Reflection on 1 Peter Chapter One

What do we have to live for?
Everything, we know that God is preparing us for a day when we are without blame, when everything imaginable that is good will be ours. In Chapter One of 1 Peter he talks of how wonderful it is to know that this day is coming and that when we may feel down, when it seems that there are too many mountains, too many obstacles, we must keep this end in mind. We must have faith and know that that day will come, that the hardship and battles that we face will merely make us stronger in our walk with the Lord. What we have here on earth is not what is important and it is so incredibly difficult at times to remind ourselves of this, to slow down and focus on the treasure that we have in heaven versus the so called treasures that we tend to build our lives around here on earth. We have our cars, our name brand clothes, our careers, our relationships, our children and families, our goals, our foods and the list goes on and on...
It is so difficult to remember that these things are not what matters in the end, but the things that we do, how we act, what we say, and what is in our hearts are the true test.
Its not easy, there are so many things that go wrong in the everyday, so many struggles, decisions, and emotional times. However, through all of it we need to keep God in the center of our lives and do all things in Him, through, Him, and for Him..and these obstacles and mountains will not feel quite so large and indomitable. We are being put through the refiners fire, we will be tossed, hurt, tugged, pulled, and stretched. We will cry, we will feel that we can fall no further, that we have hit rock bottom...but through it all, we must know that we are in His hand, that we will be borne through it all, that we will come through all of it polished, stronger, beautiful, and shining in our Creator's image.

Tossed

Sometimes its hard to know the way

To and fro

Mind and heart go

Count the cost

What may be lost

Take a step

Take the chance

Or just fall back

Win or lose

Will you try?

Will you cry?

Come into bloom

Don't be afraid

Test your faith

Test your strength

Stand up

Stand tall

Grow

Lonely

Where do you go when you are lonely? I was listening to When the Stars Go Blue by Tim McGraw today, it is my new favorite song! However, the lyric regarding the place you go when you are lonely struck a chord with me and I have been mulling over this question all day. So often, one can feel so absolutely alone in the world, and it is good to know who you can turn to and where you can go when you are blue, when you are lonely, when you are overwhelmed or confused. Maybe you have a friend, that one person who will always be there for you, who is always by your side, who can make you smile when it feels like you life is in tatters. Maybe there is a physical place that you go, a certain spot in the world that you can go to, to think, to collect your thoughts, to breathe in and to breathe out. Perhaps you turn to the Word, perhaps you seek out your Heavenly Father, to talk, to build your faith, to find guidance and wisdom. Whatever you do, wherever you go, and whomever you turn to, I think that it is so important to ensure that you have these options in your life, that you know where you can go or what you can do when you need the support of another, when you can't do it all on your own. We try day after day to be strong, to hide vulnerability, to make it on our own, but the fact of the matter is that you can't sustain this forever. You need support, you need guidance, and you need somewhere to fall when you can't catch yourself. So build your spiritual relationships with God, read the Word, grow your faith! Call your friends, reach out to those around you, smile and say hi to someone, you will only be rewarded for taking the first step. Stop for a minute and look around you, take in the beauty of the world, breathe, laugh, cry...enjoy life. You only go around one time, don't waste it.