Do you think God changes lives? Do you think God changes the lives in your family or in someone you know? I think He does when given the chance. I am proof to that. As we go about our lives we are all at the ground level but many of us live in the basement and many live in the balcony. I am not talking about above or below anyone or the standards of living -I am talking about how we see things. Do you see the negative in everything, the bad in every situation? Its not going to get any better or why won't this person get it already? Living in the basement where nothing changes and God can't reach you.....Or do you live in the balcony where you encourage and motivate - you see the good in everything and in everyone. We all have faults but don't dwell on the fact that there are issues and problems - but focus on the good in every aspect of people. These are the people I want to be around - no matter what kind of day I am having or how I am feeling they just lift us up and encourage us, they have nice things to say and offer smiles and a helping hand to everyone regardless of the situations and the struggles that today brings. I think God has blessed me as an encourager - I try my hardest to focus on raising people up and telling them they can do it! To keep up the fight and pressure to succeed where they are today. Can't should be removed from the dictionary because it defeats us before we even get started.
The news of my friend Joe has been hard on me the last few days. To come together yesterday as a church family and lay hands on him, to pray for him and his family is something to experience if you have never been invited or close enough to someone to experience it first hand. I remember back when Jimmy called me to the front after the service and prayed for me and for my mom with a church family around me - Joe included. Carol, Kyle and I were not even members I don't think then but regardless the church extended the hands of Jesus to pray for us - for mom. Its taking part in this family that many non church people don't understand and don't see much value in it because they don't have anyone this close to them in their lives - until it happens to them. Then they see the value in it and cherish the moment.
No matter what we are facing today- Jesus has given us hope. Hope to press on and to endure together as a family - as a team. The balcony has a cheering section loved ones. No matter how hard the race is, we don't give up - we run through the pain as my old track coach used to scream at me. I am yelling for you friends - keeping the pressure up and the encouragement up. Sometimes I feel as if its - all I know to do.
2 Corinthians 4:
8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.
13 But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”[c] 14 We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus,[d] will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 15 All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are[e] being renewed every day. 17 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! 18 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.
Father - help us live in the balcony of life Lord - looking to encourage others and making a difference in their lives as we show them Your love and Your word. Never let us give up hope and help us press through our struggles Lord. Rise us from the basement and change our thinking - we know You change lives Lord - help those around us so that we may all be on the same page - the same cheering section looking down on the theatre of life. Nothing Lord is over - until You say - its finished.
Amen~
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