I have a quick blog post today. I’ve been away from writing for awhile (at least as far as frequency in sharing/posting). I’ve always made a promise to myself and to my readers that I will be completely honest in what I write and share. And to be honest – I had a pretty rough summer. I went through a quiet time…a season of loneliness. It was hard but good…difficult but rewarding. I have much to write to you about as a result, but today I’d like to share a simple post. This is short but so very important.
One of the lessons I learned and would like to share with you is to LOOK TO THE CROSS AND NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. During those rough few months, I was able to continue training really hard. One day I was feeling pretty stressed and a song came on(So Will I 100 Billion x) and it stopped me in my tracks. I caught it on video and grabbed this screenshot from that video. It was not planned and to be honest, I hadn’t been a “raise your arms and praise” kind of guy(sometimes – but mostly – not really). As I listened to this song, I became overwhelmed by God’s grace and the blessing He has given me in my family. My gut response was to praise Him and surrender the weight of anxiety I was carrying through my day and workout. This is when I learned to LOOK TO THE CROSS AND NOT MY CIRCUMSTANCES. I repeat it so many times through each day. LOOK TO THE CROSS AND NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES….LOOK TO THE CROSS AND NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES…LOOK TO THE CROSS AND NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. So…If you are reading this and you are struggling, say those words out loud. I encourage you to speak these words out loud. Listen…I know what it’s like to feel alone. I know what it’s like to have questions and doubts. I know what it’s like to feel frustrated and impatient. I even know what it’s like to ask out loud – “Where are you God!? Do you even know what this feels like!?”
And the answer is this…LOOK TO THE CROSS…and then you’ll know – YES…YES…He DOES KNOW what it feels like. As a matter of fact, He knows what it feels like and He knows much more pain than whatever we’re going through…or will go through. He knows pain we cannot even imagine. He knows pain He didn’t deserve…He took it anyway. And…and…He went through it FOR YOU and me. He went through it because He loves us that much. That’s incredible my friends. I just want to encourage you to lift your eyes(and arms) so you’ll know and remember – We are NOT alone. We may be in circumstances where we feel alone, struggle, stress, fear and doubt…but…when you LOOK TO THE CROSS, you’ll see He has conquered it ALL! He walks with us and life gets a whole lot easier if we keep our eyes on the cross! Love you all!
“For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
