Choosing to Trust

Sometimes, life is just hard. Sometimes, it just hurts. Sometimes, it’s just difficult. And sometimes, it’s just painful.

And though all these things are true, Jesus has been teaching me a lot of these times of pain and trial. First, where is my focus during these times? Are my eyes fixed on Jesus or upon my circumstances? Because it’s really easy to look at my circumstances and feel overwhelmed or discouraged. But what if I choose to look at the God of my circumstances and realize that they come because they are part of His sovereign, divine, perfect will for my life? They come because He wants to refine me, purify me, and make me more like Himself? And trials and pain is the avenue to do such things.

You see, it’s not about me. It’s not about how I feel. Or what I want my circumstances to look like. Or what my ideal situation would be. It’s about Jesus. And Him receiving the glory that He so deserves. Today in church my pastor mentioned that a man in the church recently pointed out that he believes he may have gotten cancer so that he could witness to his doctor. And my pastor asked if we would be willing to do whatever it takes if it was part of God’s will and would bring Him glory.

Jesus provides the strength that I need for that day. It can feel like I’m walking through knee-high sand at times or trying to walk in the ocean against the waves that are coming against me. However, the important thing is to keep going. Jesus’ grace is sufficient. It may seem impossible, but if God has called us to something, it means that He has the ability and the power to enable us to live according to what He has called us to. So even though it’s hard, it’s part of His calling, so Jesus is going to give us everything we need to go through it, not just in survival mode but to thrive joyfully in a way that leaves the rest of the world amazed.

Finally, I just need to trust. I've known this truth for a while. However, lately I've been learning that I have to choose to trust Him. It’s not enough to just acknowledge that I’m going to trust Jesus. I have to actually choose to trust Him. So, when life feels overwhelming and the bait is placed in front of me to get stressed or worried, I must choose to trust my God. When life gets hard and all I want to do is just quit, I have to choose trust Him. There aren't any exceptions. I trust Him in every situation, no matter what it may be.

Because He’s faithful, and He’s going to work everything out for His glory and my good. And that’s something I can bank my life on.