SELF IMPOSED

We have all experienced hurt. We have all experienced pain and hardship in one way or another. Problems come in every shape and size, be it financial, emotional, incarceration, addiction or simply, just problems in general. I dont care who you might happen to be, in some sort of way, you have had a problem or two throughout the course of your life. If you are anything like me, you have had more than your share of ups and downs, ins and outs, joy and sorrow, poverty and wealth. What makes me somewhat different from many of you is that most of my problems have been...........SELF IMPOSED!!!


Yes, I said it....THE MAJORITY OF MY PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN SELF IMPOSED! I have no secrets to hide, no one else to blame and no excuses! Every hardship, every struggle, every wrong turn I took....was due to poor decision making and selfishness. As I have said before, I was once ashamed of my actions and of the person I allowed myself to become. These days, I see the past for exactly what it was...all part of God's plan to bring me to where I am today. I can appreciate joy, because I know sadness. I can laugh because I have known tears. I can love because I have known hate. I can appreciate a peaceful lifestyle because I have lived through many nightmares. I have always heard that the sweetest victories come after a defeat....well, I can testify to the validity of that statement. I made it through countless storms.....but only through the forgiveness, the grace, the mercy and the love of God!


The scope of your problems might not go to the extremes of mine, but, I am here today to tell you that no matter what you might be facing, no matter what you might be going through, dont give up. There is light at the end of every tunnel. We serve a God who loves and cares for us all. The blueprint for our lives was planned BEFORE we were even formed in the womb. Bring your hardships to the Lord with an honest and repentive heart. Trust God...live for Him...recognize the fact that without Him, you are nothing and have nothing. Allow the Lord to cast your sins into the sea of forgiveness. No sin is too great...no past is too sordid...Bring your pain, sorrows, fears and worries to the foot of the cross...experience the freedom that comes from knowing the Lord!


Psalm 30:5 Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning