Challenge or Opportunity? Part 1

A lot of us get frustrated at life sometimes... alright a lot of the time! Its like being on a pendulum at the fair that moves so fast, back and forth! We feel like throwing up, we want to quit, run away, leave, abandon, even give up our life cause of the craziness of it all. We feel weak, tired, unmotivated and can't seem to find the purpose of this life of earth. You might even ask, "what good could I possibly bring to this crapy, filthy dump where everyone betrays and hurts each other?" I would not be surprised if you did, cause I asked that question myself a few times.
It was in the darkest and loneliest of my seasons when I asked that question. When I would look myself in the mirror and hate what i saw. When my favorite food or drink or movie or music or place couldn't satisfy me. They were all bland, plain and tasteless to the core.
What on the face of this planet could help me? Revive me? Put a smile on my face and some peace in my heart, so I could get a few hours of restful sleep?
I tried everything in my boundaries and a few beyond them to try and find something.
It came to this one answer every time as I read between the lines of my actions and behavior.  To be loved!
All of the crisis in the world, all the misfortune, all the disaster, all the pain and hurt, they would all diminish, even if slowly,when you are loved. That is a big fat FACT!
So did that mean I had to love myself ? Yes and no!
I mean, trust me I tried with all my heart to see myself differently when I looked in the mirror. I praised myself when I succeeded in something. I told myself I could do it. I can finish this assignment or feel happy when I wanted to. And you can!
But there is one key ingredient. One incalculable, immeasurable, irreplaceable, incomparable, unparalleled, priceless ingredient!
Jesus. His love.
Some of you may go, yeah well I know Jesus, or yes I am saved but whatever or I tried him before and nothing happened.
You can't try Jesus one day and be done with. You have to go on a journey with him.
If you go on a diet, you can't exercise or have diet pills for one day or a week, you have to go on a journey of a new lifestyle of eating and exercising.
I have never heard of one true and honest person who has gone on a journey with Jesus and not felt better or made a 360 change about everything in his or her life.
When a challenge or circumstance is in your way and you've tried everything in "your" rule book and it's going nowhere; give Jesus a chance. Go on a journey with him. If you are on one, but feel like giving up, let me just encourage you don't give up. Finish what you started!

In the beginning of this post I spoke about a pendulum. At the fair, the controls of the pendulum are in the hands of another man. But in life you have authority and power over your pendulum, no doubt everyone has a pendulum in their lives. Question is, what would you do with the controls?