“You can’t win them all.” Ever hear that? I have, and I hate it. Not only do I want to do it all, but I want to do it all perfectly. So is there a reason God gives us limitations?
If you are like me, you probably enjoy reading or looking at magazines. This is especially true if they feature home decorating ideas, recipes, and perhaps a do-it-yourself project or two. I just love trying out the little tips on organization, making the most of small spaces, setting a holiday table, baking braided bread, or how to make a shabby-chick silverware caddy from an old sewing machine drawer; and the pictures, oh, don’t you just love the perfect pictures?
Mommin’ ain’t easy.
Have you ever read a truer sentence? Parenthood, in general, is not for the faint of heart. It’s scary and full of plot twists and just when I think I have it figured out, I’m pretty sure my children organize a clandestine meeting and devise ways to keep me on my toes.
“Don’t ever assume you know what someone is dealing with. There are women who walk around daily with the weight of the world on her shoulders but a smile on her face. Encourage, support, and love one another. And above all, it is ok to struggle, God doesn’t require us to have everything together at all times…that’s His job”
As I was having lunch with a very good friend of mine a few days ago, the conversation merged into a very interesting topic – unanswered prayers. While we were sharing our thoughts it just happened that both of us are/ have been struggling with the question, “why God, why?”
At the end of our lunch date, as I was on my way home, the story of Job came to my mind. A man who lost everything. His possessions, his children and his health. Yet he remained faithful to God, even when his wife encouraged him to curse God and die.
Hold on
Many of us have been in situations of pain and agony where we start asking tons of questions. Why? How? Why did God allow this to happen? Unfortunately, there are questions that we will never get an answer to. However, one thing I do know for a fact is that when we hold on to God, He restores us and makes new. Each time I read the story of Job it moves me. I wonder to myself, “would I have kept my integrity intact as Job did?” Something I think each one of us should ask ourselves.
His promisses
We may never truly understand why God allows certain things to happen. But one thing we can be sure of is that He will always be there to strengthen us, to comfort us, and to give us His peace — a peace that surpasses all human understanding. His promises never fail. After everything Job went through, God blessed the latter part of his life more than the former part. God gave him more than he could have ever imagined.
And if not, He is still good
In conclusion, my friend added: “even though I don’t understand why God allows certain things to happen, I wouldn’t have survived it all without Him. He’s been good to me.” I couldn’t agree more.
With all this being said, I encourage you to hold on to His promises. This life will bring us pain and sorrow, it’s inevitable. However, God will always work all things together for our good if we allow Him to do so. He will never leave us nor forsake us. So regardless of our unanswered prayers and our million and one questions, He is still good and forever faithful. Always was and always will be!
Read also: How God works in unexpected ways
When was the last time you were faced with a big challenge? Did you think that you would be able to overcome it? Sometimes we are faced with a challenge and we don’t understand why we are faced with it, but its a test… a test of our faith. What do you do when faced with a tough decision do you go to God and ask for His help and for Him to help you understand what you need to do? Or do you think about just giving up? It easy to throw our hands up and give up but one thing that happens is after going through that hard situation, something amazing happens that shows how God is awesome and He will take care of us.
There is so much we can learn from Mary, the Mother of Jesus. She is often in the background but when we see her in scripture, she makes bold impacts! For example, when you think of the first miracle of Jesus do you think of Mary? Probably not…but her role was vital! It was her faith and trust in Jesus that lead to the miracle! She gave Him the opportunity to step in and fix a problem and we can do the same thing in our lives, leading to miraculous results!
How many times have you been on that road trip and the directions are telling you to turn left at the fork in the road but you are thinking that one of your girlfriends told you that going right was quicker? Do you turn left because you actually took the time to print off the directions before you left home and your GPS is telling you to turn left, or do you trust that your friend would know because she has been that route dozens of times? Perhaps you are just going to sit right in the middle of the fork in the road and hope that after all the cars zoom by there will be a big neon sign that reads, “THIS WAY.”
Almost exactly one year ago, I moved back into the house I grew up in. It was my Mawmaw’s house. It had a tin roof that had rusted and been replaced in mismatched sheets of metal. The walls were lined in burgundy and hunter green wallpaper. Glass cherub figurines adorned every vacant shelf and surface.
Can you see it?
There is an old phrase that became widely used in the 1950’s that had it’s origins as far back as the early 1700’s. The phrase was this, “The proof is in the pudding!” You may even hear this phrase used from time to time today. The meaning behind this phrase is simple; it is stating a basic truth. If you want to know how good something is, (something edible in this case), you must try it or experience it for yourself! Then you will know!