Cliffhanger

If it rains and rains and rains, don’t complain!

Jump into the water.

Readers are leaders, and I really wanted my kids to be great readers! I wanted them to devour books like I did. I understood that what I put into my mind shaped my character and produced my behavior, and it would do the same for them. So, I chose their cartoons strategically to support this goal!

One of my favorite shows to watch with them was “Between the Lions” where puppet-like lions intermixed with animated cartoons provided an element of reading instruction that appealed to young kids. Even today, I feel so connected to my favorite segment, "Cliffhanger"! So often, I echo his words…”Can’t hold on much longer!” Check out this clip!

If it rains and rains and rains, don’t complain!

Jump into the water.

Perspective amid the storm determines everything.

If you have taken the time to establish your house of faith on the sunny days, the storms will not draw you into a panic of faith-preservation.

When the tide comes in, it is too late to build, or reinforce, the foundation of the sandcastle. The tide will destroy the sandcastle; even if you put on your repairman overalls, the chaos will ensue as you watch the tide continually erode your design. Your focus will be preservation of the remnant, instead of fixing your eyes on Jesus in the challenging pull.

We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! Hebrews 12:2 The Passion Translation

Even if your life has felt like smooth sailing, don’t worry a storm will come. Will you be ready? It might be you have just passed through a storm and are feeling the calm. Hold onto your hat because another one is on the way. It might be that you are in the midst of the storm, fight to keep your perspective. Fight to keep your eyes on Jesus.

16 So no wonder we don’t give up. For even though our outer person gradually wears

out, our inner being is renewed every single day. 17 We view our slight, short-lived

troubles in the light of eternity. We see our difficulties as the substance that produces

for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison, 18 because we don’t focus

our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but

the unseen realm is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 The Passion Translation

A few months ago, my anxiety was great within me. Life seemed to be stormy at every turn. I almost acquiesced to a poor Angie party. I invited others, but nobody came to cheer on my pity! Others reminded me that my existence was not unique; Jesus agreed with them. The same things happen to all people. Here is what He said in the Sermon on the Mount,

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is

like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams

rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had

its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does

not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain

came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it

fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27 New International Version

God shows no favoritism. We are given extra measures of grace in difficult times but the expectations to keep our eyes lifted to God does not change.

As I was journaling the woes of my sad heart and discouraged mind, God impressed these thoughts:

Angie,

When life begins to feel so heavy that it weighs you down, you’re doing something

wrong. It might be avoidance. It might be lack of self-care. It might be leaning too hard

on a closed door. Whatever it is, you have to fix that—whether you feel like it or not,

whether you want to or not, whether you feel powerless or not. You have to do

something to change the trajectory. You have to adjust your eyes. Let go! Trust the

house of faith that you have built and jump into the water. Find your joy and find it on

purpose.

God

So, I took God’s holy advice. I let go. I wrote. I cried. Then, I stood up and jumped into the water. I found something that gave me joy. I don’t remember what I chose. It might have been a visit to Grandma’s. It might have been a funny show on Netflix. It might have been a bike ride. I might have even gone shopping. I don’t know. What I do know is that I laughed. I rested in what God said. My faith in Him had been established, was strong and would hold me steady in the midst of the swirl around me.

Today…put on your construction workwear. Build your house of faith.

I cannot emphasize it enough and it bears repeating! Build your house! It is your lifeline toward heaven. Read your Bible! Learn to hear His voice! Move past your mistakes! Don’t wallow in what has gone wrong; trust God that in your pain He is making everything beautiful in its time. If we love Him, He really does this—even when life feels very ugly in the present! BUILD YOUR FAITH!

Take a few minutes and respond to the tug of the Holy Spirit on your heart. The most important thing I have done in my life and in the lives of my children is to make sure that our faith has been established. It is a foundation that might shake but will NEVER be destroyed as long as we keep our eyes lifted to Him. It's okay if you can't hold on much longer. I've been there. Just let go and jump into the water.

God,

My pain has to have a purpose….or it just hurts. Please use my pain to produce healing in others so that I can have comfort and healing myself. I choose to let go. I keep nothing from you. Be everything within me.

Your Child