Reach Out!

by Kelly Rotenberry, MSCHSSG Director

Hi Everyone, I wanted to share with you what God spoke to
my heart in our quiet time today. I hope that it blesses and
ministers to you as it did to me. Many of us are going
through difficult times right now. Maybe it is financial,
maybe marital problems. It could be a rebellious child
or an illness or anything. But whatever it is, it is very
real to us! It consumes our thoughts and causes stress,
tension, worry, fear. Hardships in our lives are inevitable.
We can't get away from them. Why? 2 Cor. 4:17 says it is
"because our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us
an eternal glory that far out weighs them all." Most of the time
our troubles don't feel so light or momentary. However,
in contrast with the eternal glory that we will receive as a result
of faithfully walking through them, we can see how it is
worth it to make that walk. God also wants to give us eternal
victory by working His glory in and through them (the hardships)
as a result of His glorious nature. Whereas satan wants to
bring us to defeat by causing us to struggle and fail,
as a result of his heinous nature.  

So, how does realizing the inevitability of hardships help us?
As we recognize they will come, we can focus on God and
how God is going to use the hardships. We can redirect our
focus from fears and worries and place it on God's faithfulness.
Is God faithful? Has He ever failed you or anyone else, for that matter?
This knowledge encourages us in our faith. 1 Peter 1:7 states
"These (hardships) have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold,
which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and
may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."    
Hardship is not the sign of spiritual immaturity or faithlessness as
some would have you believe. It is simply part of our walk with the Lord.
As we walk through the journey, being prayed up and faithful, we will
gain even more faith and wisdom. We can then share and be an
encouragement to others. If you are in the hardship stage of your journey,
remember that you are God's precious and beloved daughter and
He sees you all the time. Your Father watches you as you take
timid and unsure steps through your current difficulty.
As you walk, just as an earthly father would, God is there to take your hand
to keep you from falling. He waits until you reach out for help,
allowing you to learn lessons along the way. Some of these
lessons are really difficult and harsh, but His hand is right there
waiting for you. Reach out!
He will hold you up with His mighty right hand!!   
I give God the credit for sharing His wisdom with me
and Beth Moore, for helping.

With God's blessings, Kelly Rotenberry