After the Storm

Life here on earth is not easy. It is filled with pain and sorrow. There are good times, but often, they seem to be overtaken by the tough times. We have very few moments of pure joy in life. It seems that there is always something to bring us down. Unfortunately, that’s life. But for some, this is not the only life. For those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, there is another life: an eternal one. So why is there so much pain and suffering here? Why do we have to deal with death? Because the only way to appreciate life is by feeling the pain of death.

Death is scary because we don’t have the power to stop it. Humans are so small and death is so full. We are all going to live here and someday we will all die. But that doesn’t have to be the end. God has the power to give new life, and He will. So I don’t have the fear of dying because I know that I will live again. And unlike this life, Heaven is eternal. We can live forever.

But eternity is only one part of this new life. In Heaven there is no pain, no tears, no death, and no fear. There is nothing that causes unhappiness, just pure joy. This is because Heaven is where God is. It is the place where He resides, and we have a chance to live with Him! I have a hard time imagining what it could possibly be like to live with God, the Creator of the universe. I do know that I long for it with all my heart. Revelation 21:4 says “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or sadness. There will be no more crying or pain.”

We all have the choice to live with no pain for eternity. That is the power we have all received. God has given us free will to choose our destiny. It’s up to you. So, wherever you choose to invest your love here on earth is where you invest your life. I have chosen to give my life to Jesus because I want that eternal reward. Matthew 6:19-21 says “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

So why believe in God? Because the reward is so great. The famous mathematician Blaise Pascal once said “Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists” Personally this is not the reason I believe, but it makes sense. If what God says is true, then I will receive the greatest reward imaginable: a chance to live happily forever. Who wouldn’t want that?

During the Storm

Life is hard; there is no doubt about that. Everyone experiences pain and hardship at some point in life. Pain is one thing that we all share as a part of life here on earth. Even though pain is one thing we all have in common, we all have the choice how to deal with it. Pain can tear someone down and even end their life… or it can make them stronger. I firmly believe that pain and unhappiness is what builds character. It’s easy to live life when everything is going well. It’s hard to keep living when it seems that the whole world is crashing down.

So what should you do when you are suffering through the pains of this life? How do you keep going when the storm seems like it will never end? You may feel that you are out of options, that nothing will help. When I am struggling to get through each day, I look up. I turn to the Creator of the universe, the One who gave me life. You may be in a situation where you feel like you have nowhere to turn, but God is always there. He loves you more than anything and will help you in your times of pain and unhappiness. But you have to trust Him and ask Him to help you.

Unfortunately people tend to turn against God when life gets hard and they experience pain. It’s easy to blame God for the bad things that happen in life. If God is all-powerful then why do such bad things happen to people? Couldn’t He have stopped them from happening? Yes, God can stop these things from occurring. So since He has allowed so many people to experience hardship, there must be a reason for it. God has a plan for everyone’s life. There have been many things in my life that I didn’t want to happen. But now looking back on the past, I can see why some of these things have happened. I am who I am because of my experiences. I wouldn’t go back and change any of them even if they caused me pain then and some even cause me pain now. There are things that I think that I need, but God knows what I need.

So instead of turning away from God during the storms of this life, I turn to Him. I look to God for help and for support. I know that He will not give me more than I can handle. Personally, I have a great support system to turn to when times get tough, but the first thing I do is get down on my knees and turn to God.

Now just because I go to God for help doesn’t mean that He is going to end the pain right away or give me an immediate solution. But He gives me the strength I need to make it through. There are things that we can discover in our tough times that can be invaluable later on in life. During these hardships, I find out much more about myself compared to when times are good. Many who make a positive impact on this world get their strength from the adversity that they have faced in life.

So when you are having a tough time in life and are experiencing pain, turn to God because he loves you and wants to help. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Life is going to be hard; there is no doubt about that. But you don’t have to go through it alone. God will always be there for you. All you have to do is turn to Him.

Strength in Weakness

As a man, I know how important it is to be strong. Men are supposed to be tough and show off their strength to others. In our society, this is ingrained in young boys. As they get older, strength and toughness is rewarded, leaving most men to believe that strength is the one of the most important aspects of a man. So it is not easy for me to admit I’m weak. It is even harder to find strength in my weakness. So when I read that Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5), I have a hard time accepting this. No man wants to be considered meek, especially an ex football player and future cop. Both football and law enforcement emphasize toughness and strength. But I know that I need to be weak in order to be strong.

In my relationship with Jesus, there is no room for me to try to be strong because I’m not. Anytime I try to do things on my own, I fail. Time and time again, I try to do things on my own without God. The outcome is always the same: failure. I can’t do things on my own because I’m just human. I have no control over nearly everything that happens in this world. But when I rely on the Creator of the world, I begin to have success, happiness, and fulfillment.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, God tells Paul “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” At first glance, this doesn’t make any sense. How can God’s power be made perfect in weakness? We’ve all been told success comes from strength and doing things on your own. But God says that it’s the opposite. We are all sinners, so we’ve all fallen short of the glory of God. Therefore, it’s only through grace that we are saved. We accept God’s grace by surrendering our will to Him. Through this surrender, we have to admit our weaknesses. By becoming weak and surrendering it all to him, His power is made perfect.

So in 2 Corinthians 12:10 Paul says “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Only by surrendering to God and admitting weakness, can we begin to live. This is why I fail when I try to do things on my own. By attempting to be strong, I’m telling God that I don’t need His grace. And through my failure, God is telling me that I’m wrong. I don’t need to be strong on my own because I have a God who will be strong for me. He will help me in times of struggle, pain, and hardship. He will also celebrate with me in times of joy and success.

Right now I am trying to find a job and start my career in law enforcement. The hiring process for police officers is a long and drawn out affair. It includes a physical test, a writing test, a background check, an interview, a polygraph, a medical exam, and a psychological exam. Only by passing all these steps will I be hired as a police officer. It will be easy for me to try to do all this on my own. If I’m strong enough to be a police officer, I should be strong enough to pass these tests on my own. But I’m not going to do this on my own. I’m going to turn to my God who loves me enough to die on a cross for me. I will never understand God’s grace. But I am going to accept it and rely on Him to get me through whatever life gives me. I will admit my weaknesses because through God, when I am weak, I am strong.

Truth

We all want to know the truth. Very few of us want to hear lies or untruths. For most, life is a search for truth and for happiness. I believe that I have found both. The purpose of this blog is for me to describe the truths I have found in life. These are my life experiences and what I hold in my heart. This is one way for me to express my beliefs and thoughts to anyone who might want to read them. For me writing can be a very cathartic tool. I am not a great writer (as my friend Nate Purdy has told me many times), but I write about what is on my heart and on my mind. So for my first post, here are the truths that I have discovered are most important in my life.

1. There is a God. For me, there has never been any doubt in my mind that God exists. I have been taught since a young age that there is a God. As I have gotten older I have seen God more and more in life. I see God in the beauty of nature. I see God as people help others in times of crisis. I feel God in my heart when I am in the highest of highs… and lowest of lows. To me it seems impossible to think that God doesn’t exist. I look out at mountains and at flowers and see The Artist at work. I can’t imagine a world where there is no hope of something greater than what we see here on earth. I have no doubt in my mind that God exists.

2. God loves us. God not only exists, but He wants to be part of our lives. He created humans in His image, so that we would serve Him in all that we do. Now I know that there is so much pain and heartache in this world, and that many have a hard time accepting that there is a loving God. But I see that pain as proof of His love. First, He has given us a choice to live as we choose- free will. He loves us so much that we get to choose how we live our lives. God doesn’t make anyone do anything. Unfortunately many people have chosen to hurt others and cause a great deal of the pain that we go through. Still, each and every one of us has the ability to choose love instead of hate. That leads to my second point: There is another world for us. There is a world with no pain, or hurt, or unhappiness. Everyone has to suffer through this life. But he has given us another world where there is no suffering. And this world goes on forever. Sure life can be tough here, but when I think of an eternity of peace and happiness, it doesn’t seem so bad. I can live through a few years of pain when I have a future in Heaven.

3. I am a sinner. Through free will, God has given us a chance to be perfect in His sight. But we have all fallen short of the glory of God. We have all done things that go against what God has taught us. He has taught us to love… and we hate. He has taught us to help others, but we hurt them instead. There is no logical explanation for the things that humans do. Every day I have a chance to get up and live and righteous life, but I fail every single day. There is no way for me to avoid sinning, but there is a way for me to overcome my sin.

4. There is forgiveness. Over 2,000 years ago, God sent His Son to earth. He lived with us and taught people how to live, how to love, and most importantly, He taught us about forgiveness. Jesus lived a perfect life, but He was hung on a cross and killed. His death is what gives me life. He took our sins upon Himself on that cross. He was the final sacrifice. And when He rose three days later, he overcame death. So when I go to God in prayer and ask Him to forgive me for all that I have done, He does. And through that forgiveness I am saved. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). I try to live a righteous life, but when I fail, I turn to my Savior.

5. God is the most important part of my life. Asking God for forgiveness once isn’t enough. God wants to have a personal relationship with me. He wants me to serve Him with all that I do. He wants me to go to Him when I have a problem. He wants me to love others as He has loved me. My relationship with Jesus is the most important thing in my life. He is more important than my fiancée, my career, my finances, my family, and my friends. I get to have a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe. When I die, I get to spend eternity with God in a world of peace and love. What could possibly be better than that?

That is a quick overview of the most important truths that I have discovered in life. I know there are many who have the same beliefs as me. I also know there are many who share few or none of these beliefs with me. I pray that you can find God and get to know Him. I plan to continue to post more of my discoveries of truth. I would love to hear people’s thoughts about this post whether public or private. Thank you for taking the time to read what is on my heart and mind.

God bless!

Cameron