This Life Was Never Promised to be Easy

Life can be one of the most interesting puzzles out there.  Believe me, I can speak from experience.  However, one thing that we tend to fall victim into believing is that life is suppose to be easy.  Some how, we have come to believe the notion, that life is suppose to always be full of prosperity but I beg to differ.  Last week, I received a devotional from Chuck Swindoll that spoke on this very same topic and I want to share from my perspective as well.

In this world (well at least in America), we enjoy believing that life should have a plan.  Within this plan, there is a overall goal and at the end of that goal it has something to do with living prosperous.  For example, when I was growing up, I was told that if I went to school, studied hard, and went to college I would get a good job.  In addition, I believed that life would go nothing but up without major bumps in the road.  For example, I would marry, have kids, get a nice house with pretty green grass, grow old, retire, and live on a beach somewhere for the remainder of my days.   Well that's all well and good but God never promised such a life to us.

As a matter of fact we see evidence of this with Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:6-9.  In there it says,

(6) Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, (7) or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. (8) Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. (9) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Paul was one of the most influential Apostles for the Kingdom of God, but look what the Lord tells him in verse nine.  He say's that, "My grace is sufficient for you....".  Say what?!  You mean to tell me that after all that Paul had done, this is the response he got from the Lord?  Survey Says:  Yes.  That's all he got.

Where we go wrong is that we fail to understand the ways of the Man upstairs.  We have a plan in our brain but fail to consider that God's plans may be different from our own.  For years, people have suffered pain and heartache and that's what we don't get.  We wonder things like "If He's so omnipotent, why would he allow such evil and not give us the perfect life?"  Well if He did, then just like any other free thing, we wouldn't appreciate it.  After all, we are not in control.  He is in control and until we learn to submit to His will, we will always struggle to understand why the things happen to us that make life difficult.

You cannot see it now, but just know that His "power is made perfect in weakness" and your struggle today is a teaching moment for your future.

Be Blessed