Camp ROCK

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Hebrews 11:1

It's very easy to smile when everything is everything and everything is fine. It takes a strong person to smile in the face of adversity, hard times, trials and tribulations, and in the face of danger. It takes a bold soul to discipline ones inner self and come to a place where (regardless of what people say and think aloud, regardless of what others do and the ill manner of evil acts they mount against you) no matter what you will keep living and giving God praise.

Yeah, for someone this is one of those times where you feel like you have nothing left. You've done all you can to be the bigger person, but it's getting old. You've invested your entire being into a system that has failed you. You served in this particular ministerial capacity, but nothing has changed no increase no decrease and stagnation is getting old. For someone else you've been in school so long that you feel as if you should be getting two degrees instead of one and you're trying to figure out whether or not all of this work will be worth the trouble. As for a close friend of mine you're waiting for increase in a desert land and satisfaction in a relationship that has yielded no personal growth and spiritual maturity, this is all a case of misplaced hope.

You can put confidence in your money, but in an exchange where money is not enough your money and it's value instantaneously depreciates. You can put your confidence in a man or woman who you believe that you love until they no longer find worth in your presence and leave you all alone. You can even put your trust in family and friends who will always be in your corner until you depend on them a little too much and then they let you down. You can put trust in your degree until it's not enough to open the doors that you prayed would open as a result of your academic prestige until just one is no longer enough. You can even put trust in yourself believing that you will always know what's best for you until you let yourself down because you have to face the fact that something's that take place are out of your control. So what's the point of doing anything? Why set ourselves up to be let down? Why court and work to love someone and it may turn out to be a waste of time? Why invest in things that may never yield tangible benefits? Why dream when it may never come to pass? Why even step forward if it only brings forth even more steps back? Why try when there seems to be no sign of hope? Why hope?

Faith is the air under your wings even when you don't believe that you can fly. Faith is the step you take every time that you walk up or down a flight of stairs hoping that the stairwell will not fall apart. Faith is what you exercise when you cross the street, walk into any building, ride in any motor vehicle, and do anything that requires you to inhale and exhale. When all else fails faith will see you through. See, faith and hope go hand in hand. You can't exercise faith without hoping that it will happen. For it is by faith that we walk, and hope that faith exist. Jesus (God's Son) is hope personified and it is by our faith in him that we have a right to eternal life with God the father.

Realize that disappointments are apart of life. Pain and agony have their place as well. When you rely on something that is more than likely going to let you down, what reinforcements are there to catch you before you fall? When you allow your relationship to be the pillar of your joy, your happiness becomes as shaky as it's stability. When you allow your income to determine your self worth, your self esteem can fluctuate as often as the amount of hours you were allowed to work when the economy was at it's worse. It's time to fix the foundation of your hope that it's structure might be one that is more dependable and reliable. It's time to build a structure that will withstand the test of time, a structure built on the rock.

Jesus is that rock! Jesus is the rock of our salvation because his love for us was so solid that he sacrificed his life that we might have a right to the tree of life. When you depend on Jesus he'll never let you down. He's been said to be a prayer answerer, healer, father, and friend. Jesus is more dependable and trust worthy than anything or anyone. Jesus is more thoughtful and considerate than anyone know to man because he looked beyond our faults to see and provide for needs both seen and unforeseen. Jesus is worthy of our best because it's all he's ever given us, even when we choose to do things that we know conflict with his expectations of us, he's not yet forgotten to wake us up and touch us with a finger of love each day. Life may not be as great as we would like it to be today, but it's life and we owe God a vow to put our best foot forward regardless of our let downs, despite our disappointments.

Count on Christ to always be there regardless of the situation or circumstance. Count on Christ to work a miracle even when there seems to be no way out of your situation. Trust God to have his way, in your life knowing that his plan was designed that you might have the victory over trying times. Keep your head up and your hopes high. You are more than a conqueror through Christ and more than capable of over coming this. God bless you!

Let us bow:

Father we need your strength that we might be able to keep calm and carry on. We need your love that we might press towards the mark as you've called us to share your love by displaying your light in us. Help us to lean on your word that we might be steadfast and unmovable. Have your way in our lives, plans, hopes, and dreams. Help us to succeed no matter the set back, to worship you no matter the worries that occupy our thoughts from time to time, take complete control that you might receive all glory, honor, and praise for it is in  the name of the Christ we pray, Amen!