I went to see The Impossible this afternoon with some YL girls on our day off from school. It's the true story of a family that is vacationing in Thailand when a tsunami hits. The movie was one of the most intense I've ever seen and even though it has so much sadness, brokenness and it's still a story of hope. I love that. I love stories of hope because that's the type of story I want to be living too.
At one point, one of the little boys is looking up at the stars and talking with a woman on the beach and she says, "Some of those stars burnt out years ago. But they were shining so bright that their light is still traveling towards us. It's impossible to tell which ones are still alive and which ones have died. It's a beautiful mystery."
I think that I know people that are like those stars. People that shine so brightly that their light keeps coming even after they're not a huge part of my life anymore. People like my friends Lani and Joy, people like my campers Lily and Erin, people that whenever you think of them bring you so much light.
Tonight in Campaigners we talked about the story of the Jews of Israel and when they spent 70 long, painful years in captivity. Right before that time started God told them, "For I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Woah. Yes, they were heading into this horrible unknown and they probably had no idea how long it would last, but there was still hope because they belonged to a God that loved them.
They were not defined by their time in captivity, they were defined by a God that loved them.
All too often I think it feels like we're defined by the situation we're currently living in. We're defined by a fight with the people we used to call our best friends. We're defined by how well we're doing in our classes. We're defined by the problems in our family. We're defined by the mistakes that we've made and the mistakes we keep making. We're defined by our current relationship. We're defined by the things we're not good enough to do.
But God says that's not true. Those things do not define us. God and his love define us. He says that we belong to him and that we are loved. That is who we are.
When we're in the middle of tough stuff, like when the Jews were in the middle of captivity, it feels like it's everything. It's all we can see anymore and it seems like there is no way out, no way things will change.
But God can see the bigger picture. God knows who you were before this all started. God knows what your life looks like in the future when this will be just a memory. God is still offering you hope.
You are not defined by whatever is going on in your life right now, you are defined by a God that loves you.
I can't stop listening to the song Not For A Moment by Meredith Andrews because it's been the prayer of my heart. And tonight it seems like these words match up so perfectly with what we talked about in our group.
"After all, you are constant. After all, you are only good. After all, you are sovereign. Not for a moment will you forsake me. Every step, every tear, every cry of regret. In my hurt, at my worst, when my world falls down, not for a moment will you forsake. Even in the dark, even when it's hard, you will never leave me."
You are not defined by what's been going on lately. You are defined by a God that loves you. You are defined by a God that has a hope for you. You are defined by a God that has great plans for your life. You are defined by a God that will never forget you, not even for a moment.
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