The other day I was working on something called a life timeline. Basically you draw a line from when you were born to today on a piece of paper and write the major things in your life that have shaped you.
It was kind of hard looking back at some things like past trials and struggles... even current pain and struggles.
But throughout all of that mess I can still see the traces of God at work. I can look at the moments where I grew in my faith, the moments where He reminded me of His Words. Even in the trials, He was working to shape me and grow me.
Without those times, the good and bad, I wouldn't be who I am today.
Of course, going through trials isn't fun. In fact, in James 1 James is talking about having joy in trials. I basically want to ask James if he was crazy. But the reality is that we CAN have joy in trials, because our joy isn't in our circumstances but in Jesus.
I look at people in the Bible and when you look at people in the Bible you see a lot of failings, temptations, and human foolishness. But you can also see God using those people for His glory and purpose. God can use us too.
When I look at my future, I feel a lot of uncertainty because the future is unknown. I have no clue what's going to happen in my life. But I can have peace in the uncertainty because I know God holds my life in His hands and He's going to work it all out for His glory.
Life is messy. But that's okay.
It's like when the world was perfect before the fall, it was a beautiful picture. After the fall it became like broken glass. We look around and we see God putting the pieces together, but He isn't doing it like we think He should. We don't understand what He's doing. But maybe He's putting the broken pieces together to make a beautiful mosaic.
The book of Ecclesiastes isn't a very happy one. But it still has some good truths. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 talks about how there is a time for everything. We can't rush through the hard times, but we need to remember that there will be times to dance and laugh.
Guys, I don't know what you're going through today. Maybe it's an external struggle like loss of a loved one, what college to go to, or something else. Maybe it's an internal struggle like depression, anxiety, or fear.
No matter what's going on in your life, trust God. Pain cuts deep and it doesn't always make sense. But God is still in control and He loves us all.
Below is the lyric video to a beautiful song called "Red Sea Road" By Ellie Holcomb. It has great reminders that we're never alone and that God is faithful. I highly recommend listening to it.
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I know I've been pretty absent on this blog this fall. But I have to confess that I've been struggling to find the words to write what God has been teaching me. I can't promise to write every week, but I'm going to try to get back into posting now and then.