In India there is a phrase that says, "Everything turns out okay in the end; so if it isn't okay, it isn't the end." This phrase has brought me so much peace and comfort amidst the struggles of the Race and in particular this month. As things have changed drastically and I have been forced to re-define myself in a new environment amidst personal struggles and struggles back home things have not felt okay. I have questioned myself, my beliefs, and why God has me here. I have even at times been resentful as to why God has put me on a team and in an environment that is so demanding. But as this phrase says, when it is not okay, it isn't the end.
God always has such bigger and better plans for things than we do. We are so stuck and limited by time and our perception of it. We are so constantly caught up in what is happening now and right in front of our eyes that we fail to see the bigger picture of what God is doing. But God sees everything! Imagine it, having a perspective that is not limited by time or space, where you see everything in its entirety. What would you do?
To me God's power is most evident when I look back at my life and see how I ended up here. The way that God set up my life to end up where I am now speaks of his wonder and glory. I take no credit for being here. It was simply Gods plan. He was just waiting for me to say yes. In fact He always knew I would say yes, and when. He set everything up ahead of time so that all I would have to worry about is to keep trusting him and learn how to give more and more to him so he can bless me more and more. Isn't that awesome? That he was just waiting, patiently, for me to say yes so that he could take over and bless me? Isn't that what we all want anyway, to just be taken care of and loved? Well that is exactly what God offers when we call upon Jesus as our personal savior, and start trusting him to take care of us.
And now all I can do is boast about what he has done and is doing in my life. I always have something to say about how awesome God is because he proves himself to me over and over again. He is always faithful, always trusworthy, and will always will give us His best, which is The best. It may not feel like it at the time, but it is. And when times are hard he is just stretching us and getting us ready for the next stage he has for us. And finally we will get to that eventual stage in heaven where we will be with him forever. Always surrounded by love, perfection, beauty, and greatness.
Another thought. Things that are perfect are not easy. Take for example a wedding cake. It has layers, sometimes colors, and an intricate design that is carefully thought out, then masterfully put together. That is how God is. Intricate, colorful, and well thought out and planned. And the end result is always perfect. To get to that final stage when the cake is complete is not easy. There was work that went into that cake. Ingredients added, pans sprayed, items ordered, and time spent, but when the cake is done and sitting on the banquet table for all the guests to gaze upon it is beautiful; some would even say perfect. And that is just like the work that God is doing in our lives. He is stirring us, adding colors and designs, and pre-heating the oven for the next stages, so on that final day when we are presented to Him all he will have to say is, "perfect."
2 Corinthians 4: 16-18
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever. So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
Phillipians 3: 12-14
I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I strain to reach the end of the race and recieve the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.
