Where is He?

They say that God is everywhere! That He is always there! But, sometimes, it seems as though He is not there when you need Him most.

We face some of the greatest challenges in life and sometimes it seems as though our Father, our Creator, our Friend, should be there for us when challenges hit us head on.

We may lose a job. Lose a home. Lose a loved one.

We may struggle with finances or with being alone.

We may feel unloved. Forgotten. Unimportant.

Where is God when things like this happen?

Invisible, Yet Indivisible God

Just because you cannot see or touch something does not mean that it is not there.

Let’s think of some things that we have never seen before, but that we know are there….either because we have been told that they exist or because we simply believe that they exist. What can you think of?

How about protons and neutrons? Gravity? Outer space?

Have you ever seen a shooting star? How about a real dinosaur?

We may have never seen these things before, but we somehow know that they exist!

God exists, too!

Just like the things listed above, you cannot see God. You cannot touch God. But, unlike the things listed above, you can feel God!

There is an entire history of people who have never seen God, but they can attest to His presence! To His words having been spoken to them! To the feelings of closeness that they have had with Him! To the guidance that they have had because of Him!

God may be invisible, but he is there! His presence is real! We just have to find ways in our hectic day-to-day to feel it!

Talk To What You Don’t See

I know that it sounds crazy and you are probably saying, “Angela, you want me to do what????”

But I know that it works! I know that it is worthwhile! You can’t see God sitting there next to you on the couch or standing next to you in the kitchen, but you can learn to feel him.

By talking to him (either out loud or in your mind), you may feel an energy around you or a light tickle on your back. You may feel a warmth inside of your soul or a pulling sensation. This is God.

Be open and honest with Him. You can say whatever you want to and it is okay. God already knows what you think, so what you speak will not be unfamiliar to Him.

If you have lost a loved one and you feel anger or overwhelming sadness, tell God! Tell Him how you feel! Swear, bark, cry….God can take it!

Ask Him why and He will show you why. He may not show you immediately. He may not even show you 5 or 10 years from now. He may even wait to show you until you are standing before Him at the pearly gates. But God will show you. Over time, you may even notice, yourself, why things happened the way that they did. Realizing is not an excuse to eliminate pain and hurt, but it is a way to understand.

If you are scared, tell God! Come right out and acknowledge your fears before Him! You may soon feel His presence trying to comfort you.

If you are angry because of an argument you had with someone special in your life, announce it to your invisible friend! He is there to help you find a way to pick up broken pieces and you may even see some answers for yourself after you have had words with God.

If you are depressed and cannot face another day, you can simply stay in your curled-up ball and let God comfort you. If you are open to a hand on your back, you may experience a loving presence near to you.

God is listening. You do not need to get down on your knees and pray or enter a church in order to talk to Him. You can express your feelings wherever you are and in whatever you are doing!

Last Resort

If you are ready to give up on life, please hear me here…..If you are ready to give up on life,  I beg you. Give God a chance. Give your life over to Him and let Him work wonders!

Sometimes, we hit roadblocks because there are things that we want for ourselves that God does not want for us (for whatever good reason that we cannot see). God may be trying to guide us to another path where He has better plans. You will be surprised how your life changes when you let God steer the car!

I was ready to give up on life. I remember that moment. I was ready to end it all.

I had spent years in college. I had no job to show for it. I had been sick with illness after illness. I was living at home. My family thought that I was a loser. I was getting older with no good future that I could see.

I had always wanted a family of my own. A house. A good job….

Just in that moment, when I was ready to end it all, I spoke my last words to God. I told Him how I just could not do this anymore and that I had tried so hard to do things right, but that I did not see a way out of the hole that I was in. That I was sorry. I had begged Him so much for help, with no forseeable change, that I felt that He just was not there for me.

And then…. I got a phone call. (I kid you not….the phone rang!) Something compelled me to answer it. When I did, there was someone on the other line who offered me a job in a field that – at that time, I did not know- was emerging.

That phone call changed my life. I did not know at that moment that I would embark on a 16 year journey that would lead me to a career, a beautiful home and, finally, my precious son.

Had I ended it all right then and there, God never would have had a chance to finish the path that He was making for me. Had I given up and been nonexistent, I never would have been present to help the children and the families that God needed me to help through my profession. I never would have been able to be there for my family when they needed help the most. And I never would have been able to experience the love that I had always longed to give to a baby of my own.

Now, whenever I see a roadblock in my life, I think about how this roadblock is a construction zone that God is working on for me and, instead of getting angry and frustrated and wanting to give up, I learn to sit back and eagerly wait to see what He is creating for me! And, most of the time, it is not at all what I expect!

If you find that you are hitting so many roadblocks that you feel that you just cannot move forward with your life anymore, I beg you to just give your life over to God. Tell Him that you are going to give your life to Him and let Him tell you what to do with your life. Tell Him that you are going to listen for His guidance on what to do. Even if it takes a little bit of time.

Sometimes, I do not know what to do for days or for months even! I just continue with my day-to-day, poke at opportunity where I feel guided to and wait.  Just wait. 

I continue to talk to God. Tell Him how frustrated I am starting to feel. Tell Him how scared I am because of this or that. Thank Him for all that He has done for me so far. Tell Him that I am trusting Him and that I just need His guidance.

And then….God shines through!

He will shine through for you, too!

Give God a chance to try and work wonders in your life!

Be patient. He loves you.