“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” Victor Hugo from Les Miserables
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalms 23:4 KJV
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 NIV
Dream: “something notable for its beauty, excellence, or enjoyable quality” Merriam-Webster Dictionary
I’m sure you’ve heard the song I Dreamed a Dream from Victor Hugo’s great Les Miserables. It is perhaps one of the most heart wrenching songs ever written. Faced with disappointment, despair, and sorrow Fantine does her best to rip your heart out with her list of dreams that life has killed. But there’s one line in the song I can’t get over, that breaks my heart, it’s a line that sadly I hear all to often. “I dreamed that God would be forgiving.” It breaks my heart to pieces because it says that because we go through sorrow, because our dreams are broken, that because our hearts are broken; God is not forgiving. Nothing... Not one thing could be farther from the truth. Yes, life will break us, will torment us, will disappoint us. But God does forgive, God does care, and God does redeem. In life we reap what evil has sowed. Sometimes we’re the ones who’ve sowed it, sometimes another. However, Jesus did the ultimate reaping on the cross. Being perfect, He died in the worst way. He did not deserve that! But He endured it anyway. And do you know why? For us, whom He calls His joy. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” We have a rescue from the pains of this world. We have a Savior through whom God freely forgave us if we accept. And while our life may not be what we dreamed it could be. If we run this race with patience, with our eyes on Jesus; we will be saved. The Son has risen and the sun will rise. That’s no dream. Salvation is free. Yes, God is forgiving.
Daily Journaling Questions:
1. How did I help someone in kindness today?
2. What did I learn today?
3. What am I thankful for?
4. Who did I love today?
5. What am I dreaming of?
6. What about today do I want to remember forever?
7. What are my goals for tomorrow?
Thanks for reading,
Jake
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Daily Self Growth Journal Pt. IV
Non-FictionThis is the fourth part of a project called the "Daily Self Growth Journal." Its purpose is to prompt readers to journal through encouragement, motivation, and inspiration. In it, the first thing I do is provide a motivational, or inspirational qu...
