Curveballs are a part of\nlife. Just when we think that things are going along smoothly,\nsomething happens that changes everything. It could be anything, big\nor small, that happens and knocks us to our knees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is easy to get\ndiscouraged in these situations. We feel so many emotions all at\nonce that we do not know how to react or even how to move forward at\ntimes. Disappointment, fear, anger, sadness, frustration…the list\nof emotions goes on and on. We think, \u201cThis isn’t how this was\nsuppose to turn out\u201d or we start to question why this is even\nhappening at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my head, I picture a\npuzzle. It may seem that the pieces are so scattered that they will\nnever be put together. We start to question if the pieces are even\nall there. It is like a 1000 piece puzzle that you have been working\non and the last piece or 2 was left out or lost. Will the picture\never be complete?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is where faith comes\ninto play. I love the acronym for the letters in the word FAITH:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For
All
I
Trust
Him<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God knew that this\nsituation (that has rocked us to our core) was going to happen all\nalong. It didn’t take Him by surprise at all! He sees the whole\npicture when we only see snippets. He knows where every single\npiece of the puzzle is and He will put the pieces in place when it is\ntime. If God can create the universe and placed every star in the\nsky, one by one, he certainly can help me in my situation. He\ndoesn’t forget about me or my situation for a single second. One of\nmy favorite songs is \u201cStars\u201d by Skillet. The lyrics focus on\nhow big God is how he loves us and remembers us always!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It seems silly to not\ntrust God in all things. It isn’t fair of me to say, \u201cOk God, I\ntrust you with this set of obstacles, but I’m not sure I can trust\nyou with this one\u201d. What it comes down to is, do I trust Him or\ndon’t I? For ALL I Trust Him!!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremiah 29:11 says: \u201cFor\nI know the plans I have for you\u201d, declares the Lord. \u201cPlans to\nprosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a\nfuture.\u201d What a comfort! If we keep our eyes on Christ, He will\ndirect our path and lead us to where he wants us to be. Isaiah\n41:10 says: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for\nI am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you\nwith my righteous right hand. We are never alone when we keep our\ntrust in Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I was young, my mom used to sing me a song that I have passed down to my children. It is called \u201cWhy Worry When You Can Pray?\u201d This song has helped me through many situations, both as a child and as an adult. Worry only makes us more fearful and anxious about the future. It doesn’t solve anything. Prayer on the other hand does. When we pray, we are talking to the One who created us and the One who can bring us the most comfort. The lyrics to this song are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why worry when you can pray?
Trust Jesus, He’ll be your stay.
Don’t be a Doubting Thomas.
Rest fully on His promise.
Why worry, worry, worry, worry
When you can pray?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we are stressed,\ndisappointed, frustrated, and totally devastated, doubt WILL creep\nin. As humans, that is just normal. But, we have to focus on what\nwe KNOW is true. God loves us, is always with us, takes care of us,\nand is our forever helper if we trust in Him. Psalm 46:1 tells us\nthat God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.\n Deuteronomy 31:6 says: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid\nor terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He\nwill never leave you nor forsake you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People come and go. \nSupporters come and go. God NEVER goes! We can ALWAYS depend on Him\nto help us through all of our struggles. How do we know this? \nBecause He tells us so in the Bible. Sure, we will get discouraged\nand feel like crawling into a hole at times. God understands this\nand He voluntarily goes down into that hole with us. The important\nthing is that we do not stay there! With His help, we can emerge and\nhave the confidence that we WILL make it through. After all, we have\nthe Creator of the World on our side! You can’t get a bigger\nsupporter and ally than that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Written by Kathryn Conrad<\/p>\n\n\n\n
References:
Jeremiah 29:11
Isaiah 41:10
Psalm 46:1
Deuteronomy 31:6
\u201cStars\u201d by Skillet<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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