James 1:2-3,  Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Every day there are things, some good, some that are overwhelming, and some that are just heartbreaking and earth-shaking, and every day we have the choice of how we will not only handle it but how we will allow it to affect us and those around us!  

The Bible doesn’t tell us that life will be easy or always comfortable, instead, it tells us that trouble comes to everyone at some point in time.  Even King Solomon with all of his riches wisdom and prestige realized that it just doesn’t matter there are times when life just runs you over.  So when those times come to you what will you do?  How will you handle it?  Are you going to allow it to destroy your walk with God or are you going to draw closer to Him and allow Him to not only walk with you through it but help you to grow through it so you can become all He created you to be?  I have learned that when life is straight-up awful and it seems all hell is coming against you, that is time to dig in and ask God for the strength to get through it all and to use it to help you become more like Him.  He loves you and He has a plan, but you can’t run from Him in times of trouble and expect His plan to be waiting for you at the end of that path.  If you want His best you have to trust Him and follow Him.  

God wants to show you things about yourself that you don’t even know.  Sometimes the only way to do that is to allow situations that bring that out of you.  It’s just like one of my favorite sayings, “A woman is like a tea bag ~ you never know how strong she is until she’s in hot water.” (That can apply to both men and women, obviously) Not all “hot water” is something bad, it may just be something that you are being challenged in life to do that you don’t feel qualified or equipped to do and yet you know God has put it there for you to do.  Sometimes when you feel that you are faced with overwhelming odds against you and yet you know you are following God you just need to understand that He is stretching you and He isn’t going to allow something like that in your life and not give you what it takes to do it.  You have to trust Him.  Stay close by His side.  Don’t neglect your walk with Him.  Keep Him number one and seek His face in all that you do and He will provide you with what you need inside to accomplish all He created you to accomplish!  One of my other favorite sayings is, “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called” ~ in other words, He wants to do the impossible through you, but you have to be willing and put that yes on the table and leave it there even when things get tough.  Surround yourself with like-minded people who want to help you become all God created you to be so you can help others do the same thing!  The Bible tells us that we are “One body” in Him and we are all to work together to serve Him.  He doesn’t tell you to just go it alone.  You need other people in your life and they need you, whether you feel that way today or not.  

Ask God today how you can grow to be all He created you to be.  See that thing in front of you as a challenge instead of a problem.  Ask Him to do great and mighty things in and through you so others will see His work, and glorify Him and be drawn to Him.  It’s not just about us as individuals, it’s about Him and His plan.  Trust Him!  His plans are bigger than yours and He has everything you need for the journey.  If you will just follow Him you can know that truly His best is yet to come.  He wants to make you stronger so you can be a light in a dark world.  Don’t let satan convince you to stay where you are because it seems “comfortable”.  You don’t want to miss out on what God’s plan is.  You certainly don’t want your loved ones to miss out because you feel comfortable and don’t feel like being stretched.  Take the challenge today.  Know that if you are dealing with a broken heart He wants to heal that heart and give you all you need to use those experiences for Him.  He wants to use you and your story so dig in and trust that truly His best is yet to come if you will just choose to follow Him!

Quote:  “A strong Woman has faith that for the journey she’ll have enough, no matter how uneven the terrain or roads being rocky and rough.  A Woman of strength knows it’s in the journey she will become strong, and the love of God is forever with her, no matter how difficult.” ~ Luke Easter and Dee Cheeks