HOLD GOD'S PROMISES CLOSE TO YOU
People ask me all the time how I manage my life as a single parent and still remain sane. The truth is I’m not. I am in a constant panic moving about my day and sometimes trying to remember if I brushed my teeth or brushed my hair. My life is busy. I manage to be a mom and fully involved in my son’s life, I work a full time job, I am a full time student, manage my household, grocery shop, setup play dates, cook meals, family functions, church activity, sports, and whatever else life throws in my direction. In my chaotic world I always hang on. I hang on to the promises God has for me. I hold on to the ultimate plan he has for my life. I couldn’t do this single mom thing without God. He is the shoulder I cry on, he is my comforter when I am down, and He is the one I praise for all my many blessings he has given to my life.
My daily devotional verse this morning was 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” This reminded me that I am not the person that I once was. Jesus has made me new. It took bringing a fatherless child into this world in order for me to become this person; this woman God wants me to be. Through all of the worry, sleepless nights, tears, and heartache I have been made new. It is so wonderful that we can serve a Lord that forgives our sins. If God can forget our sins, why can’t we forgive our past?
Just because you are a Christian doesn’t mean that you will ever have a perfect life and that you will never have any problems. However, God promises not only to meet us in our suffering, but also to use our suffering for good. When I am in the middle of a storm, this is a very hard thing for me to remember. I often question God and his plan. God promises that after every storm there is beauty on the other side. Through my path of destruction and the dark place I was in, that beauty was my son, Charlie.
Give God your fears, pain, worries, stress or any other problems that you may encounter and you will receive peace and his unconditional love in your heart. As a single mother I leave you with one message. Don’t lose hope. You are not alone. Hold on to God’s promises. He sees your tears. He hears your prayers. He is working in you. Just be patient and his time for you to understand the storm will shine with the beauty he is about to unfold in your life.
