We know

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It was the tail end of the chat in the hallway. The situation wasn't great; big challenges lay ahead. A hug, a farewell, and the words:

-See you later... God be with you, may He always give you strength!

-Thank you!... You know, He has given us a lot of strength, indeed. Sometimes we cry, we get discouraged, or feel afraid. But we know He will always give us strength.

We know.

We know that when we wake up, He’s already up, waiting for our first glance. We know that when we brush our teeth or fix our hair, He has already seen us before the mirror, knowing we are beautiful even just out of bed. We know that as our day progresses, He keeps the train on the tracks, because by our strength alone, it would start to derail. We know that every time our feet touch the ground, the path is closely watched, with loving and caring precision.

We know. 

We know that when we wake up, He’s already up, waiting for our first glance. We know that when we brush our teeth or fix our hair, He has already seen us before the mirror, knowing we are beautiful even just out of bed. We know that as our day progresses, He keeps the train on the tracks, because by our strength alone, it would start to derail. We know that every time our feet touch the ground, the path is closely watched, with loving and caring precision.

We know. 

But even so, we falter. Which is a good sign.

If you falter, even knowing that God exists. If you cry, even knowing that joy in the Lord is our strength. If you complain in anger, even knowing that in Him we have patience. If you, at times, think about giving up, even knowing that it’s always possible to fight, it’s a good sign. Because it shows that you aren’t surrendering to easy promises of happiness, nor are you seeing the world as an ever-happy carnival afternoon. You don’t turn life into an amusement park nor believe that just having faith means you need to smile and leap for joy in the morning, at noon, and at night.

Faith that holds on to Jesus holds on to a man hung on a cross—a sad, terrible, horrific scene, a day of unimaginable sorrow and pain. But a fact that gives us strength, hope, and direction. Faith in Him leads to an even better sign: we see through His eyes when ours can no longer see; we walk with His feet when ours no longer know where to go. And most importantly, we stay connected to Jesus Christ by faith when our heart is about to give up. It’s a sign that we will keep moving forward in and with Him, trusting that in Him lies the fulfillment of our hope and the place of our peace.

Connected to Him, we know. We trust. We move forward. For we know that in our weakness, His strength is something we will never lack.

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