This has been a tough year for me. My mom passed away in February. My dad developed Alzheimer's. Family members have stopped speaking. Relationships have fractured. Partnerships have dissolved. It’s felt like one attack after another. And I’ve questioned why God isn’t fixing everything.
But there’s one image that I have in my mind that seems to fix everything.
The image of Jesus pulling Peter up from sinking in the water reminds me to look up.
In the midst of life’s storms and waves we get to choose what we focus on. Do we focus our eyes on the problems, pains, and hardships? When we do that we will inevitably sink. Or do we fix our eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of our faith? When we do that God lifts us up above the fray.
Christmas can be a painful time of year for many who have lost loved ones. There’s a deep painful void in our hearts that nothing in this world can fill. C.S. Lewis once said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
Men, don’t lose hope by focusing on the waves and storms that surround us. Keep your eyes on Jesus. He has overcome this world. And share that hope with others!