Shake it off!

Yesterday we had a powerful sermon at Church. It is the kind that makes you want to change how it is that you view incidents in life. Made me feel re energised to end the year well too. It was a lesson well delivered.

Most of us have had a challenge of sorts in our life. The kind that makes you think that you are the first one to experience it. It might be pain of loss or separation. When this happens we get so disoriented and thoughts of quitting are not far off. We often wonder if God can be with us at such times. Mainly because people around us may not be so supportive of us.

It is comforting to know that God knows each one of us personally. He has it all planned out, the stuff that we encounter in our lives. And for those called by his name, he does not allow anything that will overwhelm us to happen. Yes challenges do happen but he is there with us. And since he is with us we can call on him to fight it out for us, to his glory. There is nothing more pleasing to God than when we can firmly say that we have made it thus far by his grace.

There is a Sunday school song that says that we serve a real big God. It is easy for kids to envision that. But for grownups, we often do not grasp the might of God. That is until he comes down and lifts us up of that hopeless situation, do we proclaim that we could not have done it without God. We realise that he allows trials in our lives so that when nothing else will work, when we have reached to the end of ourselves, he can step in and make a turnaround that leaves us convinced that indeed only he could have done it for us.

Often times in my life I have noticed that God uses silent reminders to get me back close to him. Times I do get caught up in stuff so that I do not spend enough time with him. It just goes to show that since I am his he is not about to let me wander off. God is possessive of those that are called by his name. I have often had him intervene in the most spectacular ways in my life.

So back to yesterday's sermon. A story is told of a farmer who had several donkeys on his farm. All of them were good donkeys that worked hard and he was proud of them. All except this one donkey. He was not so good looking and was often times lazy. He did not perform to the expectations of the farmer. But since he belonged to him the farmer decided to keep him just as well.

And so one day the farmer received news that one of his donkeys had fallen in a well. He was quick to enquire which one of them had fallen. On being told that it was the lazy one he was not so concerned about him. In fact he instructed his workers that since the donkey had decided to bury himself, they might as well aid him. And so the farmers and his workers, shovels at hand, took off to bury the donkey alive.

But something amazing happened! Each shovel of earth they threw in, the donkey would shake off, step on it and come up. And soon the farmer realised that instead of allowing himself to be buried alive the donkey was climbing higher and higher out of the well.

Often times in our lives people may write us off. They see no hope for us and go ahead to declare the same. But for us who have the Jesus on our side all may not be lost yet. It is when we are down to the last level that God gives us strength to Shake off whatever is pulling us down, step on it and rise up above it by his power. And so the next time you feel bogged down and discouraged just remember the story of that donkey. And do just what he did. Shake it off, Step on it and come out! With God on our side, we will do it.

May God give you grace to use this revelation in whatever situation in your life. And may you come out victorious all for the glory of his name.

Let me wish you all a very Merry Christmas and blessings in the new coming year!