"Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! I say, ‘The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the person who seeks him.” Lamentations 3:22-25. (NKJV).
“Grandfather, I’ll never make the track team.” Timmy flopped on the sofa, mouth turned down.
Grandfather put down his newspaper. “Remember our trip to Beaufort, S. C.? You saw Paris Island?”
“Yes. When they graduate, they stand tall in their uniforms, handsome and in tune with one another. Impressive.
"But you saw the end, not the beginning. The training that brought them to this point is intensive, and brutal. They’re yelled at and made to do exercises to increase their endurance--whether they want to or not. They must learn to follow orders. Lives depend on it.”
“Sounds really hard.”
“You’re right. Remember when we hiked in the mountains?” Timmy rolled his eyes, said.
“By that afternoon I could barely put one foot in front of the other. Kept telling myself to push hard. That night I collapsed on my sleeping bag. The next morning? Muscles ached I didn't know I had.” Grandfather chuckled. “But you insisted I get up and go. By the end of the week, I kept up with the others.”
“Well, multiply that by a gazillion. That’s how the recruits feel. That’s Boot Camp.”
Timmy tilted his head. “What are you saying?”
“I know you can excel at track. Won’t be easy. You have to train.” Grandfather's left eyebrow hitched. "On this earth, we’re in boot camp. In training so to speak. One day, we'll rule with the Lord Jesus. Most important? We must learn to obey His orders.”
“Whether we feel like it or not?”
“Absolutely. The Lord is faithful and His mercies are new every morning. Because of His great love, I put my hope in Him, not in circumstances or things happening around me.”
“I want to put my hope in Him, too.” Grandfather smiled, hugged his grandson.
Kingdom Thinking. No matter what phase of boot camp I'm going through, I know the Lord is faithful and true. He is good and loves me with an everlasting love. He promises never to leave nor forsake me. He offers this assurance to you as you go through boot camp. Won't you accept His invitation?