Everyday

Hey everyone!

As I sit here eating my deformed pizza and drinking a very gritty shake (that the kind food service employee messed up because he didn't speak any English), I start thinking back about today. Today isn't over yet, and I must say it has been one of the worst days I have had in a long time. 

When I first sat down here to compose this blog, I thought about making you all feel bad for me and listing out all the things that went wrong today, but that would be stupid and selfish, so I won't bore you with the details. Just know the basics: I insulted one of my best friends and he is still mad at me, my computer crashed, and I received a failed test back in my Greek class. Yeah me...

Today, I just wanted to be left alone. I was upset, stressed, angry, disappointed, depressed, emotional--pretty much every negative emotion hit me at some point today. I just wanted to give up and sit in my room and vege-out in front of my videogames. But I couldn't do that. I still had work to do. Just because I felt like crap didn't mean I could ignore my responsibility (as much as I really wanted to). 

I decided to go to the Student Rec Center in the afternoon to run off my negativity. And boy did it help! There is something about exercising that just frees your mind and forces your to think of something else. 

But it wasn't the run that really made me feel better, it was the song I was listening to on my smartphone that caught my attention. Here it is:

Everyday

 

What to say Lord? it's You who gave me life and I

Can't explain just how much You mean to me now

That You have saved me Lord, I give all that I am to You

That everyday I can be a light that shines Your name

Everyday Lord, I'll learn to stand upon Your Word

And I pray that I, that I might come to know You more

That You would guide me in every single step I take

That everyday I can be a light unto the world

Everyday, it's You I live for

Everyday, I'll follow after You

Everyday, I'll walk with You my Lord

It's You I live for, everyday

It's You I live for, everyday

It's You I live for, everyday

What a powerful song! This is easily one of my favorite worship songs.God gave it to me during the middle of my run as both a humbling surprise and a wonderful encouragement to me. I never really realized how powerful the lyrics were until I really listened to them during that run.

Every bit of that first verse hit me hard. What is there to say? I can't really complain about anything, I still have my life, my health, a place to live, food to eat, wonderful friends and family. Who am I to complain? I really can't explain just how much it means to me right now! Beyond that, He saved me! I was screwing everything up and He saved me! Therefore, I'm giving all I am to Him so I can be the light that shines His name. What glorious hope in this dark time in my life.

But then conviction hit: am I really shining His light or has my bitterness at life situations started to tamper my beacon of Jesus? Could people still see Christ in me, even though everything around me was falling apart?

Before I could really think too much more, a second wave of hope/conviction hit me: "Everyday, Lord, I'll learn to stand upon Your Words. And I pray that I, that I might come to know You more. That You would guide me in every single step I take. And everyday I will be a light unto the world. Everyday, its You I live for! Everyday, I follow after You! Everyday, I walk with You my Lord!"

Wow... Every day?! I started to ask God: even when I feel like crap and don't want to do it? I mean, that's asking a lot, man!  I can't be happy every day! How am I supposed to be a Christian every day!?


Then He told me: "It never says anywhere that you will be happy all the time. But I promise you: I will give you joy. I will bring you peace beyond anything you can ever understand. I will be there with you. Remember, I am walking with you, Adam. Every day."

Double wow.... how awesome is God that He is with us every day! Walking with us... everyday... Am I really living for Him? Am I standing on His Words every day? Am I following after Him? Every day?

This is what it means to be a Christian: to follow after Christ every day, no matter how we are feeling. Satan doesn't take any breaks, so neither should we. People should still be able to see Jesus in us though the sorrow and pain. Jesus was the ultimate knower of pain and sorrow, He did take all of our sins to a cross and watched His own Father turn His back on Him... That had to be the worst thing ever....

Even though my day was crap, I am still living for Christ. I will still shine His light to the world and I will still walk with Him, despite how I feel. Everyday.

Will you?

Following His Call,
Adam
(Psalm 145:2)