•Thursday, February 23, 2012
“In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.” Psalm 25:1 (NIV)
Experience is the greatest of all teachers: children learn to leave the stove alone after burning their fingers. But unfortunately, sometimes we learn false lessons. We learn about a person, and think that lesson is about people. Or we internalize a life lesson that wasn’t about us at all, based on beliefs we’ve already developed about ourselves or others.
At one time, I thought I had a solid relationship with God and knew his plan for my life. And then the world shifted under my feet, and when I looked up, I didn’t recognize anything in front of me. Everything had changed. There were no certainties.
When I reflect on how God allowed my life to be leveled, like a mobile home in a tornado, I realize that it was ultimately an act of love. He knew that for me to begin making vital changes in my attitudes and in my depth of faith, I would have to endure hardship.
At the lowest point I questioned his love and his wisdom. I questioned his very existence. There was a long road of heartache and struggle stretching ahead for me. But God was already at work to provide for all my needs. He was at work even when I doubted him the most.
Now I have these rich experiences of God’s tender presence and faithfulness to look back on as he rebuilt my life in the wake of devastation. Now I know that whatever comes, I can trust him.
Experience is the greatest of all teachers: children learn to leave the stove alone after burning their fingers. But unfortunately, sometimes we learn false lessons. We learn about a person, and think that lesson is about people. Or we internalize a life lesson that wasn’t about us at all, based on beliefs we’ve already developed about ourselves or others.
At one time, I thought I had a solid relationship with God and knew his plan for my life. And then the world shifted under my feet, and when I looked up, I didn’t recognize anything in front of me. Everything had changed. There were no certainties.
When I reflect on how God allowed my life to be leveled, like a mobile home in a tornado, I realize that it was ultimately an act of love. He knew that for me to begin making vital changes in my attitudes and in my depth of faith, I would have to endure hardship.
At the lowest point I questioned his love and his wisdom. I questioned his very existence. There was a long road of heartache and struggle stretching ahead for me. But God was already at work to provide for all my needs. He was at work even when I doubted him the most.
Now I have these rich experiences of God’s tender presence and faithfulness to look back on as he rebuilt my life in the wake of devastation. Now I know that whatever comes, I can trust him.
|
0 comments: