Not of This World

When things get downright dirty and rough, remember that we are only here in this world temporarily. We are aliens, only passing though until we get to our final destination, heaven! Although time seems to stand still when you are yet AGAIN in another trial, this life on earth is incredibly short in comparison to the eternity we have on the other side. Psalm 144:4 states, “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” (ESV) I don’t know about you, but sometimes this is a tremendous encouragement to me! (This too shall pass!)

One thing that totally amazes me about God, though, is that even though our lives are very short, he still cared enough and was thoughtful enough to create unfathomable beauty on this earth for us to enjoy the short time we spend here. The wonderful thing about the internet is that we can “visit” these places and see the unmistakable hand of an almighty, creative and remarkable God who created it all for our enjoyment…and because he could. I can only imagine the fun he had as he spoke those astounding tropical flowers, fish, waterfalls, jungles, sunsets into existence. When life hits me hard, I sometimes reflect on those things, which bring me right back to a place of thankfulness. Once again, I slow down and stop in the midst of the craziness around me as I reflect on him and am in utter awe of the eye-popping colors in nature he created all over the world for us to enjoy! This makes the storms seem much more bearable.

When going through a storm, however, it is so very easy to focus our minds on the storm instead of on him and the amazing things he has already done for us. But if we are to keep on moving in the right direction in our walk with him, we must be able to see him past the storms. As hard as this is and as contrary to our nature, we must have the faith to believe that his hand is indeed still on us and in our situation and he will bring us through whatever we are facing, again. For thousands of years, humans have been facing the devastating effects of the sin in this world; we are no different. And, for thousands of years, God almighty has brought millions of people throughout the ages through impossible situations! Because God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, we can count on him to bring us through this trial too, Praise Him!!

Personal Example of Seeing God Past the Storm:

Throughout this arduous journey called “life,” I have always felt like I do not fit in anywhere. As much as I have moved around (for my ex-husband’s job), I felt the sting everywhere we moved. I questioned what was wrong with me or what was I doing wrong socially. Of course, I made tremendous, life-long friends everywhere we have lived but I still struggled because I never felt like I belonged anywhere. I had my “mommy” groups and my kids usually had playdates but I always seemed the odd egg out, especially at the churches I have been part of!

Even when I was a child, always the one who was bullied and known as the “misfit,” I always struggled with finding my place in the world. My, how I wished I had known then what I have known for the past 15-20 years…that of course I do not fit in because I was not meant to! This world will pass away, but heaven, my destination (and real home) will not. Not to mention that I have always been “a free spirit” who marched to the beat of a “different drummer” than everyone else. If everyone else wore the same thing, I wanted to be different. I was always very artistic and wrote poetry and stories growing up as an outlet to my inner creative “genius” and I realize this was probably not in my favor. J I have learned the past ten years, however, to be okay with that, embrace my uniqueness and enjoy walking the less traveled road, alone.

Because of this, I can walk confidently with the Lord, because I know that 1) He will bring me through any and all difficult situations I encounter, and 2) this life will pass and I am here to make the best of this life and love and help others in their difficulties until I am called home.

Even though we are just passing through, enjoy the “adventure” God has given you! Yes, it may be dirty, rocky, rough and at times torturous, but nevertheless, God still has a plan for you the short time you are here. He also wants us to enjoy this life and find true meaning and joy in the midst of the junk of life. He never said life would be easy here or that we would be immune to problems because we belong to him (have a relationship with him).

Quite the contrary! Actually, the closer your walk is with him, the more obstacles you will have to overcome because Satan is working overtime on you to throw you off course! He will do anything to get you focused on the hard, narrow road and seeing it as a curse so you give up along the way and stop fighting for the prize on the other end. (Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”)

You, child of God, are not of this world, and that is okay! No matter what, keep your eyes on God (your helper) and on the final prize (heaven), your real home and keep walking that narrow road as you pass through with confidence!