s what He’s thinking every second of the day, every single breath you take.

Interestedly, David penned these words in Psalms 139, at a time when God felt distant to Him. 

If you know his story, you might be thinking, this doesn’t apply to me, and who is this David guy to talk.

After all, David was a “man after God’s heart” (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22), or in modern day terms, a teachers pet – so of course God’s thoughts about him are precious, give me a break already.  

However, the part many skim over is that, while David was a great man of God, he was also flawed. 

I mean, he was an adulterer, a murderer, a liar and a deceiver. 

Some CV. 

Yet, David still chooses to use the words precious, when describing God’s thoughts towards us.

He didn’t believe the labels that others placed on him, or even the labels he may have placed on himself. 

He didn’t try to guess what God thought about him, he just knew. 

Because the truth is: 

God loves you. 

And, you’ve probably heard that phrase many times and it’s probably gotten quite boring for you. 

But maybe you’ve never known that He loves all of you– the good, the bad and the ugly. 

You are His.

Even when we can’t seem to get our act together. 

You can rest your identity in Him. 

Even the parts you try to cover up. 

Because, He’s never been afraid of getting His hands a little dirty or to be associated with you. 

Trust me, He’s seen us on enough of our worst days, but news flash, nothing will change His mind about who you are to Him.

His steadfast love empowers us to change and live for Him, not the other way around. 

Adam, in the garden, before he had ever done anything to earn God’s love and acceptance, God looked at him and said over him, “you are very good” (Genesis 1:31). 

That’s enough proof for me because Adam was…yeah…you know the story. 

I will leave you with a line from one of my favourite songs, ever: 

“A thousand times I’ve failed, still Your mercy remains

Should I stumble again, still, I’m caught in Your grace.”

I don’t know, sometimes I think God might’ve made a mistake sending Jesus to die for me. 

Like, I don’t get it. 

I feel like He got me mixed up with the wrong person. 

And to tell the truth, maybe it wasn’t worth it. 

But then, I guess, that even if I feel I don’t deserve Him, which I don’t, it isn’t really for me to decide.

I suppose the most important thing is that Jesus thought I was worth dying for. 

I suppose that’s all that should matter really.

You know, the fact that He chose to lay down His life for us, when He didn’t have to.

The fact that He chose to freely love and impart His grace to us, when He had nothing to gain.

And the crazy thing is that if He had to, He’d do it all over again.

Without hesitation. Somehow.

There’s no measure that can be placed on His love.

He demonstrated going to the greatest length, to have your heart.

Dying on a cross, to save the world — the most selfless act in all of history.

When it comes to you, me, everyone, He’s all in. 

His love leaves the 99 to go after the 1. 

His love thought you were worth dying for.

Sometimes I forget that. 

Or maybe I don’t, but struggle to accept it.

Because why, why would He do that? 

But, once we do accept it, what’s next?

And honestly, maybe we aren’t even at this point yet, because truthfully, I’m not either.

But I think, at the very least, it’s worth considering the life available for all us, if we have Christ.

I think Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus begins to answer that.

In his letter, he is instructing and encouraging the Church that it represents one body in Christ. He also aimed to highlight what it means to live a Christian life (distancing oneself from their old life and living differently, now that they belong to Christ) and to prioritise God and His Glory. He also sheds light on the many spiritual blessings that we now have access to, having accepted Christ.

How tiring are jigsaw puzzles? 

Well, that’s if you’ve ever done one that is. 

Don’t you ever just wish that the picture on the box would be exactly what comes out of it, instead of all the individual pieces? 

Mmhm, I suppose that would defeat the purpose of doing the puzzle in the first place, wouldn’t it? 

Fine, enough about jigsaw puzzles, I don’t even like them anyway. 

But…

What about life? 

Don’t you ever wish that you could see the finished article; the final product; the big picture? 

And skip all the “meaningless” stuff in-between to get there? 

I mean, the process can be real tough at times.

Trust me, I know the feeling.

I’ve been there, I am there, and maybe you are too. 

Wouldn’t it be easier if we could just get to the good part of our story?

Wouldn’t that save us so much time, pain, effort, suffering? 

Wouldn’t it be easier for God to just “snap his fingers” for you to live the best part of your life, right now? 

This year has shown me how little control I have over certain aspects of my life. 

It’s taught me that sometimes the only thing that I can control is my level of trust in God. 

Even when He doesn’t give me all the details; even when it doesn’t make sense; even if my frustration; even in my struggle; even when I…just can’t see the big picture. 

I wish I could tell you that it will all come together one day, but I often find it difficult to believe this myself, sometimes. 

Mmhm okay, maybe most times. 

I mean, in reality, exercising faith, you know, when you can’t see a way out, is no fun at all.

I don’t know, maybe you’ve received a bad medical diagnosis, maybe you’re in a dead end job, maybe you feel lost, maybe where you are at this present stage of life just isn’t where you expected to be, or maybe you’ve lost a loved one that you thought would always be there, maybe, life has just taken a turn for the worst and you’ve taken hit after hit and it’s just too much too handle and you feel like God has let you down.

I’m afraid that I can’t give you “7 easy steps to seeing God’s Big picture materialise in your life”

I know all too well the feeling of being overwhelmed with the trials of life and without knowing how to navigate it all.

And it’s hard to see how things can get any better.

Is there even a big picture at the end of this? 

If there is, is it all God has made it out to be? 

Do I even want to be a part of it? 

Is it something worth fighting for? 

And if it is, how do I activate the faith required to keep going when I feel like giving up? 

How are we meant to have enough faith for the big picture when we don’t even have enough faith for the here and now? 

How are we suppose to believe in God’s greater plan for our lives when we can’t even see how we’ll make it through today, tomorrow, next week or even this year? 

I just wanted to let someone know that God understands you. 

Not just that, He also sees you and knows your heart; your pain; your hopes; your dreams; your fears; your future. 

And he loves you dearly. 

He’s just as good now as He was back then.

Maybe, he is trying to build in you an immovable faith, one that can’t be shaken and He wants you to stick with it till the end.

We then have to learn to be super intentional about trusting His perfect plan for our lives.  

John 13:7 says “Jesus replied, ‘You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’

I don’t know everyone’s individual situations, but I can promise (also telling myself this) it will all make sense soon, even if it doesn’t seem that way right now. 

How do i know this?

Because in 1 Corinthians 13:12, it says “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”

I always tell myself “you have to believe those words, Shane. Because what else can you do if you don’t?” 

No matter the circumstance I find myself in, it always comes back to God, the one who knows and loves me completely.

The one who is in undeniable control. 

The one who has come through for us countless times.

The one who promised to “complete the good work He started in us” (Philippians 1:6)

Interestingly, Paul confidently penned these words in chains, from a prison cell. Let that sink in. 

Because when we really think about it, even though in reality, life really can be hard, and some of us may even feel worse than Paul at times, our God has still been so faithful.

Even when we don’t see it in the moment. 

Even when we’ve ruled him out. 

His track record has and will always spotless. He’s never failed us and He never plans on changing that. That’s just who He is!

His big picture is more beautiful and complete than we could ever imagine and is totally worth not giving up for! 

Have you ever found yourself just going through the motions? 

Feeling drained of the energy and passion you once had?

Feeling like you’ve generally been doing all the right things, saying all the right things, experiencing all the right things?

But something just feels off? 

And you find yourself slowly drifting off course?

You feel disconnected; From your relationships, from life, from yourself, from God? 

And you think to yourself like, what happened?

How did I find myself in this place? 

Like I had everything going for me, but now something doesn’t feel right? 

And there’s now this massive gap between  where you are and where you think you should be.

Like a boat floating aimlessly and hopelessly out into the deep.

Particularly with the pandemic, it’s become so easy to get sucked into the never ending day to day grind that we have forgotten to stop and check our bearings every once in a while. 

And you know, maybe it’s because we’ve lost some perspective along the way and just need time to re-focus.

Maybe we’ve made some mistakes that we think there’s no coming back from. 

Maybe we’ve lost some desire to keep pressing on, keep dreaming, keep believing. 

Maybe we’ve become victims of our circumstances and have just become too tired to take the initiative to get back on track. 

Or maybe, if we’re really being honest, we’ve lost some belief in God, because our lives have not been going according to the plans we thought He had for us.

So we’ve taken our eyes off of Him for a moment. 

We’ve “dropped the baton” and stopped running the race marked out for us.

And somehow, we’ve ended up in a place that we never intended to be.

And so we drift, it’s so easy to.

It requires little to no effort, it just happens.

And it can happen to anyone and at any stage of life. 

In Hebrews 2:1 it says, “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”

We are urged to not just pay careful attention, but to pay more attention than we normally would in order to avoid the drift. 

The more we drift away from God’s truths without doing anything to correct it, the more we give into the enemy’s lies.  

The more we’ll continue to live feeling disconnected from everything

It can really drain you…

But, how have we allowed things to get so bad? 

How did we find ourselves in this place, where we feel so emotionally, spiritually, physically and relationally drained? 

More importantly, how are we going to get back on track? 

To living out the life that God had called us to live, whatever that may be? 

How are we going to prevent this from happening again?

Can we even prevent it? 

The enemy can’t actually take you down, but he does try to distract you and wear you out. 

He tries to drain you of your passion and your energy. 

He uses external circumstances to try to put you off your game. 

He uses regret, shame, guilt, rejection, discouragement etc to make you feel that there’s no possible way back to God. 

Sometimes this happens over time, and by the time we realise what’s going on, we think we’ve already drifted beyond the point of return or rescue. 

I mean, how could God ever want us after we’ve strayed so far of course? Right? 

The thing is, we can never drift too far away from the love of God, that He can’t rescue us.

He has a habit of meeting us wherever we are. 

Even in our lowly or distant places. 

He’s our anchor. 

He’s the ones whose Grace holds us and helps to steer us back in the right direction.

He’s the one whose love never gives up on us. 

Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.“

The hope that this verse refers to is Jesus. 

His word and his character are trustworthy, dependable and unfailing. 

Just like a boat will never drift, once securely anchored. 

Even in the toughest of circumstances or on our worst days (not minimising them in the slightest), we can look to Him to be our anchor! 

He truly loves us so dearly and He is more than worth staying on track for. 

And once we try to initiate a daily habit of securely anchoring our lives to and fixing our eyes on Him, we will never drift.

“Go tell John”…To be continued…

Many of us find ourselves trapped in the realm of what we thought God was going to do, how we thought He’d show up, what He’d look like, what He’d do for us.
We expect Him to adhere to our own schedule and way of doing things, but then to bail us out when things go sideways.
2020 has undoubtedly been one of the most difficult years we’ve ever faced as individuals, but also as a world.
Many things didn’t go according to “our” plan.
Unmet expectations, disappointments, regret, confusion, frustration have filled up what had looked like promising facets in our lives.
And where is God in all of this?
How have we ended up here?
This isn’t what was promised.
This doesn’t make sense God.
This isn’t what I expected.
God is good all the time?
Is he?
I thought Jesus came so we could avoid difficult situations and seasons.
I thought He came so we wouldn’t experience, pain, struggles or hurt.
I thought He came for us.
I mean He did.
But I guess I just expected that things would be different.
I wonder if this is how John the Baptist felt when he was in prison; where his expectation didn’t match his reality.
When the God he so boldly prepared the way for, left him on “seen”.
When the God he so boldly professed to be the “one”, seemed to be getting cold feet.
“Maybe just maybe, I got this one wrong”.
So John sent his disciples to ask Jesus.
“Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?” (Matthew 11:2).
You see, this year has made me relate to John more than ever.
Despite our situations being completely different, I can see where he was coming from.
Trying to live a life to serve a cause greater than yourself and expecting a favourable return, but being left with more questions than answers.
Like, I get that, that’s me, and maybe you.
Jesus’ reply to John was, “Go tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Matthew 11:4-5).
Yeah, go tell John that!
This was not the answer John was looking for, it wasn’t even close.
You see, John was hardcore, old school, you know, the kind of guy that in this day would probably be banned from all social media platforms.
He had expected Jesus to bring judgement for those who hadn’t repented, a complete clear out.
But Jesus, on the other hand, had different plans.
Personally, I don’t believe John was doubting Jesus as the undisputed Messiah.
I just think that the Jesus that arrived wasn’t the Messiah he was expecting him to be.
In fact, he was quite possibly the complete opposite.
“Are you actually the one?”
“Are you really?”
If so, what are you doing?
And why am I still in prison while you’re out there living your best life?
Look at all I’ve done for you, and this is the reward I get, not even a thank you note or some bail money!
John’s expression of doubt was rooted in the disappointment of unmet expectations, as Jesus had not been doing anything that John expected him to do.
What happens when the way God shows up doesn’t meet our expectations?
But then, what if God didn’t come to meet our expectations, but to exceed them?
The truth is that even when He doesn’t meet our exact expectations, we can be confident that He’s fulfilling His promises.
“Go tell John I’m doing it all, I’m healing, I’m saving, I’m strengthening and I’m restoring”.
As the disciples left, Jesus begins to big up John and all the work he’s done to build the kingdom, I mean accolade after accolade, the highest praise really.
” Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11).
Interestingly, John never hears these words.
He only hears of what Jesus is doing, that’s all he gets.
Jesus didn’t want John’s confidence to rest in his own abilities and performances.He wanted John’s confidence to rest in Him, Jesus.
Trusting in God’s plans to exceed our expectations, regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in.
He’s a God that gives you double for your trouble.
Nothing catches him by surprise, 2020 surely hasn’t.
He doesn’t just have a good plan for you.
He has the best plan for you!
But we have to learn to see it through His eyes.
In Psalms 139:16 it says, “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
It doesn’t say all the days—minus 2020.
Even though a lot has happened that we didn’t expect, God has always been faithful and He has always been good.
The fact that we’re still here with a fighting chance is testament to that.
We can trust that he has a positive plan and purpose for each and every day we experience, whether the day is good or bad.
All things work together for good…we just need to allow him the room to exceed our expectations!

Recently I went through a season where I just felt stuck.

Nothing particularly bad, but nothing particularly good either.

Like the world was still going but life kinda felt like it was put on pause.

And I’m questioning God, 

“Is this it?”

“Is this all you had planned for me?”

“Were all those promises you made to me true?”

“Did I do something wrong?”

The truth is I’m still in that place, knowing you’re meant for more, but feeling like less.

Having all of these big dreams about what God might have in store for you but not seeing them come to pass. 

Not seeing the results you’d hoped to see by now.

And feeling like what you do doesn’t matter.

Like what you do won’t make a difference.

Feeling like you’re just going through the motions: day by day, month by month, even year by year(for some of us) without seeing any growth, without seeing any change.

Feeling frustrated with where you are but not knowing how to move forward or do any better.

Have you ever felt like that? 

Or still feel like that?

Like you’re meant for more? 

To be doing more?

To be saying more? 

To be experiencing more?

Feeling like you’re doing just the bare minimum, like you’re just “good enough”?

The truth is that, God hasn’t called us to be “just good enough” or sink into the fallacies of mediocrity. 

He’s actually created us to live a life that is far greater than anything we could ever imagine.

To live a life for a purpose that’s far greater than ourselves. 

John 14:12 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”

Now, I’ve read this verse many times, each time the idea seemed more far fetched than the other.

How could I, me, this guy, even be in the same sentence as Jesus.

The greatest man to ever live.

The man who healed the sick, walked on water, turned water into wine, fed five thousand with only 5 loaves and 2 fish, raised the dead, died a gruesome death and was resurrected to save the world. 

Some CV. 

How could we even come close to that greatness? 

Much less to exceed it? 

Maybe I was reading the verse wrongly, or maybe it was written wrongly, after all I doubt autocorrect existed back then.

I realised the problem wasn’t the verse, but the context I was reading it in. 

If you’re looking to be greater than Jesus, then let me just stop you right there my friend.  

It’s not possible nor should it be our intention. 

Yes, He has called us to live a greater life and to do extraordinary things. 

But with Him. That’s the key!

On His ascent to heaven, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of us and to act as our advocate.

Jesus released a power in us that allows us to live a greater life, not one that’s just “good enough”.

He isn’t calling us to be greater “than” Him but rather to be greater “in” Him.

Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.

This verse highlights the fact that we are indeed destined for greatness.

But this can only be truly achieved by allowing Christ to live inside of us so our full potential can be unlocked. 

We are meant for more.

We are so much better than we think we are, because God is so much greater than we give Him credit for. 

We just need to learn to allow Him to do that same great work in and through us! 

Is it always gonna be like this?

Will I ever get to the other side?

Is there even another side?

And if there is , will it be all that I dreamed of?

If it isn’t, then what?

But if it is…

I often find myself trapped in situations where I struggle to see “the silver lining”.

I tend to live in that realm for a long time, wondering when or if I’m ever going to get out.

It usually starts out with me being frustrated with the struggle.

It then comes to a point where I get comfortable with it; with where I am.

Seeing all these promises that God says he has for me but not knowing how to access them.

Also, seeing God get other persons out of tight spots but then wondering why “the same doesn’t apply to me”.

Does one size really does fit all?

I get so used to things not working out that I just can’t see how they can get better. 

And the struggle clouds my vision so much that I can’t see the other side. 

We’ve been weeks into this worldwide pandemic, not knowing how much longer it will last.

But also, not knowing how much longer we can hold out. 

Not sure if things will ever get better.

We hit a slump, for some of us our fight may be beginning to fade and we are on the brink of conceding.

Has God abandoned us? 

Is he really for us and not against us as His word “claims”?

Recently, I encountered a problem; nothing major when looking at the grand scheme of things, as I know others go through far worse struggles than this. 

But the reality was that, it left me upset with God.

I felt betrayed and I thought I’d every right to be. 

Have you ever felt betrayed by God? 

“God I thought you would come through for me there, but you really let me down”.

Someone close to me shared something with me when I confided in her regarding that particular struggle. 

And it made me wonder, did Jesus feel betrayed by God, His father when he had to die on the cross? 

My reasoning behind this is that just before He died, Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – Matthew27:46

The word forsaken means to abandon.

While it would be unrealistic to compare my struggle to Jesus’, it still paints the picture I’m trying to portray.

It’s okay to question God and his plans, it’s okay to be frustrated.

You can still have great faith even in the midst of frustration; even in the midst of your struggle.

We don’t always get to choose our struggles but we can choose to trust God’s will for our lives.

Jesus surely wasn’t looking forward to dying on the cross.

It wouldn’t have been at the top of his to do list.

He was actually hoping there was another way.

But he trusted God’s will.

In Matthew 26:39, Jesus says, “My father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will”.

He even repeats it again in verse 42.

I don’t like this God, I certainly didn’t choose this, but I trust you.

Simple yet so so challenging.

I trust that there is another side and that you’ll take me there.

I trust that it is filled with all God has promised.

This applies to you, and to me.

God really has good intentions towards us.

The story ends with Jesus dying and being resurrected.

But the other side of His struggle is that we no longer have to live in sin, shame or condemnation, rather we get to have a personal relationship with Jesus as He views us through the lens of His forgiveness, love and grace. 

And that’s the side that we can’t always see right then and there.

But it exists! And it’s the side that God ultimately wants us to get to.

He desires to reveal to us that there is a purpose to our struggle; to our pain.

But it’s going to take a whole lot of persevering and a whole lot of trusting.

There won’t always be an easy way out but God promises us that “our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us” – Romans 8:18 

Our struggles don’t even come close to the blessing that will be on the other side. And Gods favour will be with you through it all.

James 1:12 reminds us that “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

The word blessed in this context actually means favoured of God.

Sometimes you just have to fight through, but one thing will remain, God’s promises will always stand and you will receive His reward on the other side if you don’t give up. 

Shoutout to Feedspot, the most comprehensive list of Top 15 Christian Teen Blogs who has ranked The Flare as Number 10 for the most Christian popular blog on the internet in 2020.

I’ve been “sitting on the fence” for the past few days wondering,

“What do I even say to people in a time like this?”

“How can I even know what they need in this season?”

“And can I give them what they need?”

“How can I give them hope, assurance or encouragement when I need it myself?”

I’m struggling to figure out the answer to these questions.

I feel like I need some of whatever’s being given out. 

And to tell the truth it’s still hard to write this.

But here goes…

Everything that’s been going on has left the world in disarray.

One minute everything was fine, the next it wasn’t.

There’s so much uncertainty floating around in our minds and our hearts.

And reality suddenly doesn’t feel so real.

And we wake up everyday wishing it wasn’t.

Wishing it was all a bad dream.

But then it hits us that this is actually happening.

And we’re awakened to our new reality; to the new “normal”.

I still can’t fully believe it myself.

It’s the in-thing; coming together while staying apart.

But then anxious thoughts begin to dig deep into the crevices of our souls, telling us things won’t get better. 

“But they will, won’t they?”

“Will it always be like this?”

“God? Are you still there??”

“Couldn’t you see this coming?”

Better question, “why did this have to happen in the first place?”

I wouldn’t be surprised if many of us have either said this or thought it at some point.

But since it’s here, how are we gonna get through this?

Will we see the light at the end of the tunnel?

But most importantly, how do we find peace while living with this new reality that we have little or no control over?

I understand that it’s a difficult time for many persons, so I want to be careful not to minimise your struggles.

Persons are experiencing loss, confusion, fear, anxiety, pain, stress, depression, not to mention loneliness and even anger to name a few.

We all feel “trapped” in some way or another.

But surely we can’t stay stuck here.

Truth is in fact, I’ve learned that these emotions are what make us human.

We however, have to be careful not feed these negatives emotions until they become who we are, until they become our identities.

Yes, we don’t choose our struggles, but we can choose our response and what we choose to focus on.

And I’ve come to realise that we can beat around the bush as much as we like but we end up back we were meant to start—with God; the One who is in undeniable control.

Recently I’ve been listening to a sermon called “I’m still scared”.

The preacher used 2 Kings 6:15-16 (the story of Elisha the prophet) to build his argument.

15 “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

The first thing that struck me was how quickly life can change.

Elisha’s servant went to sleep with everything fine and woke up to the complete opposite.

Kind of like the situation we’re in now.

I find myself to be just like the servant at times.

“Oh no!, what shall we do?”

Once a crisis arises we always look for a way to fix things— to control the outcome.

And I’m not trying to tell you not to be independent because there are some problems that are well within our ability to solve.

Today I’m talking about the things that we can’t control—those battles that we need to let God fight.

Notice the servant’s, “What shall we do?” is followed by Elisha’s, “Don’t”.

In this season when you are looking for something to “do”, God could be saying “don’t”.

Don’t do anything.

Remember I’m in control.

Even when we don’t see Him or feel Him He’s working.

And nothing in my past has led me to believe that he won’t get the job done this time. 

A gentle reminder is:

God’s job is outcome, our job is to trust him in the process.