We have a choice whether or not to follow Christ. He does not promise us a life without trouble, but He does promise us His unending love.

My Reflection

The other day I was scrolling social media. You can imagine my feed because it’s probably not all that different from yours. There’s some good, some funny, and a whole bunch of negativity and divisiveness. I wish Jesus had a Facebook. Am I right?

As I mindlessly scrolled, I was struck enough by a particular post that I stopped to read it. I was paused by the anger behind it. I quickly decided to abandon it and kept going.

A few moments later, I stopped to read a second, entirely different post. This post felt equally as enraged as the first. But what interested me were the striking differences between the two writers. These two writers, and their messages and posts, could not have been any more different from each other. But their anger was the same.

Our Troubles

So I found myself reflecting on anger and all of its “cousins:” frustration, impatience, criticalness, irritation, and more. I thought about how these apply to me and how they’re a stronghold for me. I was flooded by one thought: it is unending.

There is no depth or ending for anger. It can last decades, generations even, and grow to a point that all it does is destroy everything in its path. Other strongholds are like this too, right? Sin takes hold so strongly that if we don’t turn from it towards God, there’s no end to it. We will quickly find ourselves lost in it. And it will take many forms, sometimes causing us to be blind to it.

His Truth

And while I held this thought in reflection, God quickly revealed His truth: He is infinite, He has no end either. God has no limitations, no barriers. He can fill us without end and fulfill to no end!

So we have a choice. We can choose to be fulfilled by our strongholds, our pain, and our emotions so dark and deep that they feel hopeless. But we can also choose to live our lives in relationship with God. He will be our strength and absorb our burdens. He will light our path and fill us with hopeful joy at His mercy and grace.

In John 16:33, Jesus tells us,

“In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

He does not promise us a life without trouble. We will experience sin and strongholds. But He does promise He has already won. For those who choose the path of Christ, we can walk in the footprints of this unending love and victory.

You can read more of His truth with the YouVersion Bible.