Just the other day a friend of mine said, “if God is real then why does he keep testing my faith, taking me through dark battles, and making my life miserable?”

My response is simple…God is real. God is not a dictator, a ruler that forces you to do certain things in life. God is God and gives you choices, freedom, and direction in life. You get to choose what and who you follow or love.

My husband loves me. (duh) but if he loved me just because I demanded or forced him to love me, then it would not be true love. No one makes him love me. He chooses to love me. Just as I choose to love him and we choose to love and follow Christ. No one forces love, love is a choice.

Imagine it like this:

When you were born God handed you a road map that directed you through life step by step, turn by turn. Looking at the map you can see a straight road leading directly to eternal life. You can see the sun, the happiness, the path that God has given you. It’s pretty simple to follow, but you have to choose to stay on that path.

You can see it all laid out in front of you.

But then, life happens.

Like most road trips, after driving hundreds of miles, you get bored. You look up and see a sign that says “FUN THIS WAY” maybe it’s a sign for an amusement park or attraction or something that is tempting to follow, but whatever it is…you take the turn. Instead of following God’s roadmap for your life…you decide to take a quick detour down a road of “fun.” In your mind, you think “God won’t mind. It’s just a quick detour. I won’t be long…I just want to have some fun on this trip!”

So you turn…you turn away from God’s plan…

After a few years of fun, you realize this road is going nowhere. You haven’t found eternal life, you aren’t happy, you feel like your life is pointless again. You have no purpose and your struggling just to make it through each day. So, you keep driving down the same road…day after day, you are lost.

Then you see another sign of happiness. You look to the left of the road and you see a group of friends that look like they are having a blast. So, you ask them to show you the way. The world directs you to turn. So, you take the turn and join your friends for a while.

Years later, you’re stuck at a crossroad again. You’re bored, your life is pointless and you don’t know why you are so unhappy all the time.

Repeatedly, you take the wrong turn until one day you wake up and ask, “if god is real…where is He?’

The truth is…He’s on the road you started at. He’s still there! He never left your side. You decided to take the wrong turn and you left the path God had planned for you.

To get back to God, to find happiness, YOU and only YOU have to decide to turn back to Him. One right turn is one step back to Him.

Today you can decide to follow Him. Today you can find Christ. Today you can know that God is real!

Take that first step, and follow Him.

“Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:6

I pray that God will direct your steps, send you back to Him, and answer your prayers in His will. It’s easy to take a wrong turn and get lost in your own ways, but turn to Him and I promise you will find peace again.

I know that God is real because even when I took the wrong turn, more than once, I found my way back to Him by simply turning around and turning back to Him.

He never left my side, He never gave up on me, and He gave me peace that only He can provide.

God is real.

May God bless you and show you His Grace every day!

Several times throughout scripture we see where the Bible proclaims that we are “created in the image of Jesus Christ.”

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26-27

Sunday morning I met with our youth and discussed the meaning of “His Image.”

What comes to your mind when you think of the image of Christ? A man on a cross? A newborn baby in a manger? Maybe even a man in a white robe and sandals?

The truth is, when the Bible talks about us being created in the “image” of Christ its not talk about our physical characteristics.

When I had my 3D/4D ultrasound with my first son, it was obvious that he was going to have the “Rampey nose.” If you look at any of my nieces or my two boys or husband you’ll notice that they have a cute little button nose. Nothing crazy about it – it’s just a physical trait that they all have.

Carson, my 4 year old laughs all the time, and when he does his dimples shine for everyone to see! Blonde hair, blue eyes, and dimples….ladies…watch out! Asher has dimples too but not as defined as Carson’s are. They get them from me. Mine aren’t adorable and cute and precious as Carson and Baby Asher’s are…but they get them from me.

These are physical traits that my children obtained from their genes (parents/family line). What physical traits did you get from your family members? Anything cool? Do you look more like your mom or dad?

Think about it for a minute and then let’s take it deeper. My dad and I are more alike when it comes to our mindset. We are deep thinkers, emotional at times, a little bit of risk takers, adventurers, travelers, sometimes temperamental and impatient (refer to my teen years – prayer can change anyone), hard workers, and overall similar in a lot of ways. A lot of times my dad can look at me and know what I’m thinking because more than likely…he’s thinking it too.

This is kind of “image” the Bible is talking about. When God says we are created in His Image He wants you to know that He created you to be like His Son…have His mindset, set out to reach the same goals, and try to achieve a lifestyle that would be pleasing and similar to His. God didn’t create us as “clones” to Jesus Christ…we all know we are far from that. He created us to be followers of Christ, created in the image of His Son so that we can continue in His footsteps, share the Gospel with a dying world, and make a difference that only He can make.

Is your “image” closer to the image of Christ or the image of this world?

Do you desire to grow closer to Christ by being more like Him or would you rather find your way on your own and achieve your goals in life?

Every day you live you are either moving closer to God or further away from Him…

Which way are you moving?

My challenge for your today is that you’ll take a dry erase marker (with your parents permission)and write on your mirror “LORD, HELP ME LOOK MORE LIKE YOU.”

Every morning when you wake up and get ready for the day, pray that the Lord will help you look more like Him.

May God Bless you and Show you His Grace every day!

 

 

One night I dreamed a dream.
As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.
Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
One belonging to me and one to my Lord.