Read this if you ever struggle in life.

It is Wednesday, June 30, 2010 and while we might wake up to a world turned upside down, take heart my friend because God is still on His throne and He will never leave us nor forsake us. That, in and of itself, is reason for us to rise and shine and give Him the glory. I would be less than honest if I didn't confess that at times I wonder when I will run out of anything to talk about. I heard that. You thought I ran out a long time ago but just didn't stop writing? Very funny. However, since the subject is life, and my life in particular, based on my way of seeing things, well, there does seem to be a fair amount of material still to be covered or uncovered as the case may be. There are plenty of things from my life I would just as soon forget and we all have things we would rather not dwell on, and it's unlikely that I will ever be writing about those. I remember once talking about the verse from the writing to the Hebrews that says every person has sin that easily besets them, the one they have trouble with, and have to deal with. I made the comment that mine might be different than others but we all have specific areas that plague us. One lady jokingly said she thought it would be interesting for me to share with the class the areas that were particular to me. Inquiring minds want to know. But one thing I have learned is that we all have things we need to deal with and master, and while yours might not be as difficult as others, there are always those obstacles that we must overcome if we are to become all that God would have us to be.

This is one of the reasons I write the blog each day. Dr. C. H. McBryde, a great man of God that I was privileged to know and count as a personal encourager and mentor of sorts once said something that has always stayed with me, "We are, at best, all fellow strugglers." He died a number of years ago but I have never forgotten his influence on my life and this particular statement. So many times we fall into the trap where we do compare ourselves to others and we often end up thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. This can be a very destructive force because in reality God knows and every one of us also knows that from the inside out we are just that: fellow strugglers. Maybe one person deals with their troubles very openly and everyone can see the calamity going on in their lives. But, we all know that often it is the unresolved matters of the heart and mind that disable us and these are not always seen by others. I often think about folks I've known that would never find themselves doing this, that, or the other, and they are very proud of that fact. However, they also might carry a long held grudge or run others down or burn inside with envy. Bottom line, we all have our stuff to deal with, and we need to live in this reality so that we can help one another as we make our way through our sojourn here, while heading to a better land where all these struggles will be a thing of the past.

Does this mean we shrug off the destructive sins that are destroying people left and right? As the Apostle Paul would say: "God forbid!" When we see our neighbor's house on fire we most likely need to do something more than to whisper a prayer about it. It is always risky to become involved in trying to help others who are in the midst of the storm. Often it can be a storm of our own making but we all need, even when we can't see it, the help that God sends, and often He sends that help through the heart and hands of those who care enough to get involved. I can look back on my life and thank God for some who came along side me at particular times and their intrusion became like a wake up call for me. I wasn't too happy about it at the time but I came to realize this is how God ministers to us. You need, I need, we all need God's direction and guidance in our lives. That's a fact, dear fellow struggler, whether you can appreciate it or not. There's a reason we love the song Amazing Grace. It is amazing that God chose to love us in spite of our waywardness and that He not only loved us but showed His love by sending His Son to die for us, and for those who believe, they can clearly identity with: That saved a wretch like me! My wife and I used to sing a song written by the late Dottie Rambo. This song was about remembering. It was entitled: Remind Me Dear Lord. Some of the lyrics, "Roll back the curtain of memory now and then, Show me where you brought me from, And where I might have been, Just Remember I'm human and human's forget, So remind me, remind me dear Lord." Amen. ......More later.