Worried? Sad? Overwhelmed? - CHOOSE HOPE!

I read about GOD throughout the day; most days. I read daily meditations in hard-back form, ones sent to my email, an app on my phone and through Facebook. Overkill, perhaps but I often find that throughout the day when I am faced with the daily grind of being in this world, I usually get a message, on how to survive. I often pray that the HOLY SPIRIT fill me and allow me to understand. Sometimes, this stuff is hard reading. My bible is a children’s version and it has been a GOD send. Not only do I understand it more BUT it creates more of a desire to get into the actual WORD.

I have those days where whether it is stress, physical illness, depression, or worry when I feel disconnected from GOD. Those are really tough days. I tend to feel just “off”. However, these constant reminders in my face do help me remember that I am never – NEVER separated from GOD.

The evil one is conniving, he tends to work in our emotions because that is where much havoc can be created. As a woman (I do not mean to be sexist here) we suffer from the roller-coaster of emotions and they tend to come on strong and quickly. Now before I am stoned here, I will say this may not pertain to all women but in my experience, many women.

Your day goes along and then you find that you forgot to pay a bill, or your child is in distress, or you get horrible news about someone you care about. You get that feeling, swelling of emotion, starts in the pit of your stomach and rises up like a fire towards your neck. Your heart beats, it may knock the wind out of you and you feel like a deflated balloon. In that current moment, that is your reality. NOW HEAR THIS!

IT IS YOUR REALITY but it is NOT GOD’S reality. HE created us amazing beings to be emotional, loving, mistake-ridden, giving, selfish, beautiful and specifically and exactly who we are. Nevertheless, HE also created us because HE loves us and wants us to love HIM.

Emotions can get the best of us. Crap, I can go from happy to downtrodden in 5 seconds flat. Ironically, it takes me a lot longer to go from downtrodden back to happy. That is where I NEED to pray like I need oxygen.

In Luke 24:50-53, we see that when JESUS was done teaching the disciples after he rose from the dead, he rises into the air and disappears into heaven. BUT JESUS does not or has not EVER left us. We just “feel” that way sometimes. It is not an accurate feeling. After JESUS was taken up to the heavens, the disciples worshipped HIM and returned to spreading the gospel with great joy. Don’t you think they were probably scared? Perhaps, sad? Maybe even for a moment they felt alone?

The glory and the grace here is that we still experience this and we still have the same answer. GOD is the same today that HE was then and HE will be forever. HE IS WITH US ALWAYS!

All we have to do is take the step to reach out to HIM. So those moments when you feel overwhelmed in life and nothing is going right….. seek HIM, reach out to HIM! Arms wide open as always HE welcomes us.

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