Fear, Letting Go and Finding Hope

Luke 12:25-26 "And besides, what's the use of worrying? What good does it do? Will it add a single day to your life? Of course not! And if worry can't even do such little things as that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things?"

1st Peter 5:7 "Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you."

Psalms 37:8 "Stop your anger! Turn off your wrath. Don't fret and worry—it only leads to harm."

Philippians 4:6-7 "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus."

John 6:37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out."

Ephesians 1:6 "To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."

Ezekiel 18:21-32 “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live."

Mark 2:17 "When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a Physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

John 7:37-38 "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'”

John 1:2 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name"

The Anxious Boy

A boy name Tommy

Who lived with his mom

She was always on edge

Never peaceful, Never calm

His dad left them both

At the young age of three

He remembered his last words

"I just want to be free."

Since then his mother

Was all he had left

She was far from perfect

But she tried her best

As the years slowly went by

His mom started drinking

It became her addiction

But they both began sinking

When Tommy turned

The age of thirteen

Her depression reflected on him

And he became bitter and mean

He bullied the other kids

He played with at school

He was always being bad

He never followed the rules

On the outside he and his mother

Looked happy, they both looked alright

But they were both dying

Slowly inside

Just when he thought

Life couldn't get any harder

On his sixteenth birthday

He got a letter from his Father

"Dear Tommy."

It read

"I hope you are doing okay

I feel bad that I left you

I should have just stayed

I should have written you before now

I was just afraid

I was afraid you would hate me by now

So I just stayed away.

I heard your mother is struggling

So I want you to know

If you want to or need to

My home is your home.

I am so sorry I have not been there

To watch you grow

I know it's been a while since I saw you

But you just need to know

You have always been loved

I know I should not have left

But I did what I did

Because I thought it was best.

I hope that in your heart

You will forgive me

Because I know I was wrong

I am proud of you though

Because you have been so strong.

Happy Birthday Tommy

Feel free to write me whenever

I love you, Tommy

I pray your mom soon gets better."

Tommy was furious

When he set down the letter

He felt as if things were

Just worse now, not better

He said to himself

"How could his dad justify

Leaving like he did,

How can he think I would

Ever want to forgive?

Accept what has happened?

I am still just a kid."

Tommy grew up though

It was just a matter of time

He forgave both of his parents

Then he left his past behind

He soon felt accepted

As he finally felt free

Free from all the bad things

Free from all the anxiety

He met a girl in college

Her name was Mary Ann

He soon became the dad

His Father had never been

He also made a promise

As he watched his newborn sleep

He said, "I'll never let you down

Like my mother did to me"

In life we all go through different struggles, temptations, and hardships. Some leave us feeling empty, alone, anxious, or hurt. These troubles we have in life are hard to ignore, they can lead us to depression and often times we seek out comfort in worldly things to keep us going. Sometimes the hard times seem like they will never end. But the good thing is, they can.

As humans, we can learn and grow as we live the life we are given. Sometimes our purposes are big, sometimes they are small, but all are important none the less. In this story Tommy had gone through circumstances that left him fearful, angry, and bitter and alone. But he learned that not everything we go through, stays the same forever. We have the power to change. Not only who we are, but what we do. The past doesn't have to weigh you down, it doesn't have to define your future. No, you are your future.

Jesus went through difficult things too, he saw sin all around him, and he was in human flesh, and tempted too. Jesus was also betrayed by one of his close disciples, and was put to death. But was Jesus afraid and fearful? I am not sure, but I would be. I do know though, Jesus wasn't angry. He instead, regardless of the situation, offered us a gift of forgiveness. Jesus forgave us from all this sin that we were apart of daily. And forgiveness gives way to change, which gives way to hope, which gives us a chance at a way out of our issues that before, tied us and weighed us down.

We can all move on, We can all Let Go. But to do this, we need to open our mind to see our hopeful future as a possibility. So how can we let go and let God? Here is what I do...

"When I feel stuck, I pray. When I feel lonely, I pray. When I feel sinful and ashamed, I pray. When I am sad, neglected, or hurting, I pray. I pray and I pray about everything I go through. Every day. God promises to be the light, he promises to show us the way. God holds me in sorrow, he gives me hope in sadness, a light in the darkness, he gives me peace when I need it, and forgiveness when I do not deserve it. His Word, the bible, teaches me exactly all I need to hear or learn, so that my life will align with the good things he has in store for me. The best thing is though, he does this all for you too."-Cora

Prayer For The Day

Heavenly Father,

Today I bring to you all the burdens and hurtful situations that are in my past and have been weighing me down. I know you are always encouraging me to be more and love more, others and myself. I may not know the way to change and forgiveness but you do. You can lead me to go anywhere, and with you I can be anyone, for nothing is impossible with you. Help me to learn, guide me to what love is really all about. I thank you for Jesus. For sending him to me, not only did he die for me, but he also LIVED and still Lives for me. By this love shown for me, I believe that my future is what is before me.

In Jesus Christ Holy Name, Amen.