I hear from many people who are sad and have good reason, or so they believe. We have been told though that no one can make you unhappy without your approval. Our wonderful minds can be controlled to some extent by our own thoughts. We can control how we feel about ourselves and the situation we find ourselves facing. We cannot control what happens to us but we can decide to be terribly unhappy and blame others and the world. We can also decide to take responsibility for it and do our best not to let it tear us down.

Overall I have had a wonderful life and am so grateful to God for what He has done for me. And yet right now my wife, the love of my life, and I are living through what on some days seems like hell. She has Dementia and her mind causes her to see events in far different perspective than I do. As a result she gets terribly upset over imagined happenings. This effects me also as I have to deal with many things that are not logical and rational to my mind. I know that these problems are not real but imagined, but they are real to her and affect her mood.

I could get unhappy about this and blame God but I have chosen to deal with each day as it comes and make the best of it. She largely is of the same mind overall so we usually end each day with a hug and give our thanks to God. On the worst of days I momentarily get the feeling that I should give in to the problems, but I pray for help from God and most often before the day is over or by the morning, whatever seemed such a problem has disappeared. Of course I thank the Lord for His mercies.

Looking back on our lives many real problems can be recalled. Now I can see how the Lord has intervened to solve these problems. He has put people in my life to help and sometimes change the course of my life. It now amazes me what all He has done. And most of my life I did not have a strong faith in God and did not know Jesus as my Lord and Savior. However He knew that eventually I would come to know Him as I do now. I thank Him many times a day for all He is doing in our lives and what He has done. I don’t know what I would do without the Lord in my life now. It would probably not be a good situation. I am able to testify to the world that God is real and has unlimited power over everything.

We need to have strong faith in God and TRUST HIM with our lives. He knows everything that is going on and will help. But when we ask Him for help, we need to BELIEVE that He will help. His help may not come immediately or in quite the way we are looking for, but it will come in the way He believes is best for our lives.

To gain a strong faith there are some steps that we can take. First, start reading the Bible daily as this will reveal what God had done in the past – how He has dealt with people with problems. Jesus’ walk on this earth 2000 years ago (detailed in the New Testament) reveals His wonderful character and His ability to control everything. It also makes it clear that He is totally Holy, forgiving, understanding - and how we should model our lives so that we are fit to live with Him forever. Unfortunately most people in the world do not know the truth about God nor trust Him with their lives.

There are other resources that will help in gaining faith and strengthening it. Attending a church that teaches about Jesus will allow you to associate with people who can help. In my life, it was in reading the book “Heaven Is So Real” by Choo Thomas that caused me to seek Jesus and pledge my life to Him to avoid the consequences of not knowing the Lord. This overshadowed everything else in my life and was the most important decision I ever made. If Jesus is not already your Lord and Savior, I urge you to seek him NOW. Our wonderful Lord is waiting for you and He will help mightily when you ask with a sincere heart and attitude.

George Hagen   [email protected]