A Message to Men

The scripture from Psalm 73 really hit home for me and especially in this time in my life. I'm back in college around people who know very little of life. People look at me and see me differently, in reality though I have to look to God as he's my only option. He's the one who points me in the direction, walks with me through the deepest valleys I've gone through, who's been with me on the highest mountain peaks, and who at the end of the day loves me for me, not for anything else. He draws me to himself daily, like he did this morning. I'm 30 years old and back in college going for a pastoral degree, but no real intentions of being a pastor. Being a veteran of Iraq and almost dying brought me back to my relationship with God and yeah I question if I have the ability to make it through these challenges and hardships as a single man. I live in Minneapolis, MN a place where it's unfamiliar and my friends aren't nearly as close and the friendships not nearly as deep. It's hard to know if some days if I'll make it through this wilderness of the city. To you younger men continue to press into God when these moments of absolute despair or the valleys are deeper then you've gone before and you're not sure if you can make it through them. Having older men around you is key, one of my best friends is in his 50s and when I'm back in Duluth we spend more time just talking about life and how God has been working in us. Yes, pain is not your biggest battle. I learned this lesson in my mid to late 20s. I was a young 23 year old guy who was deployed to Iraq when I almost died the first time, a roadside bomb went off on my vehicle that I was driving. After I came home from 16 months in Iraq and the pain was gone, I fought with the unknown, unsure of what to do with my life now. I knew I wanted to have a family, to enjoy the finer things in life. My wounds are healing, it's like pulling off a scab everyday and trusting that God has this day in his hands and not giving in to the PTSD that almost took control of my life. Even now as I approach my 31st birthday in November and another year of college I look forward to the challenge because with God all things are possible. Yes, it's difficult at times, but take heart for He has overcome the world. You guys that read this take pride in knowing that you are the son of God and that he's with you till the end of your days. You are a child of God, a saint, a holy one, have been redeemed and forgiven of all your sins. Keep pressing in and finding the adventure which God is calling you too!! Take care and God Bless!!