May 22

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses. — 1 Tim 6:12 BSB

Oh, beloved, how must God feel after giving us His heart's blood, placing so many opportunities in our path, and lavishing His grace and care upon us—only for us to disappoint Him. It makes the spirit cry out, "Who is sufficient for these things?" I can’t help but picture the time when you and I will stand on the other shore and look back on these short years. Oh, may we be able to cast ourselves at Jesus' feet and say, "I faltered many times, the battles were hard, but You kept me, Lord. Thanks be to God, who gave me victory through Jesus Christ." I think of the veterans from the battlefields of the Peninsula, who each received a medal engraved with the names of their battles on one side, and the simple phrase on the other: "I was there." When that hour comes, may we be able to say with joy, "I was there, and by God's help and grace, I am here."