Are you the type of person who looks forward, or backward? Maybe you do a little bit of both, or maybe you are a one-step-at-a-time person looking neither too far forward or too far back. That healthy balance can be really good for us, not always longing for “The good old days” or saying “I can’t wait until,” but being “in the moment.”

Jeremy Camp released a song in conjunction with the film I Still Believe, the true story of him losing his wife to cancer just four months into their marriage. The chorus says:

“Oh Lord, show me what matters
Throw away what I’m chasing after
‘Cause I don’t want to miss
what you have for me.”

How often do we ask God to get us out of a circumstance or situation, when we should instead be saying, “God, what do you want me to learn from this?” Paul’s letter to the Philippians is penned from prison, and yet in chapter 1 verses 12-13 Paul says, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, So that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” It would have been easy for Paul to say “I want out!” But what does he say instead? “…I will rejoice” (v. 18).

When we realize that God can use every circumstance, every situation, every difficulty we find ourselves in, we can rejoice in the moment! If you are struggling in your “moment,” I encourage you to read Philippians 1, and realize you are not alone in your struggle. Listen to WIVH, and realize that there are many who are standing “side by side for the faith of the gospel” (v. 27).

Living for Christ,

Tim Madeira
General Manager