Faith does not come
easy to me. Faith is hard for me to grasp. I like to know what I'm getting
into. I like to have a plan. But, throughout everything, God has taught me to
have faith. God gave me faith for a reason. Faith to trust in Him. And trust is
what I need.
Trust in God that things will turn out for the
better- no, that they already have. Faith through trials. Trust through trials.
It is not an easy thing. But (slowly) I am learning that faith and trust in God
will help me through these trials.
God has been faithful. He provided work in a down
economy for my family. He provided a loving family for me. He provided great
friends. And He provided faith. Faith that no matter what happens, He will love
me. Faith that even though it may seem my world is crumbling, it's not. He is
there for me. He is always wanting to bless me. He loves me. It's as simple as
that. But, somehow, at the same time, it's not that simple. His love is
complicated to me. He loves me, even when I don't love Him. He is happy to
bless me, even when I'm not happy to bless others. His love is unconditional-
mine is not. It's complicated (to me) because throughout everything, He will
always love me, no matter what.
Yes, I don't know what the future holds for me,
but I do know one thing that will be true in the future. I know that He will be
there for me. He has a plan. Someone once said that "prayer is a very
powerful thing." I finally understand how powerful it is. Through prayer I
can speak to God- the one and only God. No matter what I do, He will always
listen to my prayers. Why? Because of His unconditional love.
And so I give thanks. Thanks that through these
trials I have a Friend. Thanks that through this hard time, I have been
blessed. Thanks that I have grown in my love for Him. Thanks that I have grown
closer to Him. Thanks that my family- although thousands of miles apart- is now closer than ever.
In my plan, this is not what would have happened.
But, in my plan, would I have grown to love Him? Would I love my family? In my
plan, there probably wouldn't be trials. But ask yourself this- how would we
know what joy is, if there was never suffering? How would we know what peace
is, if there wasn't chaos? His plan is the best. He has taken care of me- and I
have faith that He will continue to love me through it all.
James 1:12 says~ "Blessed is the man who
remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive
the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him."
