Even the Little Things…
“What do we do when we face challenges that make us wonder what’s ahead? The answers are not always easy, and the direction is not always clear. In these circumstances, our hope is in God alone. Our lives and our times are in His hands, and He assures us that He is the rock we can stand upon through the storm.”
~Roy Lessin
If you look back on your life, how many challenges can you remember going through? How did they end up? I think it’s pretty safe for me to say that these difficult circumstances did not end up the way you thought they would or the way you planned them to…am I right. Yeah, I thought so. Well, I have a secret to tell you…its okay. Do you want to know why? Because you and I have a great God who is in charge of circumstances, people, the future, life, our world, and the whole universe.
Now, how many of you are going through a challenge or tough time right now? It can be anything from not having enough money for something, losing your job, not knowing where God is leading you next in your life, saying goodbye to someone/something/someplace that is close to your heart, or maybe you just feel as if you can never do anything right because you have failed so many times in the past.
We, as humans, really do not understand why God allows certain things, even little things, to happen in our lives and we cannot even begin to comprehend how difficult circumstances will ultimately work out for good. But the one thing that each and every one of us can rest in is this; God is always with us and He will never leave us nor forsake us. Even when we forget that God is longing to listen to every whisper that we breathe, He is still right beside us.
This past summer I taught at a four-week character camp and while I was there I saw God miraculously work in many young hearts. One of the kids that I got to know pretty well was a boy named [Eric]. During camp, he and I had quite a few chances to talk about different topics in life. We talked about girls, dating/courting, how to resolve anger, good choices, bad choices, consequences, rewards, forgiveness, and prayer…just to name a few. When [Eric] first came to our camp he was a fun-loving, super smart, super sweet kid who had a little mischievous streak running right through the middle of his angelic heart. [Eric] was what we called a “helper” and part of his job was to help tutor students in younger grades. Well, he did an excellent job doing that (and anything that we asked him to do) but, like every other person in the world, he had a few bad days where his patience level ended up at “nada”.
One day in particular he was having a really rough time and so I called him over to see if he wanted to “talk it out”. He vented non-stop for about five minutes and then finally paused for a breath. When I asked him if he remember something special from the day before he answered, “Well, yeah! I asked Jesus to forgive me from my sins and he came into my heart!”
“Right! Now, if Jesus is in your heart then He is going to want to help you become more like Him so that you can be an example to the people around you. Patience is something that a lot of people have to work on, but God can help you with it if you ask Him. Would you like to pray with me and ask God to give you patience?”
“Well, I guess. This kid is really driving me over the edge, so…why not! But, you pray first! That way you can ask God to help me not become mad and swear while I’m praying…and you better ask Him to help me not go over there and pummel that kid.” (he then gave me a sweet, sly grin. oohhh! the cute, little, amazing, kid that he is!!)
So, [Eric] and I prayed for God to give patience, joy, and understanding to both of us. We also asked that He would use every circumstance throughout our day to His glory and honor. And (wonder of wonders!) we both had an INCREDIBLE day after that.
A few days later, we took all of the camp “helpers” to an amusement park. We divided all the kids/teachers up on different teams and, well, [Eric] did not get to be with Jesse, (who was the teacher that really, really wanted to hang out with) and so you could say that [Eric] was pretty ticked. I pulled him over to the side and talked to him about how he was going to have to make a decision to have a good attitude no matter what because “all circumstances work for the good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose.” [Eric] and I talked for a while before I asked if he would want to pray and thank God for this particular circumstance and also to ask God to help him have a good attitude about it no matter what. He finally consented to pray and told God that he would still really like to be with Jesse, but that he would be happy no matter what happened. I prayed as well and then reminded [Eric] that God has our best interest at heart and that everything happens for a reason. About five minutes later, [Eric] came running up to me with a humongous grin on his face, jumping up and down, and yelling, “I get to be on Mr. Jesse’s team! Ms. Amy put me on Mr. Jesse’s team! I get to be with Mr. Jesse!”
[Eric’s] brothers and friends had told him a few days before that God does not answer prayer, but on August 8th, 2009 God answered that boy’s prayer. And I believe He did it to show is great and amazing love to [Eric] and to show me that He is capable of anything and is not bound by circumstances of this world.
I serve a great God who cares for His children and no matter what situation, issue, or hardship you are facing know that God is right there beside you – ready to help you when you stumble, catch you when you fall, and pick you up when you have been hurt so bad that you can go on no more. God is listening for your cry, waiting to heal your heart.
Trust Him fully…He cares.
Brianna