Livin' the Good Life

So, the past two days have been amazing! I look at what God has given, He has blessed me with good health, a loving family, an amazing youth group, and the one friend I would trust my entire life with. I went through a stage of doubt about 2 weeks ago, and i slipped up. I just said screw it to everything and i slipped into a stage of depression. I started smoking again, but tonight i decided to put it back down. During the two days when I was being so hard on myself I called upon the one guy whom I knew would listen to me and give me good advice. And after we had talked for a while he looked me dead in the eye and said, "David, even if you go back to all of your old ways I would still love you..." I have never, ever had a friend say that to me, and hearing it was the most awesome thing. I am glad that i went through that stage of doubting God, because it has strengthened my faith in Him even more today. I just want to say this to anyone who is doubting Him right now, and that is, don't you may feel like He has left you all alone or maybe you feel like He was never there to begin with, but I can tell you from experience, the times that seem the hardest are when He is with us the most. God will never put you through anything that you cannot handle. He will always be there to give you the strength and courage to survive what has been given to you. And just know that He is ALWAYS there to answer you when you call. He may not answer your prayers right away but He is always listening to what you have to say. I will end this with something I was reading last night in Soul Cravings by Erwin McManus....

Anna, on the other hand, was a dancer in Los Angeles who had grown up in a world of divorce, drug abuse, and homelessness. Barely out of her teens, she couldn't see herself making i through one more day. She went to an infamous spot in Pasadena called "suicide bridge." It was there she decided to bring her story to an end. In that moment, she decided to call out to God one last time--one of those gauntlets. "if you have anything to say about this God, speak now or forever hold your peace."

She didn't know her cell phone was on. There was no good reason to take it with her. No one ever called. And suddenly it rang--an unexpected call. Someone needed her, was looking for her, was wondering where she was, what she was doing. How could she end her life that day? There was something for her to do. Someone needed her. She had a reason to live.

Now if that is not a reason to believe I don't know what is.

Peace Hope and Love!

David