The other night, Steve and I were in the car and I was flipping stations on the radio when the song “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” came on. I haven’t heard that song in MANY, MANY years, yet I still knew every word! Isn’t it strange the things that you remember? But, it made me think about how true that song is – we really aren’t promised a “perfect world” here on earth. For if life here was perfect, we wouldn’t be looking forward to heaven so much! God didn’t promise that living the Christian life here on earth would be easy – He did promise that it would be worth it.
As Christians, we live in “the world.” Bad things happen. Deer run out in front of Christians as well as non-Christians. Rain falls on the just and the unjust – well, probably more often on the just because the unjust steals the umbrella! lol But, seriously, often our faith starts to waver when the toils and trials of this life start stacking up against us – at least it feels that way to us! We must realize that we really do “grow through what we go through.” Our greatest lessons learned come through being able to stand up one more time after being knocked down. When we suffer loss, we are given the opportunity to rebuild and the knowledge of how to do it better than before. Think about it – Satan doesn’t need to work on those in “the world” because he’s already gotten them! No, we must, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (I Peter 5:8). He’s out doing everything he can to entice you away from God.
So what can we do? First and foremost, we must be grounded in the faith. We must “study to show ourselves approved unto God” (II Timothy 2:15). We must “hide Thy word in our hearts, that we might not sin against Thee” (Psalms 119:11). We must gather around the Lord’s table every first day of the week (Acts 20:7) and remember the things which He suffered for us. We must, “Confess our faults one to another, and pray one for another, that we may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” James 5:16). Like Timothy, we must “be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (I Timothy 4:12). And we must, “Let all our things be done with love” (I Corinthians 16:14).
Friends, may we realize that we are not alone. He is in control. He’s got this! If we are put on our backs, it may be because we need to look up. Simply blessed, Courtney