Do Not Fear: The Lord is With You

The world is filled with struggle—loved ones die, kids get sick, parents lose their jobs, hearts get broken, nations go to war—this is the reality that we live in, but in the midst of a terrible world filled with pain and suffering, one thing remains: God is faithful.

Deuteronomy 31:8 states “It is the LORD who goes before you; he will be

with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed.”

Though we may suffer in this world Jesus is always with us throughout our suffering, ready to pick us up when we fall and comfort us in our hurting. When we cry, the Lord cries with us, and when we turn away from him, he never abandons us, but is always there with arms wide open offering us his unconditional love and mercy. Though often times we fail or lose faith and turn away from the Lord, Jesus remains constant and never turns away from us. When we falter Christ is there to be reconciled with us and never forsakes us for the wrong we have done, rather the Lord is always with us offering us his love and his grace abundantly without conditions. We can find comfort in knowing that God will always remain faithful and continue to offer his love and grace to us until the end of time. We can find strength in knowing that Jesus conquered the world and will never fail us, so we have no reason to fear or be dismayed.   

Finding Joy in Life’s Trials

Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. - James 1:2-3

It’s a popular saying, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger” or as St. James puts it, “trials and testing of the faith produce perseverance.” The experiences we have in this world shape our perspectives on life and give us wisdom; they are something we can look at with great pain or something that can give us hope and be a cause for joy. Trials test our faith, but when our faith is tested it allows us to persevere and gives us the ability to grow. We all know how terrible life can be at times, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find joy in even the worst of circumstances. It’s important to remember that most circumstances are temporary, and even the worst day in your life must come to an end, offering you at the very least a tomorrow. As Christians we believe in the joy and the hope of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His life, death and resurrection, teach us that there is a life after the one we have in this world, a life where our joy may be complete in him. So rest assured that the trials in your life are only temporary, and there will come a time when the suffering in this world will no longer hold power over you. Remember that Jesus offers us fullness of life and one day we too shall be resurrected with him; hold on to the hope given to us by God’s grace. Times may be tough, but they teach us to persevere and they give us reason to turn to the Lord and ask Jesus for his grace. Christ is the greatest joy that we will ever receive in this world and no trial can ever overcome or overturn the promise of Salvation grated to us through Christ’s death and resurrection. 

Love of Enemies

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” –Matthew 5:43-45

This week I had a bible study with some friends on the topic of “loving your enemy.” We talked about how important it was to love everyone in this world, even people who have hurt us in the past and to remember that every person in this world was created in the image and likeness of God and deserves to be loved and treated with human dignity regardless of how we feel about them. Growing up my aunt always reminded me that even the worst of people in this world still had a mother and father who loved them and offered their children support even when they did wrong. Furthermore, even the worst of people who may not know their parents or have no family still have a heavenly Father and creator who continues to love them even when they reject him or turn away from his love.

What stood out to me from this passage was the verse “for he makes the sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and unjust.” I particularly like this verse because here Jesus tells us that God holds no favorites, and simply loves everyone, even the just and unjust. God freely offers his love and grace to all of creation with the passing of each day regardless of the wrongs or rights we have committed in our lives. In addition, everyone in this world will have to live through the rain or struggle at some point of their life. The challenge Jesus gives us is to love not just our family and friends, but especially our enemies and all of his people. I believe when he uses the word love he simply means “treat every person with dignity and respect” or “wish the best for every person,” and always “treat others as you would treat yourself.” Though this often times may be hard, especially with people in our lives who have hurt us, this is the challenge that Jesus gives us and we must comply.

Today, I challenge you to take some time to pray for someone who has hurt you, maybe someone you consider an enemy; sometimes even offering a prayer for them to God is the most loving thing you can do for a person.