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Participating in 5 Minute Friday.

5 minutes to write about one word. Unedited.

Word: CARE

GO:

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Does He Care?

Do you find yourself asking this question of our God?

Do you find yourself just in the pit of pain and hardship, wondering when and if it will ever let up?

If you have been there or if you are there now, I shout it loud.

HE CARES.

This fallen world that is not our ultimate home is full of disorder, pain & suffering.  This is not how it was meant to be, and someday all will be restored.  Until that day, I want to grab on to this:

HE. CARES. FOR. YOU.

God’s got your back, Beloved.  He is for you.  He sees your struggle, hurt and pain.  He sees and promises to bring good out of it all.  There will be release.  There is hope.  It will get better.

In the meantime, join me in looking for His care.  It is all around us you know.

The past month or so has been a doozy for me and honestly there were days that were pure suffering for me both physically and mentally.  I hated every minute of it, but in the midst of it, I knew God still had me.  I knew this because He has brought me through so much already. When I look back, I see it clear that He has used pain and suffering in my life to bring about what matters most.  He has used it to change me.  He has used it to show me how desperately I needed Him and the hope that the suffering of His Son brought.

So in your pain, I encourage you to hold on.  Grasp hard to what is true.

YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE SEEN.

Hold on, even if it by that teeny tiny pinkie.  Raising your hand in faith, even in the midst of slipping, is obedience. Faith the size of a mustard seed can be miraculous when offered to God. You may feel weak, with only the smallest of fingers left holding on; a lonely, scary feeling of losing grip & falling, but guess what?  In your weakness He is strong. He is your strength.  His grasp, even in the slipping, is enough.  He’s got you. His grip is gentle and thorough and enough.

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Do you not feel it?  Do you not see it?

I know. I’ve lost sight too.

Let me encourage you to ask for eyes to see the smallest glimpses of this God who loves us so.  Look for the beauty in the pain.  It is there.  Focus on that bright red leaf that falls, dying yet beautiful, a reminder of seasons and how all things will be made new in time.

Find your thankfulness, even in the pain…especially in the pain. Thank Him for even the smallest of things when you can’t bear to look up for anything bigger.

Count them with me?

1. The taste of coffee in the morning.

2. A smile from a stranger.

3. A soft pillow to lay your hurting head.

4. Music.

5. That shirt you are wearing.

It might seem mundane and not worth your while, but just do it.  Start listing the gifts.  There are so many.  Join me.  I’ve stopped counting blessings and I miss the way it changed me and made me see how He cares. It will also change you.  Thankfulness in the midst of pain will change you.

This change might not happen right away, but keep at it.  Let us count together, claim the promise that He cares for us, hold on with the smallest of fingers & open our eyes even to the smallest of blessings.

Let’s count, change, and see together.

In turn, we will start to feel what we know is true.  Sooner rather than later, we will feel His care.

STOP.

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Will you join me & list a few gifts right here and now in the comments?  I’d love to hear of the things that you see, for they, too, will change me.