I think we all have the same question, why do bad things happen to good people or why do we have to endure any of life’s trials. God’s word tells us that in this world we will have trouble but to take heart that He has overcome the world. With that said, we still feel pain and are human.
Watching our son, Isaiah, be bullied year after year and watching our 13 y/o son, Jonah, go through his heart surgery, etc has made me step back and really reevaluate life and my walk with God. I am finding that so often when God is not answering fast enough (MY timing) then I try to take back control. I want things the way I want them and I think maybe he needs my help, LOL. As I type this it sounds pretty selfish, but I know I am not alone in this. I have had to remind myself over and over again that God’s ways are truly much better than ours.
When I try to fix it faster than His timing, all I do is mess things up. I get in the way of the TRUE blessing that is to come. I cannot see the whole picture and I need to step back and TRUST and have FAITH in the one who can see the whole picture – God.
Pain is something we don’t like. But I compare it to my running adventure I have recently undertaken. I was not a runner. Did not like to run, but one of the things on my bucket list was to run in a 5K. Last October, I started running. It was harder than I expected. I felt pain in my knees and shin. Some days it was unbearable, but I remained steadfast and worked through it. It would have been easy to give up, but failure was not an option. In November of 2016, I ran my first 5K. Had I given up, because of the pain, I would have let the pain win and not received that blessing of stepping over the finish line.
Pain builds endurance and we sometimes must go through that pain to receive the blessing on the other side. There have been many times that I just want to say “I quit”, but that is just the fleshy side of me speaking. Ultimately, I know God is near to the brokenhearted and he knows the pain I feel.
I have also had people ask me about praying. They think they have to have the most eloquent prayer for God to answer. Please know this is not truth. God just wants to have a relationship with us. He just wants us to speak to him. We can pray throughout our day. We can pray while driving, standing, running, walking, or on our knees; God doesn’t care what the words are, he only wants to hear from our heart. That is why I feel it is important to tell God when we are angry with him. He already knows we are, but we need to connect honestly with him.
I truly believe in God’s healing, but I also believe we, as humans, hurt and sometimes healing is not immediate. Healing can happen on earth or our healing can come when we enter Heaven. I don’t think it is a reflection of how much faith we have. I struggle with anxiety and as of right now I have not been delivered from it, but I don’t think it is because of lack of faith. I believe God is allowing me to be more compassionate to others because I understand what it means to truly struggle with anxiety. I can relate to people with anxiety more.
In the last two years, our family has went through more than many people will go through in a lifetime. I can tell you I have struggled. I can say at one point I was even angry with God. I had never felt that before, but it was one thing after another and in between there was just no time to breathe. I was questioning why He was allowing it. Then I remembered a prayer I had prayed and I believe God answered that prayer through our struggles. So be careful what you pray for, God may answer 🙂
I do believe that in the busyness of life, when we pray, we often forget the most important part, to be still and listen. It would be hard to have a relationship with our spouse or friends if we did all the talking and never listened to them. That would’t be a relationship at all. God is not a genie in a bottle or an ATM machine, that we make our request and that is the end of it. We need to pray, read our Bible, and listen for God’s small, still voice.
I have come to love this verse Romans 8:18 “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later”. Suffering builds endurance. No matter what you are facing, please know I am not minimizing it or saying it isn’t real, but I want to encourage you that God is right beside you and He WILL get you through. You are not alone on this journey. Don’t let the negativity or trial make you bitter, but as they say, allow it to make you better. Use that trial to encourage others who are going through a similar situation. Use this test to be your testimony or your mess to be your message.
What you are going through truly can be used to encourage others. Don’t let any of it be done in vain.
May this post give you all Hope – a Hope that only comes from God.
GOD IS GOOD. . . ALL THE TIME!!
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My name is Joni Meyer-Crothers and I run this couponing/money-saving blog along with my husband, Jamie. We love to show others how to save money in a BIG way! We do all the work for you. . we do the matchups and show you where to get the coupons, many FREE printable coupons. Sit back and follow the blog and watch your savings increase! Couponing is a ministry for our family as we we love to show others how to save and share from their couponing harvest!
