“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12: 1-3 I take God’s call to be salt and light in this world very seriously. I want to be that person who feels such joy in Christ that it overflows into all of my relationships and circumstances. I want to be the individual who routinely brings words of encouragement, and is faithful in sharing the Gospel. I want my life to be a record of sacrifice, service, compassion, forgiveness, and love. I desire to be used by God to stand against the decay that worldly ideas and philosophies bring, and to preserve the truth of God. Yes, I want my life to bring Jesus glory. The fact of the matter is, that life can be hard. It can weigh us down. It can empty the tanks that were formerly filled up with peaceful feelings, and thoughts that life is good. Now, this isn’t to say that this is how I feel most of the time, but it is to say that I face tough times and they have an impact on me. Sometimes for short periods, and sometimes for longer times. So what do we do? We lean hard into Jesus. We remind ourselves that He understands. We focus on what we know is true of Him so that He can supply us with new strength and hope. He can bless us with wisdom and understanding, so that we can move forward. He can listen to every emotion and all that concerns us, and is delighted when we back up the dump-truck and pour out in front of Him all of our weaknesses. He fully understands when we have little capacity to be “salt and light” and that we need an infusion of His light to keep going. I am not embarrassed to share with any of you that the prison has been weighing me down as of late. It is okay for you to know that I feel weak on occasion, and that I wonder how I will keep doing the work that God has called me to. I want to join with all of you that feel weak and struggle with what is before you each day. I have learned that when I feel weak, turning fully towards Christ is not my first response. It seems that I need to feel the weight of my circumstances and my emotions before I am ready to yell, “Help”. I think that God allows us to get really low so that we purge ourselves of the idea that we can be our own rescuers. I have also learned that when I fix my eyes on Jesus, I can’t stare at all the problems that are before me. Instead, within my gaze is my conquering King. The One who endured the cross and scorned its shame, and overcame. He has a lot to teach me about persevering in my faith and how to overcome adversity. As I look at Him, He also reveals his abundant supply of mercy, grace and power and how all of these were on display at Calvary. Jesus came through the most difficult time of his earthly existence as the victor. He went through the worst that could be thrown at Him and overcame, and then He sat down at the right hand of the Father. I am quite sure He has a few things He can teach us about not growing weary or losing heart. I am fixing my eyes upon Jesus. I know that I will lose my focus on Him and I will have to re-fix them again. I have to keep fixing, so that He can keep fixing. For Him, Rob