And in the end: Victory!

If I were to tell you that the last month has been stressful, that would be the understatement of the century. Holidays aside, the past month for my family has been just one disaster after another. They range from our Christmas tree falling over(of course completely decorated and with presents underneath) to our neighbor threatening to sue us over a tree, to our car being totaled. And then lots of stuff in between. It seemed every day there was some huge new bill we were going to have to pay, a gigantic problem to solve, or random events I had never thought could happen.
So why do I share this with you all? Simple. Because through it all, even when it seemed like my hubby and I were cursed, as if the world had turned against us, I never let anything get me down. I didn't let it shake my faith. No, I'm not bragging. For those who do not know me very well, this would not have happened in the past. Previously, if I would have had a month like this, I would have found myself in the pit of despair. I would have worked myself into a worry tornado that would have plowed down any attempt to halt it. But not this time. Instead, I thought this one thing: It doesn't matter what happens right now, cause I already won. In the end, I come out victorious.
If you are a little lost, let me explain my train of thought.
I have fought many battles over my lifetime. I am still fighting battles today. Some are old, some are new, and some I haven't even come across yet. That is how life can seem sometimes. One battle after another. And one can wonder what its all about. Is it even worth the fight? My answer is yes-- because I already know the end result.
Think about war for a minute. Actual war. If you are a soldier in a war that seems to be going on forever, you could eventually start to wonder if the fighting, if each individual battle is even worth it. Cause until the war is over, you don't know if your side will win or not. But what if you did? What if you knew for sure that at the end of the war, you would be victorious? Even if the war seemed to go on forever and there was always just one more battle, wouldn't the knowledge that you win in the end give you encouragement to keep fighting? I know for me it would. Correction. I know for me it does.
See, I know that I win in the end. I know that I come out victorious. How? Because my God has already won the victory. He has already fought the war and won. These battles that I face, sometimes daily, each one of them is simply getting me closer and closer to the victory that I have in Him. Think about it for a second. Jesus came down and took the form of a human with full knowledge of everything that would happen, right? God is all-knowing and thus knew His fate. Yet He came anyway. That cross of wood on which hung our Savior, that very cross which bore the fate of Jesus, that cross was our entry pass into the victory party. That horrific, terrible act ultimately led to God's resurrection. His defeat of death. God's victorious stand. And with that, victory is mine.
Do you get it? It doesn't matter how many battles I have to face here on earth. Cause I know that I am fighting a fight I win in the end. As long as I keep fighting, keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, in the end I will be with Him, celebrating with Him in His victory. And when I do this, the darkness does not seem as dark, the pain does not seem to run so deep, and my crosses do not seem as heavy.
I know at times life is hard. By no means am I claiming that I do not struggle in the fight. There are many times when I find myself unable to pick up my sword, exhausted from wounds, hurting from the weight of burdens that I must carry, fatigued from what seem like never ending battles. Yet it is at these times I remind myself that I do not fight these battles alone. These burdens do not rest only on my shoulders. I am in God's hands. It is God who swings the mighty sword when my strength is lost. God who picks up my crosses and carries them when I can not find the energy myself. And God who stands strong beside me, protecting me with the best armor anyone could ever have: His love. This is the knowledge that keeps my feet moving forward. This is the faith that keeps my head held high. The knowledge that in Him I am safe, I am strong, and I am loved.
And so I say bring on the craziness of the world. Though it might be nice to have a little break right now! But if that is not to be, I will be ready, sword in hand, fighting with the best knowledge one can have. In the end, I win.
I want to leave you all with the lyrics to one of my new favorite songs. It is In Better Hands Now by Natalie Grant. Personally, I think it sums up my journey which has brought me here, to the knowledge that I am in Gods hands and because of that, I will be ok.

It’s hard to stand on shifting sand
It’s hard to shine in the shadows of the night
You can’t be free if you don’t reach for help
You can't love if you don't love yourself
There is hope when my faith runs out
Cause I’m in better hands now

It’s like the sun is shining when the rain is pouring down
It’s like my soul is flying though my feet are on the ground
So take this heart of mine there’s no doubt
I’m in better hands now

I am strong all because of you
I stand in awe of every mountain that you move
Oh I am changed, yesterday is gone
I am safe from this moment on
There’s no fear when the night comes ’round
I’m in better hands now

It’s like the sun is shining when the rain is pouring down
It’s like my soul is flying though my feet are on the ground
Its like the world is silent though I know it isn't true
Its like the breath of Jesus is right here in this room
So take this heart of mine there’s no doubt
I’m in better hands now


Sure, I have fears. I have struggles. And I have pain. But I also know that I have outstretched hands waiting to hold all of that, all of me. And when I let God hold me, I finally find the safety I have searched for for so long. I pray that each of you can let God hold you as well. I pray you all find yourselves in His hands - and victorious.