I have had opportunity lately to have some down time, granted it was not by choice but nevertheless it has been useful. I have had a chance to catch up on some reading both for entertainment and for inspiration.  It has also been a time of much needed reflection.

   One of the things that seems to be a recurring theme in my life and in many of those I am surrounded by, is uncertainty. Some are dealing with health uncertainties, others financial ones, and there are always relational uncertainties. My particular lot right now is in the health realm. I have been given a diagnosis, limitations of behavior and the assurance that in no way did I bring this on myself.  Many people find themselves in a similar positions where their career is concerned. They have lost employment with the assurance it isn’t anything they have done but just the economic times we are in.  Others, loss of a relationship or some other important part of their life. 

   Somewhere along the way in our life as we grow up, we get the mistaken illusion that as we enter adulthood we cross over a threshold and gain control of our lives. Whether that magic number is eighteen or twenty-one, we reach a point where we begin to think that we have arrived and from that point on we will control our lives and our destinies. The truth is, it is just that, an illusion! The only thing we can really control in life is our own behavior and our responses to the circumstances that come our way. We can prepare for storms that come but we can’t prevent them. We can prepare for an attack on our health, we can even avoid putting ourselves in situations that can adversely affect our health, even so, there are times when we will have have health challenges.  We can be the best of financial stewards, still accidents happen and things break.

   The great news is we live in a world that has order and purpose, where there is a greater hope and a great God who is in control, who is for us and not against us. Our God seeks our highest good. He isn’t so much concerned about our comfort as He is our character. We often think we know what is best for us but He always knows what is best for us. We see Him as putting limits on us, on our fun. He sees it as protecting and providing for our good, looking out for our best. He understands what is to come and the purpose behind it, we not only don’t see it coming but neither do we usually see the good that an come from going through. We may one day in retrospect actually find that a less than favorable circumstance suffered may have had valuable effects on our life or our character. We may not realize until much, much later that a series of events in our lives were not only building character, but in fact it was preparing us to be the exact person that God had planned for us all along, from the beginning of time! I have seen this in my own life.

   I have not always appreciated this truth. Like most all humans, I am adverse to pain, struggles and I do not enjoy suffering! I hate being sick, having to be dependent on others, and having no clue what is coming next. It isn’t always pleasant to be surprised! However, I will say I finally have learned reflecting on the pleasures and struggles that have made up my life, the times I have grown the most and have made me the strongest are the less than pleasant and more challenging times. It has been these times that have taught me that there is One greater than myself and He holds me in His palm. He is not limited by time! He knew what was coming long before I experienced it! He went before me and prepared the way! He walked right beside me as I walk it out, and He comes right behind me as my rear guard! He never leaves me or forsakes me and in my weakness He is strong!! I guess what I am saying here is My Daddy will always be there to catch me and though it hasn’t been an easy lesson, and like a small child, often I forget; I think I am finally learning to let go and just trust that Daddy’s got it and I can always trust Him to catch His baby girl!!