“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all Comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”  II Cor.1:3-4

Julia is a beautiful girl that is really struggling with life right now.

Nothing seems to be going right.  She doesn¹t like her father, her mother is too strict and she isn¹t doing well in school.  Her family just moved to a rural area and she doesn’t know anyone yet so she is dreading going to school.  She is afraid to make friends because she is convinced she is cursed and will only attract the wrong people who will draw her to poor decisions.

When she has made poor decisions in the past it has sent her spiraling into a cyclone of self destruction.  She feels that because she failed in that one area she will surely fail again, so why should she even try?  So, she quits trying.  She walks away from God—throws her convictions away.

She began hurting herself a couple of years ago because she felt worthless. 

She began drinking and doing drugs because it was an escape from her reality and she pursued unhealthy relationships with no boundaries because she felt it was the only way she could ever feel loved.

I have been in contact with Julia now for several months.  Although she has trusted Jesus for the forgiveness of her sins, she does not trust herself.  Even though she knows God can forgive any sin—no matter how big—it is the consistency of her sin that she feels is disqualifying her from the grace that she so desperately wants to embrace, but does not feel she is worthy of.

There have been many times in the last couple of months when I have found myself praying for her.  I am asking the Lord to visit her in such a real way that she senses His love that covers the multitude of her sins and convinces her that He willingly receives her as His daughter.  I pray that He would surround her with His presence in such a way that she would be captivated by Him instead of being fixated on herself, her struggles, and her failures.

I hope you do not think I don¹t care about the painful things she has experienced or the challenges she faces.  I believe they are very real as are some of the difficulties that you may have faced in the past or are currently confronted with, but as much as I recognize her pain and hurt for her, I also know that there is One who can heal her.  Her past is littered with difficulty, but unless she discovers the peace that God offers and the hope for a better future she will continue to be miserable.

It comes down to a point of focus.  If she focuses on the bad things of the past, she will continue to be bound by it.  But, if she can discipline her focus to gaze upon God¹s beauty, plans, love, and mercy, she will recognize His hand in her life working to offer her everything she needs to enjoy life to the fullest.

I pray the same thing for you today.  May you see God¹s love reaching into your situation.  May you sense hope as you look at your future.  Sure, you past may have been difficult, but with God¹s help, your future will be amazing.

Do you have a thought on focusing on God that you would like to share? Do you have a question about overcoming your past that you would like to see addressed in this weekly email?  If so, send your thoughts and/or questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .