"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 3:16
It isn't a secret that our news stations are broadcasting tragedy after tragedy. Our hearts are breaking, our safety is in jeopardy, and our loved ones are gone. How can we be positive when we are surrounded by negativity? How can we go on with our lives knowing that today may be our last? One word: Jesus.
I've struggled with staying positive for the past few months. There have been days that leaving my house scares me. Sometimes I stand in crowds of people and think of all of the bad things that could happen. I have to be close to an exit, and I am constantly thinking of escape routes in case things go wrong. This isn't healthy. This isn't the world we are supposed to live in. This is terrifying.
I wasted so much time being scared that I didn't think about how I can change the world. I can change the world with just a few words. One prayer, one morning filled with worship, one positive feeling can change the world. In a world that is falling apart, we have to look up to find the glue.
When you're scared, pray. When you're still scared, pray some more. When you can't shake the feeling, keep on praying. My Pastor this week at church told us that if we are scared, we aren't praying enough. You can never thank God enough, you can never ask for too much, and you can never overwhelm Him. He will prevail. His perfection is so much stronger than the sin in the world. We just need to believe this, and carry it out in our actions every day.
I have been spending every bit of free time with the Lord recently. I pray, I worship, I spread the Gospel, and I praise Him for all the good that is being overshadowed. It's easy to be scared, it's easy to hide, it's easy to think of the worst case scenario. Our world is filled with tragedy, but Jesus never fails.