It's a quiet Thursday morning. There is only about a month left of preschool for my youngest, and these quiet Thursday mornings will turn into a symphony of laughter, excitement, and maybe a little yelling. He's boisterous, that one. More on him later. For now, I write.
When I started this blog 3 years ago, I intended it to be a journal of sorts. I had a few friends who "followed" me, but not many really read it. So, I felt free to write about everything. These friends knew my struggles anyway, so it wasn't news to them. Over time, it has evolved into something I love doing, and though I may not have hundreds of daily readers, I believe God has called me to it.
I was trying to come up with some catchy title for my blog, but couldn't think of anything. I ended up with God is always working in us because I thought about the "Experiencing God" bible study that Todd and I did together. The ONLY bible study we've done together in 12 years of marriage, sadly. However, in that study, the thing that struck me most was a part that talked about how God is always working in us, and God reminded me of that when I was trying to come up with a name.
The point of all this is that lately I've been distant from God. Not really pursuing Him, at the same time believing He is near and has me quiet for a season. I don't know if the flood gates are about to open, but I do know that He is working in this quiet season. He is ALWAYS working in us, even when it feels like we are all alone. When we are on the mountaintop or the valley's, He's right there working in us.
I don't know who came up with this illustration, but I love it! I mean, I want it plastered on my walls. See, I grew up believing the opposite was true. I believed that God's plan was perfect, straight and had no detours. I believed that my faith was lacking if I went through a trial, and that for some reason, I might even be in sin if I was walking through a valley. Tell someone who struggles with self-worth, depression and insecurity that they are in sin, and it just exasperates the issue.
Instead, over the years, God has been so faithful and true to His word. He loves me through it all. His grace IS sufficient for me. There is purpose in our pain, there is purpose in our suffering, and in our race to the finish line, these things produce character and hope in us.
Romans 5:3-4 "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope"
So, now I can look at a picture like this and see how God has shaped the ups and downs in my life to produce character in me, to give me hope in Him, to know He is continually working on my behalf. He loves us, friends. He loves us so much that He has a plan and a purpose for our lives. He desires to walk with us through the valleys just as much as He is with us in our mountaintop experiences. Our greatest growth in Him usually takes place in the valley's. It's through these experiences that He shows His faithfulness in the most intimate ways.
Let me encourage you to find your hope in Him. I am finding mine in Him. Let me encourage you, also, that you are not alone. We all go through ups and downs in life. Jesus said we would walk through things that wouldn't be fun. But, we can have confidence that He is faithful to watch over His word and to perform it, and He is the way, truth and life. He is always faithful and true.
Do you believe God has a plan for you? Do you believe you have purpose? What do you know God has purposed for you to do in life?
