Hope in all Things

Well, I got back today from a youth retreat my church does, and had this awesome insight I wanted to share with yall!

Now, I don't exactly know if it is really new to me, or if I just haven't acknowledged it until now, but in any case it's pretty cool! But first, some background: this youth retreat is called Disciple Now. Basically, a 20 member youth team from Liberty University travels all up and down the coast, learning school material on the fly during the weekdays and ministering to students on the weekend! DNow starts off with a dinner and worship session on Friday night. Then you'll go home to your host home (a family, who volunteered to host students, from the church) and do devos with your assigned Liberty student(s)! The next day starts off back at the church, with a worship session, small group time, lunch, and workshops. Free time and then another worship session and dinner and trip to host homes follow. Finally, Sunday morning, we attend the morning service at church and parents pick up children. Of course, there is a lot of fun and discipleship smashed in between these activities; I have never known anyone (believer or not) who has not enjoyed the weekend!

Anyways, during free time yesterday I got talking to a young lady (a group quickly gathered of people I had just met and old friends) who travelled from a ways away to attend. We were talking of our testimonies, and soon everyone had shared at least a piece or part of their testimony! And when I was done, words just kept coming out and I realized something I never had before as I spoke. 

Living for God is HARD (that wasn't new, but it'll lead up to what I want to say). This walk we have is difficult! Everyday I face spiritual adveristy, and oftentimes I'll fall. I don't think any faith promises hope as Christianity does; neither does any religion, in my opinion, challenge its followers like Christianity does. Our goal, Jesus Christ, is literally unreachable. We are called to strive for Jesus, to race after Him as if He were our prize, and we could never attain Him! In our strength, we cannot become anything close to Jesus; we fall short! To the outside bystander, it must look FOOLISH for we chase after what we cannot be, and we do it with gladness! And we do it with joy!

But, we have this hope undeniable! Sure, we are certain to fall and hurt and break and fail and scar, but we know Jesus will pick us up! So we scramble to chase after our Savior, in this awkward, far from perfect sprint; sometimes walking to catch our breath, sometimes going all out for Christ, and sometimes being carried by our Father! To someone watching, they see an imperfect person striving for perfection futiley; most understand that we will never be perfect. And they'd be right... not unless there is no divine intervention! Thank goodness we have a personal God!

So I was telling this group of teenagers, who have all bared a piece of their hearts to me, that this walk with God is difficult. Everyday I face adversity. I fall on my face. I'm bruised and beaten. I feel pain everyday because I know this world and how it breaks others down, and I know I have an answer but they won't accept Him as their answer! I cannot make them love God, even if it is the best option for them to follow! I feel pain because of my own sin and how it grieves the Spirit; and I wish to be perfect but I know I never will. I am thankful Jesus has been gracious and extended His righteousness to me to use as my own! Galatians 2:21: "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing." 

However, no matter how much this faith puts me down into the ground, and makes me feel terrible because of so many different things (throw spiritual exhaustion in there as well!), I do NOT regret starting this walk with Jesus! How can there be so much hope and life and joy and LOVE in a faith that only breaks me down? How can I be so far removed from my own self, letting go of my needs and my wants, in a society centered around the consumer, and be joyous about it? How can I be so centered in someone other than me, someone who may not even be real (from the perspective of a unbeliever), and yet be made better and sharper and more effective?

The missing piece is Jesus! He is the One that sharpens, that restores, that offers rest! Sure, we may never be able to rest and we may be persecuted because of our faith, but our God looks out for His children!! He rejoices in us! Its so far outside of my own comprehension! How is it that my faith kills me and yet I pursue it deeper? Because my life is replaced with Jesus's! There truly is life in Jesus!! There truly is death at the cross! I have died there; and I have been raised in that tomb! I have been scarred; I've allowed doubters to touch my scars! I've continued my journey, just like the early church, unable to be stomped out by the enemy! I've seen a fire descend on His followers! I've seen a joy so raptuourous the only thing that could be better would be God's glory itself; unbridled and unhindered! I have been there! By the grace of God I've been there! And God doesn't just save us and hold us close; He sends us back to our previous pain, with His truth in hand, to save others; to call more to His great wedding feast!!! This is our faith! Yes! we may stumble, yes! we may fall! But our God is our Rescue, our Comfort, our Deliverer! And He loves His children! 

I will always pursue my faith. It may lead to my demise; it's already at work killing me from the inside out, purging my sins and turning my eyes from self to God. But it will also lead to my life, my new beginning, and I have this undeniable hope, a CERTAINTY, that I will be in Jesus's arms soon!! How marvelous our faith is! I may be hurting everyday, but I would not rather be anywhere else, doing anything else! I LOVE my faith, my God, my JESUS! He IS love! And I'm learning to love Him back and #LiveItLikeJesus!