Keep looking up, friend!

I don't know about you, but these times are really taking their toll on me. Who would've imagined what we would experience in the past few years?

Who? God!! Yes, indeed, God knew that you would live in this time when a little virus would turn the whole world upside down! "'I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come...'" (Isaiah 46:10, NIV).  

friend, I watched a powerful movie last night about slavery in the United States in pre-Civil War days, and it reminded me how well we have it now in spite of everything! How horrible it must have been to be whipped! Never in my life would I want to change places with the people forced to live as slaves!

Paul also experienced this cruelty. He was whipped several times in his life, yet he said, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair…" (2 Corinthians 4:8, NIV).  

He said this while still waiting for his solution, for his rescue, for his deliverance. Paul's life was definitely not a bed of roses, but he held on to a hope that overcame hopelessness, a comfort stronger than his pain:

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV)  

What is unseen is what gives you the strength to survive. No matter how great your pain may be today, friend, I want to encourage you not to look at the pain but at the hope that God promises you through His Word.

Take time today to read the Bible and listen to worship music. In doing so, you will strengthen yourself from the inside out and remind yourself of the truth—your story does not end with your pain.

You are a miracle!