By JMathis

I wish your heart was not so wounded from the pain caused by your loved ones. I wish that your family could be a source of comfort to you, rather than the source of your distress and anguish. I wish that our words would bring us together, rather than tear us apart.

Until that day, I wish you love unspeakable. May your soul be mended by the love of the Father who adores you beyond comprehension. Who knows every birthmark on your body. Who delights every time your eyes twinkle with mischief and laughter. Who longs to wipe away those tears you masterfully hide from everyone but yourself.

I pray that His love envelop you in comfort and consolation, in ways that your family cannot. May His words revive you and give you life, especially when the words of your loved ones create so much confusion and conflict.

Allow your Father to turn your mourning into dancing, and to heal the soul strings of your grieving spirit. Let His songs transform the sackcloth of your broken heart into a safe and nurturing cocoon of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Never give up hope that your family can change to become your greatest champions. That they may love you in a way that is not destructive or damaging. That their words lift you up rather than fracture you apart. That they may come to know the Father and bear the fruits of His Spirit.

May He heal your broken heart and bind up your wounds. May He cure your pains and your sorrows. Psalm 147:3

Know that you are love, you are light, you are His. You are an overcomer, you are a conqueror, you are His. You are treasured, you are cherished, you are His.

You are you, you are ours, but most importantly, you are His.

You are loved.

By Bindu Adai Mathew

When you drive, what direction are you generally facing? Unless you’re reversing out of your driveway or a parking spot, most likely you are facing forward most of the time you are driving.  Imagine though, that you are intending to go forward, but your neck is craned around to constantly look behind you. If you did that, more than likely, your car would veer off its course or worse, crash into something else.

We all know the dangers of texting or driving. Even taking your eyes off the road in front of you for a few seconds can result in tragedy.

But that is exactly what happens when you are constantly dwelling on your past. It’s human nature to want to think about our past. Our memories are powerful and they can have lasting effects on our life. It can be fun to reminisce with some good friends and family about our lives. However, whether it was the “good ole’ days” when life was so much better or some deep childhood hurt we can’t move past, constantly focusing your attention on the past can result in veering off your course in life. We can’t change the past. We can’t access it except through our minds and memories. But if you don’t like where your life is or where it’s headed, you must focus on where you are and where you want to be.

So which direction are you facing today? Is it focused, forward with anticipation, ready to move and adjust as needed in your journey? Or are you constantly looking and dwelling on your past?

Perhaps your life isn’t moving forward because you’re facing the wrong direction.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”  Isaiah 43:18 NIV
“But forget all that–it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.   Isaiah 43:18 NLT

By Bindu Adai Mathew

I remember watching in horror as the World Trade Towers crumbled into a heap of metal and dust in 2001. I drove to work in a daze and just as I got there, news came of the Pentagon being hit and another plane crashing.

One of my good friends called me crying in panic and fear, worried about a cousin who worked in the Towers. She asked me if I thought this was the end. I said, of course not, but after our conversation, I, too wondered what was going on and if she hadn’t been that far off. And later that day as I watched the news reports and especially at all the lives that were lost, I, like many, wondered how God allowed this. I recall hearing the stories of families who lost a father, a sister, a loved one, and those who were still searching to find their bodies amongst the rubble, and I again wondered how God allowed this. Unlike others, I didn’t question God’s existence or His sovereignty, but I definitely questioned His Plan.

Now over 15 years have passed, and while our way of life has changed, it wasn’t the end of the world. Life has continued, and throughout the years, we’ve continued to see horrible acts of terrorism in school shootings, movie theater shootings, and other random, unexpected acts of terrorism. But yet, life continues. It endures.

Perhaps this morning, you’re looking at your own life. You’re surrounded by heaps of rubble. You’re enduring but you’re wondering where God is… and how He allowed something to happen in your life. Perhaps you’re looking at a dream that is in tatters… or you’re reflecting on a relationship that imploded… or you, too, have lost a loved one. You’re suffering in pain and wondering where God is…

For those of you, I share this verse I came across during my quiet time today:

“If the Lord had not been on our side–let Israel say–if the Lord had not been our side when men attacked us, when their anger flared against us, they would have swallowed us alive; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away.

Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth. We have escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalms 124: 1-8

We may not understand why God prevents some things in our lives and allows other things to happen. But there is one thing we can be sure of… if it weren’t for God, we would have been consumed by our loss. We wouldn’t still be standing.

And for those of you who have been knocked to your knees by your struggles, by your loss, like the Towers, you, too, will be rebuilt.

But first we must clean out the rubble from our lives. We must make room in our hearts for something new. We must realize God is still God. And we trust him with a child-like faith.

Out of the rubble, if you allow it, God can rebuild your life. He can rebuild your dreams. He can make you stronger. He can help you stand taller.

If you allow it.

By Bindu Adai Mathew

Do you ever feel inadequate? Like you don’t have the talents to do anything great?  That you could never accomplish your dreams? Like you will never lose that weight? That you will never get that higher educational degree?

Then you won’t.

Ouch! That was harsh, you say. But you will most likely never achieve things you feel are impossible. The statistics aren’t in your favor.  Interview any top professional—be it a top entrepreneur, lettered professor, surgeon, or inventor. They may have looked at a task that seemed impossible. But they never thought they couldn’t do it. In fact, they thought the reverse. They knew they could… they persevered despite the impossibility of it. They persevered even though they, too, had their days of doubt and days of discouragement. They persevered when the going got tough. When they themselves were tempted to give up. They persevered and didn’t stop until they completed their task.

What you accomplish in your life is in direct relation to what you believe you can achieve. If you don’t believe it, then you most likely won’t.

So what do you believe about yourself today?

By Bindu Adai Mathew

 

As long as you are alive, you have not failed. You have the chance to make right what you have done wrong. You have the chance to complete what you have left unfinished.

Completing a goal is challenging. It requires planning. It requires effort, consistency, and perseverance. But sometimes it’s easier to beat ourselves up and feel sorry for ourselves rather than do what needs to get done. Sometime it’s easier to just stop trying.

But that’s not what God has intended. He created you for a purpose. The fact that you’re still breathing means that you still have work to do. You have a goal to reach… a project to complete. You still have a purpose to fulfill.

Rather than looking at your past as a series of failures, realize that those efforts were just incomplete. You didn’t finish, but you still can.

One of the most powerful words that were spoken in history were by Jesus as He was hanging on the cross and said, “It is finished.” He completed what He had set out to do.

And you can, too. In Christ, you will.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

 

By Bindu Adai Mathew

How many years have you promised to lose that weight, learn that new language, to be more organized, to read your Bible more? I think the hardest part of trying to make changes is the letdown we feel when we don’t complete what we set out to do.  We feel like a failure. And whether it’s a new year’s resolution or a goal we make at any time of the year, we are reminded of all the times we made them before and failed.

Well, today is the day when you just look forward.

 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.  2 Corinthians 5:17

Today is the day when you say, I can… and I will.

Because today is the day when you realize you are a new creation. But there is a caveat to that statement. IN CHRIST, you are a new creation. IN CHRIST, the old things have passed away. IN CHRIST, new things have come.

I want you to be aware of your power IN CHRIST. I don’t want you to feel powerless in light of your past failures. I want to you to feel powerful in light of our Savior.  You are not alone.

Easier said than done. I get it. It’s hard for me to forget my past mistakes, too. My inner voice is like a heckler in my head. Sure you’ll do that… like you did so many times before (Snort!) Yes, my inner heckler snorts with sarcasm! Or maybe your inner heckler says nothing to you but just laughs and shakes her head as you then cringe in shame and give up before even starting.

It’s hard to think you can do anything when your inner heckler is telling you that you can’t do it. When she or he is reminding you of all the times you didn’t succeed in the past.

But when that inner heckler speaks, snorts, or shakes her head, I want you to repeat the following: “In Christ, I am a new creature. In Christ, the old things have passed away. In Christ, new things have come.”

That inner heckler will speak at all times of the day. When you wake up in the morning. When you’re drinking your morning tea/coffee. When you’re deciding whether to do something productive or just spending another evening in front of the tv. When you get on the weight scale and don’t see any changes and are tempted to give up.

Each time the heckler speaks, you repeat:  “In Christ, I am a new creature. In Christ, the old things have passed away. In Christ, new things have come.”

Yes, every year is a new year to start again. But so is every day. So is every minute.  Even if you slip, don’t beat yourself with shame. Start again. You are a new creation. The old has passed.

We have much to accomplish this year. You are not alone. You are IN CHRIST.