I wasn't planning on writing anything today. With the weather as wet and cold as it is, plus the fact that I have to work a 12 hour shift tonight makes me want to just crawl under the covers and not move an inch. But sometimes things don't always go the way that we plan. I never planned on being 23 years old and still living at home (although I could not be more grateful that my parents love me enough to let me stay!). I never planned on going through the major emotional, mental, and spiritual changes that I have in the past year and a half. And I certainly never planned on locking my keys in my car while I was out shopping yesterday (not my finest moment). At first all I could think was, "Seriously?? I've gone years without ever doing this." Then I thought, "Well, at least it's nice outside and I'm not having to wait for my extra key in the rain. And at least I'm at the mall where I can just run inside and kill time. And at least my step-dad is on his way to save me." Those two words started playing over and over in my head: AT LEAST. Life is gonna throw you curve balls. Some are big, some are small. Some happen without us realizing it, and some happen that you can never forget even if you tried. The fact that things aren't always going to go your way is inevitable. You can't always control it. What you can control is your reaction to it. The story of Job always comes to mind whenever I think of life not always going my way. Now I know what you're probably thinking......"Um, you locked your keys in your car. I'm pretty sure that Job had to deal with a little more than that." But my statement still stands.
For those of you who don't know the story of Job, let me give you a brief synopsis. Basically, this guy Job was an upstanding man of God. He followed God's word, and gave God the glory in everything he did. He was pretty legit, in a nutshell. One day, the enemy went up to God and asked, "So, you know your servant Job? Is it okay if I mess with him a little bit?" And God answered, "Sure, go ahead. Just don't kill him." Let me stop here and explain what I believe about this exchange. Some people automatically think, "What in the world? How can God allow something like that to happen to someone who has done nothing but serve Him?" The thing is though, God knew exactly how the whole thing was going to play out. He believed in Job's faith. Trust me, He doesn't do or allow anything to happen without a reason. (Spoiler alert: God always wins.) Long story short, the enemy threw every curve ball at Job that you could imagine. He took away his crops, his cattle, his livelihood, his family, his health, everything that I can guarantee if any of us lost, we'd be sitting in a corner bawling our eyes out. But you know what? Job never faltered. He never lost his faith in God, knowing that God saw the bigger picture. There is always a bigger picture. There is always a silver lining. There is always a Savior watching out for you, because believe me when I say, no mater what you're going through, it could always be worse. Always.
If you're going through a difficult, or seemingly impossible season, I want to encourage you. Life isn't going to always go your way. It isn't always going to be perfect. But it can always be good. God loves you SO much, more than a mere human could ever put into words. He can and will bring you through anything, if you allow Him. Open your heart. Break down that wall of bitterness and anger that comes from life's struggles. Let Him love on you and bring you through the hard parts so He can show you the beautiful ones. He wants you to let go of the things and difficulties of this world and lean on Him. So what's stopping you?
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