Jesus, Show Up!

I’m a pessimist to my core. No one believes me when I say that. These days, there’s usually a smile on my face, a giggle bubbling in my throat, and a joke to make awkward situations less awkward. None of those things lead people to think I struggle looking on the bright side. But during my teen years, there were very few bright spots easily found in my life. As life-size curveballs were continuously thrown my way, I stopped trying to be optimistic and just accepted my life would always leave me a pessimist. 

A friend finally approached me about my dreary perspective, but instead of receiving empathy or sympathy, she gently asked, “How small is your God that you can’t focus on Him instead?” Ouch! If I remember correctly, I muttered some sub-standard answer about struggling with sovereignty. For weeks afterward, her challenge stuck in my mind. 

Was my Jesus too small?

I started simply praying, “Jesus, show me Yourself,” or an even shorter prayer, “Jesus, please,” when I saw my heart losing hope. I knew I needed to realign my mind with His even in the most frustrating, seemingly-impossible scenarios. At first, I muttered those prayers with low expectations that focusing on Jesus would change my perspective. Oh, how wrong I was!

Even in the worst of times, even when my heart is heavy because our world feels hopeless, praying, “Jesus, show yourself” makes me smile and gives me hope. It leads me to focus on the consistency of Christ’s character, rather than the uncertainty of the circumstances around me. 

My understanding of the power of Jesus gained strength as I learned to focus on Him no matter how the hopeless storm around me raged.