Life {in a Fallen World} Happens to People
We’ve often heard it said that “bad things happen to good people”.
False.
Life {in a fallen world} happens to people.
First, none of us is good without God. Second, to question “why” bad things happen to us, and assert that we “don’t deserve it” suggests that we had no part in the outcome of our decisions. And sometimes, that’s correct, but most of the time, what happens to us is a product of our decisions.
Are you going through a trial right now? Maybe it seems like the trials never end. It’s “one thing after another”.
That was me. From age 25 onwards. I wandered around, completely lost, making one poor decision after another. The truth is, I was acting from a place of pure emotion, without any consideration for the long term consequences of my decisions. I didn’t think about the impact my decisions would have on others either, and wound up causing people a lot of pain. My life was a messier with time, and I spent YEARS having to “undo” my messes, heal myself, AND help my children heal. While I was going through my trials, I blamed others for what they “did to” me. I constantly complained, not owning MY part in anything I was going through. And that was my mistake. I was the one who made the choices, based on very poor judgment and reasoning. I was young and completely clueless. Realizing my part in everything that happened to me was a huge, humbling wake-up call. The truth was, I am totally incapable of handling things on my own. I NEED God. It took me a loooong time to shed my pride, but I got there in the end.
The real reason for our trials is simple. God is telling us to NOT rely on “self” because we cannot know the outcome of our decisions. But HE does. He knows what’s ahead for us. He knows every thought people have about us, every intention, every conversation people have about us in secret. He KNOWS. He sees us feeling love for the same person He’s also watching plotting against us. He sees us being friends to the same people He’s also watching gossip about us in our absence. He sees us anticipating a job working for the same boss He’s also watching being a bad boss to others. God sees both sides of every relationship - including what’s kept hidden.
When a toxic relationship or situation gets progressively worse over time, God becomes louder in telling us it’s not for us, until we learn to let go. Instead of catering to “self” {the flesh}, we must be willing to surrender to God’s will for us, which allows the Holy Spirit to lead us to where God wants us. Remember - the more we do our will over God’s, the more God will chasten us by allowing the consequences of our decisions to unfold until we finally turn to Him in obedience. When we trust in Him, we see His blessings in even the trials.
Remember - it’s what we do during {and after} the trials that matters most to God. If we praise Him through everything we experience - trials and all - that is the mark of true faith.
I pray for this message to fall upon good soil, and that the seeds planted will lead to the growth of strong faith in the Lord.
✝️🤍🙏🏻
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. - James 1:2-8
