We all have things in our life that we don’t want people to bring up. Either things out of our past that are painful, perhaps the loss of a loved one. Or maybe we have experiences that we would like to forget, where we made decisions that had a painful consequence, like falling off our bike, or maybe just accidentally letting it fall over. I know I have these things, so I’m sure you do as well. We move on when stuff happens, but whatever “it” was, it had an effect on us. Maybe we are more careful now, or maybe we drown the memory in our favorite sedative. But whatever it is we want to forget, it never really goes away completely, and even now you are each remembering stuff, and you may even be thinking about coming up here to make me stop talking.

I want you to know that it is ok to have these feeling, and while we sometimes go to great length to avoid these memories and feelings, they are an important part of who we are. The Bible tells us that life isn’t always going to be easy, but it also gives us hope in times of trouble. Here is a verse you have probably never read;

Habakkuk 3:17-18 – Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty,I will still be joyful and glad, because the Lord God is my savior.

This is one man’s response to great trouble, he was probably a farmer or rancher, and even when everything went to heck, he reminded himself that God was still with him to help him through the low times. He remembered that he didn’t have to fight alone.

I will leave you with one extra verse that I have always found encouraging in times of trouble;

Isaiah 41:10 – Those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak.

So when stuff happens that we would prefer to forget, sometimes it is good to remember who we are and where our strength comes from so we can get up and keep going. I know I will, how about you?