Belly Up | Crosstraining 4.8.15

Mark 5:37-43 When I was a kid, my step-dad and step-brother had two goldfish names Fido and Yoshi. I loved watching the two fish swim around in goofy ways because it made me laugh. One Saturday morning, I got up to watch cartoons back in the day when Saturday morning cartoons were the best, and I noticed that only one of the fish were swimming around. I had just seen a T.V. show where a fish had died, so I was convince the little guy was done. I frantically tapped on the glass, but there was still no response. Just when I was about to give up hope, I decided to drop a little food into the tank. Sure enough, the fish sprang to life. While I’m not sure either of the two fish lasted much longer, I enjoyed watching them even more after that. We’ve all been in situations in our life where, just like when I was convinced our fish was dead, we are convinced that our situation is hopeless. Things seem dark and hopeless, but, just when we’re about to completely give up, something happens and things fall into place. We praise God for how blessed we are in those moments. However, we’ve all also been in the opposite situation where the fish goes belly up in the bowl and there’s no amount of fish food that’s going to bring them back. A loved one has passed or a relationship is over. It’s in those times when our hopes and dreams are slammed shut that it’s often the hardest to feel like God has our back. No matter how dark a situation might seem, Jesus can still bring it back to life just like He brought the twelve year old girl back to life and how He Himself rose from the dead. When our dreams come crashing to the ground, we can still have hope because God’s plans our different than our plans. Sometimes we have to face our darkest moments before God can shine the brightest in our lives. So, whenever you face situations that seem to overwhelming for you to handle, remember that God is right there with you. // TWO-A-DAYS // GO A LITTLE FARTHER WITH YOUR DAILY DEVOTIONS // Go through these questions with your spouse, kids, or friend, or you can even journal about the answers to these questions:

1. What was the best part of your day?
2. What was the toughest part of your day?
3. Where did you mess up today?
4. Where did you see God today?

Reflect: How do you think Jairus might have felt while Jesus turned His attention to this lady and healed her instead of rushing immediately to heal his daughter? Have you ever been in a situation where it seemed like God was coming through for others but not for you? How did that make you feel? Pray: In your prayer time today, ask God to help you develop patience when it comes to your circumstances and to learn to trust Him no matter what you’re facing. READ THROUGH THE NEW TESTAMENT: Today’s Reading: James 5]]>