WINTER'S COLD WARM HEART

 Winter's cold: the uncertainty, the hardships we face as we take a look at the past, at particular locations, amongst individuals or groups leading to the present, looking at things that made life uncomfortable(difficult) during specific occasions.

    There were times when life seemed as if it was at a standstill, nothing good seemed to be taking place in my life. Having had that experience, I felt all alone in sadness and I felt unloved. In those times my journey seemed hard and I was often discouraged by my own thoughts, lack, words, and actions of others. At times I felt defeated and isolated physically and mentally, therefore my spiritual life suffered as well. At these times I had no friends or family to turn to for encouragement or help. My immediate family was suffering also. We were surviving by the bare minimum and feeling the sting of failing to move forward to where we needed to be in life for that moment or the future. Religion was all that I knew and that had put a limit on my life(with the message of “Do as I say and don't do as I do”, that was almost always heard or implied).

      Things were escalating all around me, and all seemed very hopeless as if God was not even hearing me when I was praying. Other times it was hard to pray because I couldn't find the words—just the right words to say. I didn't understand why I was looking for perfect words but it seemed like I needed the perfect thing to say to God, when he's not looking for perfection. He is looking for a true heart that will come and speak to him, about the worries and things that weighed me down. Still, I kept waiting and trying to find the right words. All the while, in the back of my mind, I thought my burdens were too much for him and maybe I was just wasting my time because he had so many more people to care for.  Often I thought that my worries and my burdens were trivial in comparison to others and that I was simply just being a burden to God. So, I kept them to myself and It didn't help because. They were there and nothing was being solved. Stress lent a hand to my worries which added sickness and anxiety. This did not occur just once in my life but repeatedly. You see, there are times that we the imperfect people of god, forget that he is always there, ready and waiting to help us. We work ourselves into sickness and sometimes bring ourselves down to rock bottom before reaching out to him. You have to understand that as human beings, with the ability to choose, we often choose to try and fix situations ourselves without knowing where to start, how to, and what do we need to fix things. Therefore, we get to the stage where we're feeling backed up in a corner, and as said, “Caught between a rock and a hard place”. Some of us when just hitting rock bottom, realize right away and recover by crying out to God and others for help. Others don't realize it immediately and struggle for years to recover while being stagnant in their position. As for me, there are times that I feel stuck in the position that I'm in at the time, and I struggle to find my way out. It’s then I realized that there is help if I only reach out. Then, I turned to God and simply said, "Help me! Lord I need help"!

        It's now that I get to the point where I start remembering some gospel songs and hymns that are so soothing and fitting for the situation that I was in, after which, Bible scriptures come to my mind to comfort me, and help me find my way out of being stuck. Such as:

Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". 

        I was not presenting and requesting, but worrying and stressing. I found out that there's nothing too hard for God and there's no problem too great that he cannot solve.

 Jeremiah 33:3 NIV says, Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

        I learned through the Bible(the Word of God) that God will answer my prayers, teach me how to handle my situation, and show me things I've never seen or heard of. There were so many things that I didn't understand, that he caused me to understand through reading his word and asking for his wisdom to share and apply to my life and my family. Never misunderstand me, I don't know or understand it all, but I'm learning as I go, how to tap into the source(Christ Jesus) to achieve the benefits of the Kingdom of God, but it starts with understanding what it's all about. There is so much more to know and understand. I learned that it takes a daily prayer life[Thessalonians 5:17 NLV Never stop praying. (AMP-be unceasing and persistent in prayer;) ] and reading the word consistently.

Warm heart: Once you start to learn how to read for the understanding of the word, you will know what to do when troubles and trials come into your life, and things seem overwhelming. There is no greater feeling than the joy that Jesus gives through a song, words of encouragement, and most of all, the word. You can now think clearly and even hear the still small voice of the Lord, guiding you out of your troubling situations, out of that corner you are stuck in. 

Side Note: Sometimes the Lord will send help without you lifting a finger or saying a word because he knows your heart and he sees its posture(what you are thinking, deep into your spirit). 

Stay faithful! Keep your heart warm.