He Cares For Us

"God does take care of us - every single part of us! Amazing..."

We have to be reminded that in our time here on earth, we get to live the adventure of becoming who God made us to be. Because of this, we should never forget who we are in Him. Guess sometimes maybe we fail to appreciate who we are in Him because we spend too much time looking at other Christians who appear better or more successful than we. You know what I mean right. Its like when you feel you've lived in the shadow of their reputation or maybe you feel intimidated by their spirituality. Then, occassionally wonder what they have that you don't have. We're talking about those successful Christians. You know, the ones who seem to be happy all the time - the ones who don't appear to have a care in the world. They don't even look like they struggle with temptation. There are no glaring weaknesses or obvious failures in their life. Sigh, the grass does always seem greener on the other side and you wonder, why the guy next door has it so much better than you?

You know, I think every life has its share of trouble. And this may be true of those people on that greener grass, or so we think. Perhaps, they aren't as transparent and authentic as you? Have you ever thought of that? Maybe they are just uncomfortable with sharing their life journey and struggles. God has called us to live our lives on OUR side of the fence, not on the other person's side. Admittedly, our grass may at times seem to have more patches than the guy next door but every pasture has its share! What we need to do is have our CENTRE...Get our eyes off others and put them back where they belong - Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author, finisher and perfecter of our faith!

Truth is, there is enough in our lives to keep us busy. We're all in a process of growth and maturity that is gradual, sometimes it is gruelling and not always picture perfect. There are bumps in this road of growth. I have encountered many potholes, narrow shoulders and roadblocks. Many a times, there are seasons when I seem to just stand still on the road or become stalled on the side of the highway. Even times when I have a flat tyre and smoke comes billowing our from my hood :) To take it further, I have even encoutered time where I have had to shut down the engine all together.

But, here is where the hope kicks in...

God has unttered an unbreakable oath to us. He has to account for His word. And He swears by it. He promises to complete the work He began in us the day we placed our faith in Him, to work for us and in us up to that moment when our foot touches Heaven's shores.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1: 6)

The process is a lifelong thing. So gear up your mind for the long haul. Prepare to run the marathon of your lifetime. Live one day at a time. Its okay if you feel that you are not what you will be now. Just be thankful you are not what you once were before you knew Him.

Take encouragement that God has committed Himself to you. So whenever you are discouraged because your spiritual traffic has slowed on your road to maturity, you can know that God is still at work even in those times. Remember that though your grip on Him may grow weak, His grip on you never does. He is fiercely dedicated to the process. Don't give up. He will never let you go.

So here's what the Lord has taught me, "What you become Val in the process of fulfiling His purposes is more important than anything else! That is your life success - Formation of Godly Character!"

John 15 is a good read. Indeed God is our Vine Dresser! Let us learn to abide in Him.