Hard Times
“All things work together for good to those who love God.” Romans 8:28
Think about some of the best times in your life – you receive an award, you go on an exciting trip, you are accepted to the college of your choice, prom, you spend your summers at Camp Greystone.
Now, think about some of the hard times you have experienced – you don’t get the award or acceptance to something, you have a loss in your life, someone is mean to you, you have a breakup or lose a job.
I don’t know about how your mind works, but my mind has a much easier time accepting the good things in life. I am ready for the changes that come with good news, and I know how to react when the result is what I want.
On the other hand, it is very difficult for me to embrace the hard times. I am not prepared for them, and I don’t know how to react or what will happen because of them. Hard times shake me up, make me doubt myself or something I felt confident in before, and cause me to be afraid of what is to come.
When the going gets tough, I need God, and I recognize my need for Him making the hard times so very important to the learning process of being a Christian. I have recently realized that the good times remind me of my faith in God, but the hard times make me lean on Him and makes me unable to rely on myself, solidifying my faith.
God allows both avenues to bring about good – good times work together with the hard times for my own good, so that God can teach me what He wants me to learn while blessing me through the process. The goal is for us to be more like Christ and be an example to show the world who Christ is.
So, when you find yourself facing a hard time, take time to think about it as a part of God’s plan, one step in the “overall good” He is doing in your life.
Take away: Next time you find yourself facing a hard time, remind yourself that God is in charge, and He promises that it is a part of His plan to bring good – all of the positive and negative events in our lives work together – the end result is good.