Y'all remember that movie starring Jim Carrey, "The Truman Show"? Where his whole life was being filmed and he had no idea...yeah, that one. Have you ever felt like that? Like the circumstances of your life are just so outrageous that they must be staged and that someone-somewhere is being very entertained at your expense?
Currently, people are becoming obsessed with a series of books known as The Hunger Games, a tale of Katniss Everdeen and other "tributes" who fight for their lives in an "arena" completely controlled and manipulated by a group of "gamemakers". I recently finished this series and as I read, I couldn't help but relate to the feeling of being trapped and serving as a pawn in someone's games.
Recently, a barrage of strange and unbelievable events/situations came raining down on me at a time in my life when I felt like things were going well. As I headed up the other side of the valley I had been in, thanking God for getting me through the storm and for drawing me closer to Him, the balls of fire came hurtling down at me from out of nowhere. My initial reaction was to complain to God and say, "Really? Are you serious right now? You're going to let them move in right there? You are letting her struggle with addiction continue and get worse and ruin so many lives?" When all at once, a peace came over me and I remembered: The ONLY reason I was heading out of the valley in the first place is because He lead me out and He would do it again.
While preparing a clip from a short film by Ed Dobson called Remember the Birds, I was reminded of this bit of scripture from Hebrews 13.
"God has said,
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”
So we say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”
Whenever you feel like life has become a joke or that balls of fire are raining down on you - and you wonder where the hidden cameras are or who is watching and getting pleasure from your discomfort, remember- YOU ARE NOT ALONE, YOU ARE NOT FORSAKEN, your pain is not for someone else's enjoyment...He will bring you through to the other side. The best part, friends, is that if we lean into Him when the fire rains down on us, we will come out of the valley with a better understanding of who we are, who we were created to be, and how much He loves us. God doesn't create horrible situations for us to go through - we do that on our own. But, He is there to turn those things into really powerful moments for the two of you to share and grow in.
My love always,
Kim
