"But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior." Philippians 3:20 NLT
Just as I reached the turnaround point of my run last Saturday, it began to rain softly. "Oh how nice," I thought to myself as I smiled. "I love running in the rain." But very soon after having that thought, the rain began to come down harder and colder as the gentle morning breeze became stronger. And as I looked around, I could see the cows in the fields along my path forming into tiny herds, huddled together to shelter themselves from the increasing onslaught of wind and precipitation. And while, in contrast, it might have appeared that I was all alone and at the mercy of the storm, I wasn't. I was happy and I was singing! I knew the Lord was with me and if I would just keep running, I would make it home.
And you know, putting the inevitable storms of life into perspective is the only way you and I can get through this life with a smile on our faces. You see, the trials, troubles, pain and sorrow that you and I will most assuredly experience as we live out our days will always threaten to take us out or cause us to give up if we don't remember that these problems, setbacks and difficulties are only temporary. And we do this by reminding ourselves that we are not citizens of this world. Rather, "we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives." And if we will continue to "eagerly" wait for him to "return as our Savior," we can get through even the darkest of storms with the assurance that we will soon come out on the other side.
So if life has you feeling anxious, worried or afraid, remember this my friend... someday this life will all be a memory. Someday soon we will leave this world that we are merely visiting and enter into heaven. So hang in there and keep your eyes on Jesus. You're almost home.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that this world is not all there is. Remind us that You are there with us in every storm and every trial that we will face. Help us then not to pray for the absence of problems and difficulties that serve to make us stronger and draw us closer to You but to thank You for them Lord. Teach us to smile and sing in the heart of every storm knowing we are almost home.
Happy Running!!!
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