So What's the Good News?

I've learned that one of the hardest things in life is to accept bad news.

Whether you've just received bad news, are anticipating having to accept bad news in the near future, or are living in a world of nothing but rainbows and unicorns right now, the fact of the matter is that bad news in this life is inevitable.

Sometimes it's a grade. If you're in school right now, you've probably experienced some sort of bad grade from one time or another. What's especially hard is whenever it's a paper or exam that you spent a whole lot of time writing or studying for, only to be disappointed anyways. As you look at the grade in which you wish were higher, you must accept this bad news.

Sometimes it's a loss. When it comes to sports, this can seem extremely detrimental at the time. If you were to go ask Bill Buckner about Game 6 in the 1986 World Series, he could probably tell you something about the bad news of a loss. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18caPNisP2U ....for all you non-Red Sox fans! haha). As Buckner saw that ball trickle to right field after failing to field a routine ground ball, he had to accept this bad news.

Sometimes it's a lack of acceptance. Every single one of us has an ideal job we want. Or a dream school to get into. Or a dream career path. However, everyone getting accepted by exactly what we want just isn't possible. Sometimes you get rejected by the school you want to attend. Sometimes you don't get the job. So, what must you do if this happens? Accept this bad news.

Sometimes it's sickness or death. It doesn't take a genius to tell you that life on earth doesn't go on forever. Sometimes, the life of a loved one is cut shorter than you'd like. Sometimes doctors deliver news that you'd rather not hear. This is some of the worst news to accept.

So, you might be getting a little down from reading this now. So if bad news is inevitable, are we just supposed to sit around in fear of its arrival? This is where the Good News begins!

Scripture tells us in Psalm 112:7: "He will not fear bad news; his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord."

Is bad news to be expected? Yes! But, as Christians, we can see that we have nothing to fear! God is in control of everything that has ever happened, is happening, or will ever happen in the future! He knows what we need more than we ever will. He always knows what's best for us, and He has a perfect plan for everything to fall into place exactly how it's supposed to according to His will. As long as we have that trust in Him, our hearts can be confident in knowing that He will allow us to weather storms and overcome any news that appears to be "bad" in this life.

Additionally, whenever you find yourself facing some bad news, I suggest opening up Scripture...because it shows us that God has some amazing news for us!

"Worrying Christian":The Oxymoron

It was a typical Sunday this morning when I woke up in Chapel Hill. Well, as typical as it could be for me lately. I got up to fix my coffee and cereal and get ready for church; however, suddenly plans changed where I was no longer able to go. To be honest, this was just another thing for me to worry about at the time. But, as soon as I thought I had reached my breaking point, God showed up, right on time, to show me He's got this....and that He's had it all along. 

I will keep it blunt for you: I have been wrapped up in sin lately. Most people will immediately start wracking their brains trying to think of sins one could struggle with: drunkenness, sexual immorality, lying, maybe stealing? While many struggle with some of these things and I might to, that is not what I am referring to; I am talking about what I believe to be the most widely accepted sin in all of Christianity: worrying.

In Matthew 6, verse 25: Jesus states: "Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? " He goes on again in verse 34 and says: "Therefore, don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble on its own."

I sometimes make excuses for my worrying. I'll say things to myself like "It just shows how much I care!" or "It's just because I want things to work out!" or (as much as I'm ashamed to admit) "I know God's in control...but I just can't help but to still worry about it!" Well, we can ramble on and on about all the excuses we want, but if there's anything that Scripture shows us here, it's that God commands us to not worry. Within a matter of ten verse, God commanded us to not worry twice. To go against what God has clearly commanded in Scripture, is to sin. No matter how much we don't like to admit it or make excuses for myself, it really is as simple as that. 

Now, as I said earlier, I didn't get to go to my normal church this morning. But, first, let me back up for you a little bit.

 Lately, I have been stressed while at school. School and stress are pretty synonymous to me: so I worry about it. I have important exams I have to take: so I worry about them. I am a senior in college, so I am trying to figure out where I am going and what direction I am going to be headed when I graduate in May: so I worry about it. I'm a young woman (that's scary to say!), and I want the best for my health and body image: so I worry about it. At school, I'm away from family and relationships that are extremely important to me: so I worry about them. So, basically, I have been drowning in a sea of worry lately! 

So, back to this morning: I am overwhelmed and anxious about all of these things going on, so I was so excited to go to a place of worship this morning to really put all that aside....and the opportunity to go was suddenly gone: so I worried about it. I was initially upset about this and I didn't know what to do, so I decided to fix me a cup of coffee and listen to my old youth pastor preach from a podcast I had downloaded from his church a couple years ago. I scrolled down to one of the first sermons, and a sermon title caught my eye: "FEARLESS: Stop Worrying and Start Living." Of course, this caught my interest, and I clicked on it....only to find that God knew exactly what was going on. 

The sermon preached out of Matthew 6, and referenced the verses that I had mentioned above. I had to pause the sermon multiple times so that I could take notes from everything he was saying, because it all appeared to be things God was wanting me to hear directly! But, out of everything that was said, one statement really hit home for me:

"Worry is a slap in the face of the sovereignty of God."

Truer words could not have been spoken. I was so worried about everything going on around me, but to do so was to go against God's Word and tell Him that my situation was too big for Him to handle. Who am I to do that? Who am I to tell the God of our great universe that I'm worried that He's not going to take care of me when Scripture clearly promises me that He will? 

Needless to say, I'm so thankful God allowed me to hear the words He wanted me to hear this morning, even though it wasn't according to my initial "plan". I'm thankful He's given me a peace this morning about being diligent in the problems that I can do something about, and letting go of the problems that I can't do anything about. I'm thankful God can bless me with contentment in life, even when I sometimes desire more. But, mostly, I am SO thankful that I serve a God that is so much bigger than any test I could ever take, any family, friendship, or relationship problem I could ever face, any self-doubt that may come my way, or anything that doesn't fall into my "ideal plan"! 

My prayer today is that for me, and anyone reading this, to cast our worries, struggles, and anxieties to the Lord. Keep faith in our God, as well as faith in His timing, because at the end of the day, the spreading of the Gospel and our relationship with Him is all that really matters.