God has a pretty incredible way of showing how big He is. This past week, I had the privilege in running at State for cross country. I ran my personal best time and our girls team got 9th in the state. Not only that, but our boys team won state! That moment was one that I will remember forever. Its  easy to run to God in the bad times. We feel so desperate for God when we have nothing left to turn to. However, we called to so much more than that.

“Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Even though my life was so great for the past few weeks, I noticed something very concerning. I noticed that I wasn’t communicating with God. Sure, I thanked him for allowing me to race well. Yet, I didn’t feel that I needed to rely on him as much as I did when times were tough. In this verse, the apostle Paul clearly outlines how God wants us to live. Let’s break it down a little bit: Be cheerful no matter what. This definitely is easy to do in the good times. In the bad times, our instinct may be shut down. We may not understand why things happen, but we need to remember something very valuable. First, God never leaves us and never forsakes us. He is our ever-present hope. Our refuge and shelter in ever circumstance. Second, we are in control of our own attitude. Things will go wrong. There will be times that bring us to our knees. But that’s the time we have a very important choice. We can keep our heads down, or we can look up and open our arms to the King who died to know us.

Next, Paul calls us to pray ALL of the time. Not just when times are bad and we are desperate. Jesus calls us to pray even when times are good. Communication with our Maker is certainly one of the most important parts of our relationship with Him. God wants you to talk to him when you are celebrating. When things are amazing in our lives, we need to realize a few things. First of all, the glory is all His. He made us and gave us the talents we have and we must never forget who is in charge. We need to thank Him for designing us and for weaving these amazing gifts into who we are. Next, we need to realize that it is not about us. It is, first of all, about Jesus and His glory. It is also about others. Sometimes we get so caught up in ourselves that we forget that other people are suffering every single day. Life may be great for us, but there are people struggling closer than we think. Prayer can be such a powerful tool when it comes to fighting the enemy. It has been proven to be able to change lives and to change perspectives. We need to remember to pray for those that are going through tough times, even when times are amazing for us. It can really help us to humble ourselves before such an almighty King.

God gives us blessings and the good times to help get us through the bad times. Both will come in our lives, and we need to remember where to turn to when each comes. Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. We are being called to live a life that points back to Jesus. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy those precious moments that God gives us. We are called to follow Jesus on the mountaintops AND in the valleys of life. So take in every breath with gratitude, and exhale with the peace that surpasses all understanding. Because in the good times, He is with you. In the bad times, He is with you. All you need to do is humbly fall on your knees and look up. Look up to find an outstretched hand just waiting to pull you up.