Casandra Martin

This morning it’s the quiet, solid, determined words of Paul that are speaking perspective and strength into my soul. Listen. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Do you hear it? Paul looks at his struggles, his hardships, his brokenness, and his heartaches and sees God at work in them all. I don’t know what is pulling at your heart today, but I can hold your hand and remind you that God doesn’t waste anything. He uses every moment to draw us deeper into His purpose and more tightly into His love. Grace has the power to weave its way into our desperateness and change our souls. It can be slow. It can be hard. But Paul reminds us that because of Jesus, it is possible to experience joy and abundance right where we are today.

My Jesus Resolution is to be courageous. Fear has a way of making my soul feel like it is filled with cement. Doubt sneaks in, coloring my vision. Weariness just makes me wonder if it is all worth it. Jesus tells me to not lose heart. He is renewing me, igniting hope, instilling love, and infusing peace. He is preparing me for beyond imagination treasures. Often it takes courage to walk through what the day holds, and sometimes that seems overwhelming. I like what Mary Anne Radmacher said, “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”