I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter. Trust in God at all times, my people. Tell him all your troubles, for he is our refuge.
Psalms 62:5-12 (GNT)
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
I saw this license plate today while stopped at a traffic light. “ITS OK”. And I smiled and felt calm because it was a great reminder about life.
Honestly, I’m not ok with many situations in our world. I suspect many of us feel that way. We struggle with family, finances, health
and many, MANY other life issues. And we feel strong emotions when overwhelmed with heavy days. As many musicians have shared in recent years, it’s ok to not be ok.
Another musician puts it this way, ”It’s not okay but we’re all gonna be alright.”
We’re going to be all right? Really? And the truth is YES! It (life/us) is okay.
IT’S OK… because in faith we remember God is with us. We have hope that God is at work even when we don’t see it. You matter to God and to others.
IT’S OK…because we are part of something bigger. A bigger story. Through the work of the Spirit, we are connected to an amazing force in the universe. The daily struggles we deal with aren’t the whole story. You/We have a purpose that is at work in this universe. Daily, difficult struggles can’t diminish your purpose in this world. You make a difference. Live that out in your daily life.
IT’S OK…because as we spend time with God, we learn to view and respond differently to the daily struggles that never go away. We find our calm in God. Kind of like the world is a hurricane, but we learn to live in the center where it’s calm. God calls this Peace.
IT’S OK…because when we are at peace, then we are better able to change the parts of ourselves and our world that need to be changed. Peace helps us not to lash out with destructive words and behaviors when we feel upset or overwhelmed. Peace helps us to work with others to improve what can be
changed.
IT’S OK…because there is much that IS GOOD in our lives. One facility had a sign on the admin board that said “Every day you have two choices: To focus on what’s wrong or to embrace what’s right. Choose gratitude…Choose to see the beauty in the little things.”
God’s word to us is much like the musicians’ words. The close-up view is that very real, daily struggles exist. The big picture view is that we are all going to be all right. God’s got us.
Chaplain Karen Henderlong
