Here, There, And Everywhere

"There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears." 1st Chronicles 7:20 ESV

In my almost 39 years walking this earth, I have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I have been near deaths door and I have been a picture of good health. I have stood on platforms singing for hundreds of people and I have been alone in the dark with my thoughts and worst fears, contemplating my own demise.I have experienced the great love that comes only from witnessing the birth of my children and I have expereienced the utter pain and anguish that comes from the death of a spouse. I have felt the sting of divorce and the beautiful symphony that is a God ordained marriage. I have been to the top of the mountain more than once and been in the lowest of valleys in my almost 39 years. But one thing has always been constant....

God was everywhere I have ever been, during the good and the bad, He is the only constant in my life...

He was with me in the ER when I was two years old and I took a whole bottle of Tylenol and the doctors told my parents I was going to die. He was with the folks that pumped my stomach and saved my life. He was with me when I got knocked out at school and they couldn't wake me up. He was with me when I moved to Alabama in the 5th grade. He was with me when I stood on a platform in a little makeshift sanctuary in Pelham, Alabama, scared to death because I was about to sing a solo in church for the very first time. He was there when I kissed my first real girlfriend. He was there when I took my first sip of alcohol. He was there when I was driving my Jeep and almost flipped it because I was lost in my thoughts and not paying close enough attention to my surroundings. God was there when I got married the first time. He was there when my children were born. He was there when I got angry and crossed the line with my wife. He was there when I got divorced and felt like a total and complete failure. He was there every time I drank too much and decided to drive myself home. He was there when I moved back home at nearly 30 years of age. He was there when I met the woman I would eventually marry and He was there when she suddenly passed six years later. He was there when I was alone, in the darkness that is grief and depression. He was there shining the light for me when I met my wife Hannah and through her He showed me that I was loveable and that there was life for me after death and despair. He was there when I got promoted at work and He was there the day I got fired. 

And do you want to know what I have learned through all this.....

God is always there. He never changes. He was there for all the wins and He has been there for all the losses. He will always be right there waiting for you with an extended hand and open arms. You can never go to far or be too dirty. Fear is a liar and it will tell you that God will shun you or that you are not worth the trouble. Don't believe it. Don't feed the beast. Don't listen to the lies that our enemy tells you. You are worth it. You are good enough. God does have something better than you could ever imagine. Don't give up. Allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to cast out all the fears that you might be feeling. Allow God to shoulder the load that you were never intended to carry in the first place. As hard and cliched as this sounds, give God the controls and enjoy the ride. It may be frightening at times, but He is always there. 

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." 

1st John 4:18 ESV