Our women's Bible study group at church is currently doing "Giving God Your Future" by Christa Kinde. It's an excellent study and I highly recommend it. We're nearly done and as a person who tends to be a worrywart, I've learned a lot about the peace and serenity that comes from trusting a most trustworthy God.
As we go through the attributes of God and why He is more than capable that we are of directing our futures, I've also been looking at how God has directed my past, which I believe is necessary to feel comfortable in totally entrusting my future to Him.
Looking back at the top three or four really hard stretches of my life, I can see exactly how I was blessed on the other side of each of those challenges. And while the hardships were tough to bear at times, the blessing far outweighed the difficulties, so much so that I'd go through it again if I needed to in order to get what I got. The blessing has been more than commensurate with the hardship involved.
While each tribulation has resulted in blessing, collectively the experiences are changing me. Looking back on how I reacted to various periods of crisis, I find myself more content to accept that God has a plan and purpose rather than to complain and bemoan the situation. I find myself more comfortable not having to know exactly what is coming and how God plans to provide for me through it, and just accepting that my role is to keep my eyes on Him and trust that He will make a way even when -- no, especially when -- I don't see it.
I love to feel these changes as they are happening. That edifying and uplifting feeling of being the clay under the Potter's skillful and all-knowing hands is more valuable than anything else I've ever experienced.
