I just reached out for my second cup of tea today. My reason is not as obvious as the caffeine boost, my excuse is that it is raining here. I love the feeling of a warm drink in my hands as I watch the windows fog over and hear the rain drops falling on the roof. I am in the mood for something cozy. Maybe you are like me and have your own ‘thing’ you reach for when you need to feel warm inside. This internal hunger is a sign of health. It means your heart is alive and soft. We all need things in our life which brighten us up in the deep places!

This got me thinking about what I reach out for to comfort me in the hard times. On the rainy days of life, when I feel the need for warmth, where does my soul go to get a recharge?

PERSPECTIVE IS POWER

Being newly married and moving to a new country has brought some deep things to the surface. My past year has been marked by some serious issues of pain and personal insecurities.

For all of us, every day has rainclouds ready to gloom up our sky. Life’s details can derail us. But I have a good thought for you. Our problems are not powerful enough to deprive us of good things!

I love this news! This means that it is not too late for something great! Your dreams and desires are not a fading fairy tale but a present reality knocking on your door. But you have a critical choice which will determine the reality you live in.

These awesome words will explain what I mean,

Problems are engineered into possibilities by God to bring you higher. They are opportunities for God to show you Who He wants to be for you in that difficult situation. God wants to show you His supply as a Father.

We have the opportunity for greatness. To reach the highest heights we cannot give up. No one ever accomplished anything to be proud of by giving up. You have come too far to quit now. You are going forward. It is tough, the pain is real, but you can do this. You can talk yourself into weakness or you can talk yourself into strength.

WHO ARE YOU BECOMING?

Make sure you are filling your little heart up with things which revive the strength in you! Don’t fill your life with junk which only reaffirms the pain. Fill yourself up with good things! Toss out those old memories hanging on the walls of your heart. Replace them with life-giving ones to stir strength up in you! Believe in yourself – because God believes in you!

If you want to hear about a bad day just read about David. He returned home from a betraying day only to find that his camp had been ambushed. Every soldier’s family was missing in action. Not only had he lost everything but His men wanted to kill him. At this point, David paved the way into true sonship.

A beloved son will run to their Father.

Strength is resting in God’s love for you. It is believing what He says about you. Focus is king. So zone in on God because He can empower you in your situations.

DOS AND DON’TS

Don’t allow a moment or a lifetime of insecurity to bury you alive. Don’t let the weasel of a lie threaten you because you have the heart of a lion! Don’t lose your adventure of life just because someone said you cannot do it! Don’t miss out on seeing the places you are going because you don’t think you have it in you. And finally do not sacrifice the person you are becoming just because it is hard at the moment.

Anything worth doing requires a momentary sacrifice of exchanging pain for hope! Anyone worth being means standing up even when it hurts. And every dream worth living requires you to walk through the valley to get there.

So continue on!