Sunday, February 21, 2016

Quitting Is Not An Option

I have had a great deal of challenges in my life. I think about the things that have happened and I am amazed that I am where I am. today I have wanted to throw in the towel so many times, but I couldn't. I couldn't give up. I couldn't quit because through everything I always had hope.

Now I don't want anyone to think that I haven't had my throw in the towel moments. I remember when I dropped out of college. The months preceding were filled with two losses that I hadn't been able to move past. I hurt in such a way that I wanted everything to quit. I wanted to press pause on my life and just sit inside of my room and cry. For a while that's what I did. I sat there crying my eyes out because I couldn't see past the moment. Then, as I was crying, I asked God why He allowed this to happen to me. I told Him I couldn't go forward and there was no reason to because everything in my life was a mess. Even as I talked and prayed to Him, doing all that I could to express why I was quitting, He was saying to me there's hope. He was assuring me that as long as I came back to Him, as long as I trusted Him, as long as I allowed Him to heal me, quitting was not an option.

Truth is I didn't officially quit college. I went through every motion that signaled I was quitting. I even went through a period where I just stopped going to class. However, I always knew deep down that quitting was not an option. College was not just for me. It was for my family. Quitting was not an option for me because if I did, they could quit too. God gave me hope so that I could be hope for someone else.

Isn't it amazing how God works? He puts hope inside of us so that we can deposit it in others. He puts hope in us so that we can move forward even when things are falling apart. He puts hope in us so that we will always remember that in the midst of it all, He's there.



Adayinthelife :-)








Sunday, February 14, 2016

I Love You, But I Can't Say I Do

Do you ever think about what happens the moment when you tell someone that you love them? I am not talking about the physical reactions that we have. Think for a moment beyond the butterflies in your stomach, the instant smile on your face, and the increased pace of your heart. What happens when you say I love you? Well, I'll tell you. When you say I love you, every expectation that the other person has changes. When you say I love you, you are also saying I do. Let me explain.

I love you is a phrase that carries with it the expectation of action. I love you so I will stand by you. I love you so I will be faithful to you. I love you so I will fight for you. I love you so no matter what happens I'm going to be here with you. We say I love you and those three words start the countdown to the day when we will say I do. If we are honest, that is the expectation. Right?

What happens when I say I love you, but I can't say I do? Does that mean that your expectations of me change? No. Does that mean that I will no longer stand by you? No. Does that mean that I will not be faithful to you? No. It does mean that I never understood what saying I love you carried. It means that I am capable of saying the right things "I love you". It means I am also capable of doing the right things "being there for you". However, if I can say I love you, but I can't say I do, it is because I don't understand that to God "I love you" and "I do" are one and they same.

You see when we say I love You to God, the I do is implied. I love You and I do what You say. I love You and I do understand that means keeping Your commands. I love You and I do commit myself to You wholeheartedly. I love You and I do Your will. I love You and I do accept that my life belongs to You. Basically, if our I love you was directed by God, it would be impossible to not say I do.


Adayinthelife :-)