From Death to Life

But the truth is, life is hard.

And difficult and not how you like it or wanted it to be. Because every disappointing circumstance, and every longing for more, along with every overwhelming sense of unsettledness. Is hard.

So your complaints reach to the heavens, because that's what they do when things feel hard and not right. And every emotion rises. Your frustration in the hard things, your futility in the impossible things, your fear in the unknown things. In those things that pull at you so as to drown you in that place of despair, where everything feels a fight. Because everything stands against you.

So your complaints, they rise. High and mighty, they rise, and self-pity takes hold. It’s what happens, every time.

But, when self-pity claims its territory in your life, and your every right mounts high so as to defend you. Beware. Because that’s when death happens. Every time. It does, every time. There, where self-pity is, death becomes rampant.

And you are no match for its hold on you. You are no threat to its grip over you. When you allow it in. When you side with it. And death takes over. You are no match. It’s true.

Because there is only One Who has conquered the grave (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).

And the truth is, life is hard. Yes. But not only hard, life is impossible. Yes, life is impossible, without Christ. Without the One Who is Life, life is impossible.

Yet you were created for life. You, who struggles with those emotions, and battles over them thoughts of self-pity that only bring death, yes you, who forever despairs over the impossibility of it all. You were created for Life, for Christ Jesus Himself, for the One Who is Life and Light to all. You were created for Him.

So don’t you side with death, but choose life instead. It’s what you were created for!

And self-pity fades when at once you see and you know and you trust Christ, that...

He is for you, not against you;
He is guiding you, not hiding from you;
He is calling you, not scolding you.

Then you know God for all He is - Life and Light to you. By sending His Son to die for you, so He could have you once again, be united with you once again, walk freely alongside you once again. So you can be free to know the abundant life He intended for you. So you can be free to know Him, the Bread of Life, Christ Jesus Himself.

Where death no longer has its grip on you, but life is yours, because Christ is yours, your very Life and Light!

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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him... In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” - John 1:1-4

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"... But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 15:55, 57