Sometimes I come home from Sidewalk feeling excited about what God did. Sometimes I come home wondering what in the world happened. Working in the inner city is a constant up and down. Some days you are thrilled because it is evident that God is working on the hearts of a kid that you have poured into. Other times you have to threaten someone's life.
On days (like today) where you feel like you were fighting an uphill battle, Petra's "The Battle Belongs to the Lord" should play automatically. There are so many battles that we face, both in the physical and the spiritual realms, and if we try to stand solely on our own strength, we will fail miserably.
We are teaching this week about doing the right thing. Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest us we do not give up." There have been a few days as of late, where giving up sounded like a good option. Thankfully, I have this little nugget of wisdom to fall back on. Perhaps some of you out there in Yogurtville, USA are feeling that way. Maybe making those right choices is wearing on you. Showing up to do your part is beating you down. To you (and to myself) I say, don't give up.
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." No. Life doesn't usually give you lemons. It squeezes lemon juice on your open wounds. When it does, keep walking. Keep standing. Keep serving. Paul said it best, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed (amen. I am often perplexed) but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body." (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)
On days like today, when things stopped going my way (Not just children acting a fool. The program wasn't exactly a disaster. Other things didn't go as planned today), I made a choice to continue walking with the Lord. Not to look to the right or the left. Not to think, "Is this really my calling?" Not to decide that I needed to do something else. Not to wonder if I got off at the wrong stop years back. But to continue with what I know is to be true. That I am supposed to show up every day, and love those kids. That I am supposed to continue speaking life into people. That I am a servant of my friend Jesus.
