do you have a reason to call upon God?

 For the majority of my life, I had known sadness, grief, abuse and sorrow. Many times, even at a very young age, I begged God to take away my pain, to bring me joy, to remove the shackles that seemed to at times hold me fast to what seemed would last forever a life of no hope.
I had faith, however. Faith that somewhere, someday...there was some ONE out "there" who could finally remove those shackles and set me free.

 Fast forward to today.

I heard a very inspirational quote in a movie today. In the movie, "God's Not Dead," there was an old woman who had dementia. Her own son, sitting next to her, asked out loud, "why am I even here? You don't know I even exist!" His voice and actions dripped with bitterness. To his surprise, in a rare moment of lucidity, she responded, "Sometimes the devil gives a person a life that seems perfect only so that they don't have a reason to call upon God!"

Let's reflect on that statement.

My life equaled pain. I wouldn't relive the majority of my life if I was paid to! From the struggles of abuse, to poverty, to more abuse to health issues over the last almost 15 years...oh, if I could, I'd ask for amnesia to forget about all of it! Yet, how often have I said to you that it is in our struggles that we are strengthened? "For when I am weak, it is then that I am strong!" said the Apostle Paul. (2 Corinthians 12:9-11) Just as a lump of coal must undergo much pressure to become a rare diamond, so it is with all of us...we must undergo pain, struggles and more. It is what defines our character. We feel more compassionate towards those who are weak because we have walked in their shoes. When others hurt, we cry with them. When others feel joy, we also rejoice. When there is need, we provide solace. When there is doubt, we sow faith. Our examples of this are what makes others stronger also...and on it goes.

To have inspiration, there must BE inspiration! How can there be inspiration? By observing others prove that Love exists in this sad, sordid world and then, becoming an inspiration yourself. You can sit back and allow the nightly news to turn you into a bitter cynic, or you can rejoice because through hardships comes joy. Why feel anger that some terrorist group wants to destroy the world? You also have hands, a voice...why can't you, me, they, them and all of us speak OUT against that hate? Why can't we be a bigger voice and put that evil right where it belongs? Call out to God, command evil to stop right now, because we are stronger than all of the evil combined! We all have free will. We can use it for good...or for bad. the choice is up to you. I cannot force you to choose good, you have to want that for yourself. You can't allow the pain from your past to cloud your future. Just as the old woman said in the film, that pain gives us a reason to call out to God. So use that today to make a real, true and good difference for another person. Like the domino effect, it will continue on...until we have a revolution of love, faith and hope that overtakes the fear, anger and sorrow!

Well...what are you waiting for?