“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.”

Romans 8:11 CSB

I’ve been thinking recently of how beautiful life truly is. Maybe it’s due to the fact that the sun came out and I felt early signs of Spring, but I think it’s mainly due to reflecting on the beauty of the world around me.

When we first moved into our house, we noticed a tree in the back that looked dead, only to find out that a new tree was growing out of it. It is a crazy thing to see, this husk of the old and dead having new life burst from it. I’m encouraged by this, because it reminds me of how God never gives up on us, on how new life can always be breathed into us.

Life is beautiful because we have a beautiful creator, one who loves us and each day breathes new life into us and gives us a chance to start again.  

I think the wonderful thing we see in Scripture is real people, with real struggles, that God empowers so that they can be a light into the world around them. The beautiful part about that, is it means that God can use you and I to be a light in our world. As a culture, we find ourselves yet again in a place where lines are drawn and choices are being made that harm real people around us. What’s even worse is that many of these acts are being justified through political beliefs and religious affiliation.

In these moments, we as followers of Christ are called to follow Christ, and He left us with the beautiful picture of how to live true in the midst of the world around you. Jesus came, and the Jewish leaders desired a great warrior to be a militaristic leader to rid them of the Roman empire. Yet, Jesus came as a humble carpenter, loving others and leading them into a changed way of living.

The example Jesus left for us, was that this beautiful world is only healed through living with the Spirit and bearing fruit to impact the people around us.

When you know that you are loved and intentionally created, you can love and remind others of their intentional creation by that same loving God. This needs to be a daily reminder for ourselves as much as we remind others. I’ve been recently feeling stuck, not sure what may be next on my path in ministry and healing from wounds that I have received during my years of vocational ministry. I often speak and write on how you have been made by God and have purpose, and yet, I struggle the most with my own message I share with others. Experiences in life have caused me to struggle with my own passion to share with others, and yet, the tree in my backyard reminds me to remember my own words.

I have been created by God with purpose and a heartbeat to lead others into a better way of life.

We often tend to focus on the difficult moments in our lives, over the many blessings that are so much more abundant. I was feeling low over the past week, questioning if my past efforts had ever really been seen or felt, and in the midst of these feelings, dear Danielle and I received a hand-written letter from our friend, Kyra, and she wrote to us reminding us that we make an impact and she has been so blessed because of us.

I really needed that.

God knew that I really needed that.

In the midst of the struggles and battles we face, fix your eyes on the loving creator that reminds us He is not finished with us yet.

This post may feel a little all over the place, and to be honest, that’s why I love this little corner of the internet. I think life is beautiful. Even in the good moments and the hard days, life is beautiful.

I am truly an optimist and believe that life is full of people to be loved and not problems to be solved.

Here’s the key takeaways from what God has been teaching me over the past few months:

God is never done with us, even if our spirit feels dead, He can always breathe new life from dead things.

We make an impact more than we can actually ever know or see.

I can be confident in my decisions and actions, because I know that I am rooted in Christ, and I cannot control the actions of others in response to that.

No matter what happens in life, I can choose joy each day.

Life is beautiful, because we have a loving creator that made you, me, and everyone around us unique and with intention.

I pray that this week, you remind yourself of your creation, and that it is never too late for any of us, because no matter how dark the night is, the sun will rise again.

-Your pastor and friend, Joshua.

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About the Author: Joshua Thomas is a husband, father, and pastor doing what he can to love others the way Jesus did. You can find him reading a good book, sipping warm tea, taking pictures, or dreaming. He may not have it all figured out, but the journey is the best part. You can find him on the social media he uses Tik Tok, Bluesky and Instagram