I was listening to a sermon on the internet and the minister
spoke of a roller coaster. He asked the question: “Do you really like roller
coasters? Up one minute, down the next. Fearful and low one day, exalted and
high the next day.” I opened my daily bible study and the reading for today
also spoke of roller coasters. Life is a
roller coaster. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; there’s no straight
line from A to Z in life. It’s zig-zag all the way (although God can make straight your path).
In life there’s laughter and there’s hurt, joy and pain.
With pain though, comes wisdom. With wisdom comes a knowledge of how to manage
situations. When we understand ourselves, we can get a handle on our issues.
When we understand our emotions, we can put them in their place. Instead of
letting your emotions take you on the ‘roller coaster’ ride, let God lead.
Life will be much more peaceful if you get off the roller
coaster and give God charge over your life. Don’t let every emotion dictate the
direction of your life. Your thinking produces your feelings, that’s why we
need to ‘capture every thought,’ as it says in the bible. (2 Cor 10:5 …bringing
every thought into captivity…) We need to replace our negative thoughts, our [can’t
do]
mindset, with one thought: What would Jesus do in this situation?
When you’re in the storms of life, call out to Jesus. He
will walk on water to get to you, if He has to. When the storm arose in the Sea
of Galilea, the disciples were on a roller coaster of fear, as the waves rolled
and swelled, tossing the little boat to and fro. Peter saw Jesus coming towards
them, walking on the water. In Matthew 14:28-29 Peter called out: “Lord, if it
is You, command me come on the water.” So He said “Come.” Peter knew the voice
of Jesus (we too need to know the voice of our Lord and we do that by studying
the bible). Knowing it was Jesus gave Peter the courage to step out of the boat
and walk on the water himself. Yes, Peter sank a short time later (and cried
out for Jesus to help him), but that he had the courage to give it a try, is a
great credit to Peter.
You see, we don’t always succeed on our first attempt and
when we don’t, we try again and we keep trying, until we see the success, or
the desired result we’re after. Sometimes the desired result takes days to
manifest, sometimes it takes years. But success will require that you dig deep
and go beyond what is comfortable, reaching towards a strength you didn’t know
you had, which will in turn, bring about a grit that will surprise you and
fortify you for the future.
One of the devices the devil uses is circumstance, to cause
you to quit. A rubber band stretched far enough will snap. Life can be tough.
We can be stretched beyond what we ever thought possible, stretched beyond what
we ever thought we could ever come back from.
We need strength, power and endurance and we only get that, when we
stick it out, when we stay with Jesus and keep on keeping on.
Don’t worry about how you’re going to get there, just trust
that you will and in time, you’ll see it happen. Jesus is your source of power,
strength and endurance and you won’t make it to the end without Him. Trust in
Him. He won’t let you down.
One day you will see beauty for ashes. Rumour has it that
there will be a silver lining in the clouds. You will see, one day there will
be a silver lining, breaking through your storm clouds. Just keep on keeping
on. Stick with Jesus and you will see it.
Alexandra Grose - A photojournalist and author for over
twenty years. Writing is her passion and her dream and helping others achieve
their dreams, through her written work, is Alexandra's greatest aspiration.
#Integrity; truthfulness, honesty and reliability, in all
things.
I believe one should....be truthful in everything you say
and do. Keep all relationships open and honest. Be reliable, punctual and
organised and if you say you'll do it - do it.
If you want to soar like an eagle, make an effort, not an
excuse.
