God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him. Not Enoch, who was translated to heaven, not Elijah, who ascended in a chariot of fire, was greater or more honored than John the Baptist, who perished alone in the dungeon. “Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” Philippians 1:29. And of all the gifts that Heaven can bestow upon men, fellowship with Christ in His sufferings is the most weighty trust and the highest honor.
Life keeps me guessing.
I think that’s true for every single one of us. We want it to be smooth sailing, and we want to be able to tell what’s coming next, but we can’t. And that piece of unknown scares us. But really, I think it’s the kindest thing that God could do for us. If he was to reveal all of the hurt we would experience in our lifetime, we would be crippled by fear. God saves us from what we aren't able to handle.
All of the time, I say that I wish that God would reveal how a certain situation would end. That it would be easier if I just knew what to expect. But where do we grow the most? In the uncertainty. In the uncomfortable. In the fire, our flaws are set against the flame. God shows us where we need change and He helps us through the process. Things that we would never think to work on come out ugly and messy, and force us into action.
It never ceases to be scary when you’re met with what you wouldn’t want to imagine. But some of the experiences that scare us the most, change us for the better.
Some of the biggest moments of growth come from situations where I didn't see any positive outcome. I wouldn't want to change them because they brought me to the light at the end of the tunnel. They stretched me to become someone better. The bad comes out in floods, and the good slowly works its way in. Only it patches those holes so the bad doesn’t have a way back in.
When we rely on God to carry us through, He does much more than that. He pulls us out of the bad and shows us the good. He is good, so everything He does is good. As long as we're dwelling in Him, that good will start to fill us.
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