Trials

Every once and a while I realize that I cannot fix things. I am a planner who likes things to go according to plan, and when they cannot I want to be able to fix it. There are times in life when so many things go so very wrong for those I love and I cannot fix it. Were it up to me people would not have tick marks on white boards, would still have a job (and family would not have had to be the one to do the layoffs), would not have a tethered spine and need surgery, would know how wonderful they are and never doubt how much they are loved, would not have cancer, would never cry, would have the kid they each so desperately want, would not be hitting the terrible 2’s at 18-months, would not struggle with money, hands would not be burned, would not feel stressed, people would not be jerks. (As you can tell, like Sandra Bullock, I really do want World Peace and the perfect date is April 25th. Because it's not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket.) There is not a single close person in my life right now that is not struggling with something big in one way or another.

I have been thinking a lot lately about how God knows us and sometimes we are blessed with trials. (I did just say blessed with trials, right?!) In order for me to get through rough times, like now, I just have to believe that God has a plan and knows me well enough to know what I can and cannot handle. I know that God will be able to hear my prayers even when I do not have the words to say. I know that He can take my burdens only when I give them to Him. As Andrew Dhuse said once, “God’s will is not an itinerary, but an attitude.” I will probably never know why bad things happen to good people or why some people are blessed with more trials than others or why the harder you try to be good, the more “the bad” comes. But I do know that God has a purpose for each of us and the better we do in our trials the more blessings come our way. You know that old saying, “God give me the serenity to accept things which cannot be changed; give me courage to change things which must be changed; and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.” I believe that the more we put our trust in God, the more wisdom He bestows on us. So I say bring on the trials. Everyone in my life who is going through a trial right now is strong enough to overcome it. I know this because I know you. I know your hearts, and I know your minds, and I have seen your strength before. May God grant you the knowledge and wisdom to find your way through your trial, even if the outcome is not what you expect it to be. God’s will is greater than ours, so our trust must be absolute in Him. And when all else fails, chocolate does not!