Random Thoughts on a Winter's Day - Pt 3

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1-3 ESV).

I can always “see” God on the warm, sunny days of the year better than the cold, gray days. That’s true physically and emotionally. The picture I’ve chosen today comes from a farm in Tennessee where I have hunted in the past. This particular view was taken in December on a cold, drizzly day when even the deer had better sense than to be out. I took the photo after the morning hunt was done and I was walking back to my truck for some warmth and a short ride home. As I trudged back to the truck about all I thought or felt was the failed hunt. However, I remembered thinking what stories this old barn could tell if it could speak. I wondered what times it had experienced. Perhaps there were joyous moments within its now crumbling walls when new births were welcomed into the world. There may have been sadder moments when age, or infirmity took the lives of some of the animals that sought refuge within it. The bones of the structure are old enough to have seen the horrors of the Civil War as opposing forces fought for what they believed in. It certainly could speak of the darkest of those days. It’s now simply forgotten, waiting for time and weather to consume it. It is easy to feel like that. So, I am brought to another short muse on this winter’s day. We are loved, even on our darkest days. God loves you so much. He loves you enough to give His Son for you, to watch His Son die for you, to put the sins of the world on His back for you. That is incredible love. Some days we may feel undeserving, blemished, or bruised. But God doesn’t see us that way. He sees forgiveness. He sees us as His beloved children, and there is nothing we may do to remove that beautiful image from His mind. On your darkest days, remember that He is with you. Remember that He loves you. Remember that He will never forsake you. Remember that His Son died for you, and all you need to do is repent and believe in Jesus and the forgiveness of sins. Then be cleansed, renewed, replace dark with light, and start again in His name.