A wonderful friend sent me an email to encourage me, and it actually addressed exactly what I was dealing with. You've probably seen it before; it's the story about 2 men in a hospital room. The one by the window describes to the other all the wonderful things he sees outside the window and the roommate is encouraged. Eventually the man by the window dies, and it is revealed that he was blind and the window faced a brick wall. Let me tell you why I never liked that story; the blind man was a liar, and he filled his roommate with false hope. I've never agreed with telling people what they want to hear, just to encourage them. If I can't encourage them with the truth then there's something wrong with my truth.

I think the truth would have been far more encouraging than the lie. I wish the man had said "I'm blind, but this is what I imagine is going on." The roommate would have realized the key was in renewing his mind, not in looking out of that window. He probably would have thought 'If this blind man can see all that, how much more can I see?' He wouldn't have been anxious to get to that window, only to be disappointed by a brick wall. In the same way, I've told God I'm not going to tell people something works unless I truly believe it. I can't tell you from experience that stepping out of the boat into the deep waters will give you a hundred fold return. Tyler Perry can tell you that. I can tell you that it's been difficult, and you have to keep focused on Jesus, and in my finer moments I am fully persuaded that the harvest is coming.

God's Beloved it's the truth that will set you free. You may not get everything you ever wanted. You may experience a lot of hardships. The key is in renewing your mind, abiding in God's love, and realizing that God's Way is the Truth, the Way, and the Life - there's no better way.