A traveling talk

 Recently I was in the car with one of my kids.  We were talking about how warm and dry the weather has been.  I brought up global warming and she asked what that meant so I tried to describe it in my motherly way which was probably not very scientific.  She was satisfied with my answer.  I went on to say that we as a human species are using up our resources and at some point there won't be any left...but that when Jesus returns he will create a new heaven and a new earth for us....so because we are believers, we will be ok.  

    I told her that the bible tells us that Jesus will return and when he does there will be an end to all the hurting and sin and misery and ugliness.....but until he comes back we need to just keep doing our best every day to endure the hard things.  

    This kiddo has struggled lately and it has felt like lots of days are hard.  Feeling rejected, left out, frustrated and unseen is a hard way to get through the day and I can't fix it.  I can remind her that the God of the universe, the creator of every living thing sees her and knows her, accepts her and draws her in over and over again.  You see, I don't think she is actually being overtly rejected, or ignored even.  I think she feels like she is....because the devil wants her to feel this way.  He wants me to feel this way, too.  If you are still reading, rest in the certainty that he has the same plan for you.  The devil wants us to think we are less than, ashamed, weak and incompetent.  He wants us to feel ugly and unloved and unappreciated and unsuccessful.....that's his job.  

    My job is to draw my sword and fight this plan.  My job is to remind my child, and myself, and you as well of more important truths than the present circumstances of global warming, unhealthy influences, depressing news yield a  bleak lack of hope or confidence in this world.  

    This world is not our home.

    The messages of self-doubt and rejection are not ours to receive.  We take these thoughts captive in obedience to Christ and say no.  not today.  not in my head.  not in my life.  and not in hers either.  

    We are made in the image of God, created to love and bless and worship and bow to the One True God.

    We are a beautiful feature of the greatest story ever told.....

    We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special posession, that we may declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness and into his wonderful light (from 1 Peter 2:9.  

    We are worthy of love and of living in the full promise that Jesus is for us, he saved us so that he can be with us forever in Heaven and when that day comes, there will be no more hurting or fear or ugly.  There will be no more devil or sin or evil.....It's real and it's true and it's coming.  

    Until then we have work to do.  We have a war to fight so that the lies are not advanced more strongly than the truth.  We are truth-bearers if we are believers....but we are not welcome in the world very often any more and it will continue to get worse.  It doesn't matter.  The truth doesn't change.  Jesus is the way the truth and the life....and our job every day is to hold fast. It is our job to love well and to forgive often and to always offer second chances and open arms and a yielded heart to the Lord.  We can be in this world without being of it.  We can be travelers here because we are headed somewhere so much better.....