Dreams and fairytales are filled with far away lands and happily ever afters.  In these lands, there is often good and evil, but there is almost always a happy ending.  The Wizard of Oz for instance, has some very dark and sinister characters.  And Dorothy and her friends experience many trials and catastrophes, but in the end, they follow the Yellow Brick Road all the way to the Emerald City.  And before long, Dorothy awakens to find that she never left Kansas and was there with her friends all along. She ends up safe and sound at home and lives happily ever after.

As adults, we have to be careful not to slip into the fairytale world of our youth.  A place where we recognize the good and the evil that are present, but fully expect to find and follow that yellow brick road and awaken to happiness, safety, and happily ever after.

This life isn’t a fairytale.  It does have some similarities.  There is good and evil in this world.  We will have trials in this world.  There is no yellow brick road, however. And there is no happily ever after in this world.  

The harsh reality is that we will have trials and tribulations.  We will lose loved ones.  We will face illnesses.  Some of us will face poverty, violence, and family dysfunction.  

There is scripture verse after scripture verse that tells us that we will face trials in this life. Verses like, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NLT). And, “Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.” 2 Corinthians 1:6.

But, if you notice, God also speaks peace and hope into these trials. In John 16:33, God reassures when He says, “…you may have peace in me.” And He says, “it is for your comfort and salvation”, in 2 Corinthians 1:6. We may suffer trials in this world, but God is right there with us to comfort us! Jesus provides peace through those trials. And our trials can even lead to salvation and eternal life!

When we have suffered immensely (often because of our own poor choices) and we have no hope, God is the only place left to turn. And when we seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13.

This is an important thing to remember when we want to protect loved ones from trials. Sometimes, by enabling them to continue in sin and rebellion, we are coming between them and God. We are preventing them from needing God. And we are coming between them and true healing and eternal life.

Right now, we are all facing uncertainty.  There is uncertainty in what our jobs will look like.  We wonder what our financial status is going to be.  Will we maintain our health?  Will the unrest and violence that is going on in the world diminish?  

We may not have a yellow brick road in this life.  But we do have a heavenly Father who wants us to have a happy ending… a beautiful and eternal happy ending.

The penalty for our sin is death. But Jesus paid that penalty on the cross so that none would have to perish. And all we have to do is turn to Him, seek Him with our whole heart, repent, and begin to live our lives to please our Heavenly Father. Once we do, God forgives us, adopts us as His own precious children, and promises us eternity in Heaven with Him!

In Heaven, there will be no illness, no death, no poverty, and no tears. In Heaven, we will have our own happily ever after and our own yellow brick road as we walk on streets of gold. “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.” Revelation 21:21. And we can follow that yellow brick road right to the throne of our loving Father in Heaven.

Father God, we praise you that you are so loving. We praise you for the way you turn the trials in our lives (even those that are a result of our own sin) into victory. Thank you for being there when we are so broken by our trials that we have nowhere to turn but to you. You could turn your back on us the way that we turn our backs on you, but you don’t you wait with open arms and we praise you, Father. Thank you for your forgiveness. And thank you for our beautiful, eternal happily ever after. That happily ever after that is only found in Jesus shed blood. We love you and praise you. And we pray these things in your precious and holy name, Jesus.

Are trials overwhelming you right now? Does uncertainty, anxiety, or fear paralyze you? Those are just some of the trials in this life that we all suffer. But when I had made a mess of my life and had nothing to offer God, He forgave me and gave me a peace that I never knew was possible. He wants to do the same for you. He loves you and wants a precious and personal relationship with you. Please go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/) and pray the prayer that is outlined on that page, from the bottom of your heart. Through this prayer, your story has a beautiful, eternal happy ending. One in which you can follow the yellow brick road (streets of Gold in Heaven) all the way to the throne of our loving Heavenly Father.

God adores you and is waiting. Please pray and once you have reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com. I’d love to be in prayer with and for you.

Luv Ya!