Bro Ben often says: If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring. He sends you a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He listens. He can live anywhere in the universe, but He chose your heart. Face it, friend-He is crazy about you!” I think that is so awesome, and I want to briefly encourage you. God loves you. Not only does He love you, He sees in you what you can not see. I often am amazed at what God has done in my life. Not because I seek after title or position or anything like that. I am amazed that God uses my voice, because I consider myself the shyest person. I remember when I first moved to Modesto how incredibly quiet I was, and even now, although I interact with people, naturally I am incredibly quiet. But God saw something in me that I could not see. If you only knew the insecurities that I deal with on a daily basis, there are many, but I am amazed that God sees in me what I can not see.
I don’t know if no one has ever told you that they love you. I don’t know if your whole life you have been fed only negative feedback. I don’t know if someone has told you that you are not good enough. I don’t know if someone has told you that you can’t make it. I don’t know if you have been molested. I don’t know if you have been physically abused. I don’t know if you have engaged in premarital sex. I don’t know if you have gone to the clubs. I don’t know if you have done things you should not have done . But I want to let you know that God loves you. I want to let you know that you are so special to Him. I want you to know that He knows your name. He created you. You might think that you have no purpose but God says there is a purpose that lies within you. You might think that you are no one special, but God is saying ‘if you only knew how dear you are to me.’ I think He probably says ‘if you only knew the smile that comes across my face when I think of you.’
Don’t let your past dictate your future. Don’t let what other people have told you get you down. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t let insecurities keep you from seeing what God sees in you. Remember that you are special. Remember that you have a purpose. Remember that there is greatness that resides in you. Remember that God loves you. Remember: If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring. He sends you a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He listens. He can live anywhere in the universe, but He chose your heart. Face it, friend-He is crazy about you!”
Well school for me is almost over. As I look over the year and what I have done I realize that I did not accomplish anything I set out to do this year. I had three goals: write my minor field, take my qualifying exams and defend my prospectus. Unfortunately I did not complete any of those things.
In October my goal was to be ABD by the end of June. I was going to focus solely on school. That was my priority. Unfortunately, other things distracted me, and school became overwhelming so instead of being productive I let the stress of what I had to do get to me and now it is June I realize that none of my goals got accomplished. I say this because in the spiritual sense we might have had goals this year to get closer to God or to do certain things for Him. In January we might have said ‘this year I am going to pray more, I am going to read the Bible more, I am going to get closer to God.’ We might have said ‘I am going to lead Bible Studies, take a young person out to eat every month, come to prayer in the morning once a week.’ Yet now that it is June we look back and we say, ‘I am not reading the Bible as much as I should, I am not praying as much as I should, and I am in the same place relationship wise with God that I was in January.’ We might be saying ‘I did not take one young person out to eat, I didn’t even make it to prayer once a month.’ And we get discouraged. We can even think that we are the biggest losers for not accomplishing our goals.
But God does not see us that way. Rather than saying ‘I did not accomplish anything I set out to do,’ and rather than condemning yourself for the mistakes you have made this year, rather than seeing the glass as half empty (or the year as half over) see it as half full (as six more months to go). Rather than saying ‘I did not go to the church once this year to pray,’ say ‘this week I am going to try to make it.’ Rather than saying ‘I did not read my Bible as much as I should have,’ say, ‘this week I am going to call an accountability partner and I am going to start reading more of the Word.’ Rather than saying ‘I did not lead any Bible Studies,’ say ‘I am going to call Pastor or Bro. Ben and ask them if I can lead a small group.’ Rather than saying ‘I did not clean a widow’s house like I purposed,’ say ‘I am going to call a sister tomorrow and on Saturday I am going to clean their house.’ Rather than feeling like you did not do anything, think of what you still can do.
I let the stress get to me and I ended up not being as productive academically as I should. It got to the point that in March I was like ‘Well I have not accomplished anything yet, so I might as well stop fooling myself and stop trying.’ It might be that you are thinking that as well. That you are thinking that because it is already June and you have not done what you should have, that you might as well stop trying. God wants us to admit that we have not been as consistent as we should. He wants us to tell Him that we got our priorities messed up. He wants us to tell Him that we recognize that we have not accomplished our goals. But He wants us to continue to draw closer to Him. He is not condemning us for not praying as much as we should, or for not reading His word as much as we should. He is saying the opportunity is still here. It is not too late. So think of the glass as half full and those goals that you had in January, strive to meet them.