Stop waiting for things to be perfect.
It’ll never happen.
Stop waiting around for a time when you won’t have troubles or difficulties… when everything is peachy and bright, lovely and just right. It doesn’t exist. Not in this life.
You may be thinking…”man, this girl is a pessimist.”
Not at all. I’m a firm believer in better days. I also believe in perfect moments. I believe in peace, contentment and joy. However, I am learning that these things are obtainable only in the midst of turmoil. Because in this life, there will always be turmoil.
The wiser I become, the more I understand this battle I'm in. This war I’m fighting.
Satan is after me. Every single day. He’s looking to distract me from what’s important. He’s after my mind and my heart. And every day, I have to fight to guard my heart and my mind from his evil doings and evil ways.
He’s slick you know. He’ll have you down in the dumps, losing hope and believing that where you are now, is all that there will ever be.
He kicks you the hardest when you’re in your worst state. Whether you’re sad, or hurt or angry, he waits until you’re most vulnerable and impressionable to pounce on your weakened spirit.
Funny that many times I don’t even notice it. Not initially at least. I end up wallowing in self doubt and self pity while satan sits back with a bucket full of popcorn (figuratively speaking of course) enjoying my hurt and enjoying my pain.
It sucks.
It doesn’t feel good at all. But as a Christian, I always have the upper hand because I know that when I begin to feel this way, God is right there waiting. Waiting for me to reach for Him so He can grab me right out of it.
But here’s the problem, sometimes I allow myself to get stuck in this pool of helplessness that I don’t reach for Him. I wallow…and I swim…and I sulk in what seems will never get better.
This battle is not everlasting, but it is lifelong. It will only last as long as I am living on this earth.
“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” - 2Corinthians 4:17-18
I realize that this battle is constant. Satan will forever be after my heart as long as I am living. The more I understand that, the less angry I become with my life when it happens.
The only “perfect” days that are ahead of me will happen when I walk those streets of gold to meet my Heavenly Father face to face. But until then I must endure.
I must never forget to reach for God when I’m in trouble. I have to remember that I am never too deep in despair that I can’t cry out to God to rescue me. Because the truth is, this battle can’t be won on my own. I don’t have the capability or the strength to outsmart the wiles of the devil.
But God does.
And if I don’t reach for Him, I’ll sink.
I’ll drown in hopelessness and wallow in pain that is already overcome by God’s power.
This power is also mine, if only I reach for Him.
Love.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5
