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I was really excited when I heard there was another Toy Story movie coming out. I am not a huge fan of animated films but Toy Story is different. It’s not just ANY animated movie. It is THE BEST ANIMATED FILM EVER. I think my emotional attachment to these films really grew when my nephew was about 18 months old and I was able to introduce him to the Toy Story movies. His two new best friends soon became Woody and Buzz Lightyear (or Bee Light-Light has he referred to him). He was obsessed and had to have everything that had Toy Story on it. I loved that he loved something I loved. I wanted to take him to see the third installment before he and my sister moved back to Washington but that didn’t happen, so in honor of him, my mom and I went together on Saturday afternoon.
I have to admit I had a lot weighing on my mind and I thought this would be the perfect escape. The movie was good but it was also emotionally draining. I found myself constantly relating to these characters and the plight they were going through. Every time they completed one obstacle another one stood in their way. They were determined but honestly I don’t know where they found their strength. I was emotional exhausted by the time they were almost melted to death in the incinerator. So when they had their last run in with Lotso. All I could think was “Just give up! You can’t do this. Stay at that daycare and make the most out of the situation you’re in. What you’re trying to do is too hard… so just stop trying.” These words echoed in my head as I said them silently. Where have I heard that before? These are the words the devil whispers in my ear every time things get hard and I get discouraged. Even when I feel like I have no other options the devil always reminds me that I have that one… to give up and admit defeat.
But I don’t, no matter what happens. I refuse to give up. My youth group is currently studying the book of Psalms. This past week we looked at Psalm 31, a complaint psalm in which the writer feels utterly abandoned and alone. At one point he even says, “… I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction and my bones grow weak…. I have become like broken pottery.” The writer of this Psalm is at the lowest point in his life, a point where it would be all too easy to just give up on life but he doesn’t. Why? In the latter verses of the Psalm he tells us, “How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you…. The Lord preserves the faithful but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” I don’t give up because like this Psalmist, I know that the Lord rewards the faithful and my hope rest in Him. I hold on to the promises that God has made to me. I know that God has a plan for my life and His purpose is not yet completed therefore even when I feel like giving up, I can’t. Isaiah 40:29-32 says it best:
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
I draw my strength in the Lord. I’m not living for now; I’m living for eternity. But what about people who don’t know Jesus? People who don’t have that relationship? How do they keep going when they feel like it’s impossible to face another day? How do they keep going when they think that this life is all we have? I couldn’t do it because here’s the thing… the thing that no one ever talks about, the thing that most people don’t like to admit to themselves much less anybody else. Contrary to popular belief, life is not good. Life is hard. It’s not fair. Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to people who don’t deserve it. When you overcome the biggest obstacle in your life there are three more obstacles behind it. The people we love the most hurt us. When we think we’re at our lowest something else comes crashing into our lives that brings us down even further. Life is crappy. If it were something that I could physical touch, I would punch it. If it had a face, I would punch it in the face.
Life’s not fair but God is good, all the time. He is the same today, tomorrow and always. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. He is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
My heart breaks for the people in this world who are suffering and don’t know Christ. This is my mission, this is my call. This is the reason God has called me to the World Race. To reach out to the wounded, the oppressed, the hurting, and the unloved people of this world and show them the love of Christ and the hope they can have in Him. Will you partner with me in helping to bring the gospel to people who so desperately need to hear it?
I made a personal commitment not to go to camp unless I had $6,000 raised/pledged. As of tonight I have $4,977. I need $1,023 in the next week. It’s not impossible but it won’t be easy. I ask that you prayerfully consider supporting my ministry and give as God leads you.
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