It Doesn't Matter.

It doesn't matter- He's there.

It doesn't matter where you are, where you've been, or where you're going. It doesn't matter what you've said, what you've wanted to say but bit your tongue, or what you will say In the future. 

He's in the wind, the trees, the sunrise, the sunset. He's there with you when you have your morning coffee, when you're sitting at your desk at work, when you're traveling near and far. ​

He's in the moment of your biggest regret, He's in the moment of the most joy-filled experience you've been through. He's in the belly laughs, he's in the heartbreak and tears. He's been there, whether we like it or not, every moment of every day of every one of our lives. He's never left. 

It might have felt like He was surely missing through parts of it-

Where was He when the shooting happened at school?
Where was He when my friend lost his battle to cancer?
Where was He when the accident took innocent lives? 
Where was He then?

We see what's going on around us. We see the turmoil, heartache, pain, destruction, and chaos that this world possess. We see the crimes, the job losses, the broken families and marriages, we hear of the recent groundbreaking story, we see the fear imprinted on every heart that turns on the news.  Where is He in it all? He's there.

It's easy to focus on the negative, because it's mostly all that surrounds us. It's easy to talk about what we don't agree with, what should be different, about who did us wrong, about what was unpleasant about the day. It's easy to complain. It's easy to create lists of things going wrong, but when we flip the perspective and someone asks what was good about your day, about what God has been faithful in your life, isn't it sometimes tougher to create a list for that? 

In the craziness of the holiday season, it's easy to get wrapped up in stress, last minute shopping, parties, presents, and time spent with family and friends. Our minds can slip past the goodness of this season, of the true meaning of it all- that Jesus came. Jesus walked this Earth that we walk. He healed. He loved. He baptized. He carried a heavy cross on His back and then died on that very cross. And at every moment, through every single second in history, He has never left. He has always been, and always will be.

No, we can't see it. We can imagine it, but we won't ever be able to go and see it for ourselves. We can't see the love He had for us. We can't even imagine it now- we can try, but we will never fully grasp that fierce and deep love that He has for us. The love that caused Him to take on the pain of dying on the cross, just so He could save us. 

We couldn't see what He went through, we can't see physical proof of the miracles He performed, and sometimes we forget that we can't see all that He's doing right now. We see what's going on around us, we experience the pain and heartbreak that comes with daily life, and we forget that even though it might not feel good, that He's still in it. In your highest highs and your lowest lows, He's never left your side. 

Maybe all you see around you Is bad. But, that's not how we have to live, that's not the perspective we have to share, not the focus of the words that come out of our mouths. Sure, it might be bad, but God's still in it. Look for the good that He is weaving into the story, no matter how messy it is. Speak those truths. Speak the good. Be the good.

We've been singing "Waymaker" in church lately, and I love the verse where it says, "Even when I can't see it, you're workin'. Even when I can't feel it, you're workin'. You never stop, you never stop workin'." It's been such a heavy reminder on my heart that even through circumstances that I don't understand, even through years of what seem like unanswered prayers, even through the things that pain my heart the most, that God is still in it. He's never stopped working, and He's not going to stop until His purpose for it is complete. He's not stopped working for you, either. 

So no, we cannot focus on what's around us. We cannot forget the love that Jesus has for us, the love that was born in a few short days over 2000 years ago. As 2 Corinthians 4:18 says: For what Is seen Is temporary, but what Is unseen Is eternal. 

What's around us will eventually be gone. Each and every one of us will be gone. What we see now, we won't see in the future. But what remains the same is this: It doesn't matter where you are, where you've been, or where you're going. It doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter how messed up or how great you think you are, He loves you the same.

Always has, always will, and in this ever-changing world we live in, you can be certain of this one thing: that His love will always stay the same. 

It doesn't matter- He's there.

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