On this day many, many years ago, I would imagine Mary and Joseph were making the long, tiring trip to Bethlehem with the anticipation of the arrival of their baby son, Jesus. As the pains begin to hit Mary, Joseph searched for a place for them to lay as she labored. With all the inns being full, they ended up in an animal stable without so much as a place for the baby to lay but see that didn’t stop Mary from bringing forth God’s only Son. Because it didn’t matter about the location or the surroundings that determined Jesus’ gift because he was destined for greatness. Its the same way with us on this Christian journey. See, it doesn’t matter about your location, whether you’re up or down and it doesn’t really matter about your circumstances because God doesn’t call the qualified but he qualifies those he call. He can take a drug addict, alcoholic, whoremonger, adulterer, liar, backbiter and sinner; clean them up, put them through the fire, bring them out shining and then place them in a pulpit on Sundays to deliver his word.
God isn’t worried about where you are as long as you follow him. He doesn’t worry about who you are as long as you trust him. He doesn’t worry about where you came from as long as you believe in him. Even on this journey and the obstacles I sometimes face, I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now because it makes me who I am! This journey is mine and God made it just for me. Yea, I may have bad days but my good out weigh them. Yea, I may sometimes drink tears for water but my smiling days make the crying days bearable. Yea, I may have been lied on and talked about but that only adds pegs to my footstool that raises me above. Yea, I may have days with no money but God has never let me go to bed hungry. So see, your journey may have some bumps called haters to go over, so potholes called enemies to go around, some ice called lies to slide on and some dead-ends called mistakes that make you turn around but go on because it’s your journey!
See, God is in the renewing business and once you’ve been renewed, you’ll be refreshed and with refreshing comes restoration and with restoring comes a new shine that’ll make you look brand new. Then, all of the old things won’t matter because if you’re in Christ, you’re a new creature and all of the old things are passed away. It doesn’t matter that you were abused, because God can heal you. It doesn’t matter if you use to steal because God will forgive you. It doesn’t matter if you were raised in the projects because God will take the little that you got and turned it into a lot. It doesn’t matter about what folks say because God already has you’re future planned and not even the devil can change that. See, God doesn’t count the starters because he is only concerned about the finishers and it doesn’t matter if you’re last because with God in control, the last shall be first! God is that type of God and I’m glad to be in his number!
Lakisha, the Author 