I am always amazed at the number of people who make leaving church out of their lives one of the first options when they are dealing with the struggles of life. It is important for us to remember that God wants us to run to him when we are going through those times, not run away from him. Some of the struggles are things we have done and we are ashamed to let others find out, but, God says to us that He already knows and stands with open arms to receive us. (John 6:37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.) If you feel guilty about something or have failed miserably, run to God as fast as you can and get a spiritual hug from Him. He will forgive, restore, and set you right again. God is the only one who can help us in our times of discouragement, failure, and fear, so it is foolish to run away from the only help we have. Jesus is able to understand us because He was tempted, tested, and tried. He shared the feeling of our weaknesses and infirmities. Jesus knows exactly how you and I feel, and we have an open invitation to come into His presence anytime. We can come just as we are. Pastor Don [image: image.png]