Have you ever checked into a hotel, only to find that your room wasn’t ready yet?  Or maybe when you got to your room, you were greeted with one bed instead of two, no towels, or something else that was askew?  Earlier this month, I checked in to a hotel, only to find that the lock on the door did not work.  In the second room, the shower didn’t work.  In the third room, there were ants.  Problem after problem, yet with each move, I knew I was closer to something better.  While it may have had ants in the beginning, the third room that I was blessed with was a gorgeous 2-room suite.  All I had to do was have patience, trusting that each problem would be resolved.  I knew that God would take care of me, despite the shortcomings of my current surroundings.

In reality, this world is very similar to a hotel room.  Every morning, God wakes us up and we go to work, to church, to school, or some other location.  While all of these things are wonderful, they are temporary locations to which we attend.  Just like a reservation at a hotel, none of these things will last forever.  And just like there may be maintenance problems in a hotel room, we often awake to find various problems we need to solve or many bumps in the road that we must navigate.  Perhaps you had a flat tire on your way to work, or lost your cell phone, or accidentally spilled something on your new coat.  Many things in life cause us to become upset, lose patience, and often give us the desire to simply give up.  But just like the lock and shower that could be fixed and the ants that could be dealt with in my hotel room, the things that happen to us on a daily basis can be resolved quite easily as well.  One by one, God will send the answer to every problem in our lives, no matter how insignificant.  He cares about each and every aspect of our lives, right down to the moments we trip over our own two feet or get tongue tied when talking to someone during the course of our day.

You may be reading this, thinking, “Jennifer, there’s something much bigger going on in my life.  I’m at the end of my rope and there is nothing that could ever fix this problem.  It is a hopeless situation.”  Don’t be discouraged.  Jesus will give you hope, even for the most hopeless situations.  Maybe you have a loved one who is undergoing cancer treatments, or perhaps your son or daughter could be drifting away from you.  Your heart could be broken in two because your husband or wife is having an affair.  You may be wondering how you will pay next month’s rent, or where you will find money to pay for basic necessities like food and water.

I want to encourage you today.  I know firsthand that there are some things in life that seem insurmountable.  As a little girl, I sang at the funerals of my two baby brothers.  I experienced the loss of three grandparents.  Five years ago, my sweet Mama went to Heaven.  I have spent many weeks in the hospital, wondering when I would ever get to come home.  But through it all, God has remained faithful to me.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He will never give us more than we can bear.  He has a plan for my life and I strive every day to live according to His perfect will.  While this world has its share of trials and tribulations, one thing never wavers.  That is God’s love for you and me.  He loves you and me more than we could ever comprehend.

Along with God’s unconditional love, we can take comfort in the fact that this life here is temporary.  Just like the contents of a hotel room, we do not own this world.  We are not here to stay forever, so the curve balls that life throws our way are truly just temporary inconveniences, no matter how difficult they may seem.  They are not the end goal in life.  The Apostle Paul wrote in the book of 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NIV), “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  The troubles we encounter in this world are just momentary setbacks, if you will, in comparison to the incomprehensible joy that awaits us in Heaven.

Maybe you are reading this, wondering how you could ever get into Heaven.  You may have done things that you regret and you may feel that you are not good enough.  The Bible says that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23 NIV).  Based on this verse, there is not one person who is perfect.  Not one of us is good enough on our own.  But Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, died on a cross so that our sins could be washed away.  His sacrifice paid all of our debts.  Call on His name today and repent of your sins.  Ask Him to be the Lord of your life and save your soul.  If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you will gain eternal reservations in Heaven with Him.  And unlike a hotel room, there will be no checking out.  Instead, we can joyfully anticipate the very moment that we walk through Heaven’s gates when we are finally checking in!

In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer