The Things I Know

I know God loves me . . .

But I don't always know I'm not a disappointment.



I know God will always take care of me . . .

But I don't think He will always keep me safe from harm.



I know God is in control.

But I know people make decisions that greatly affect their lives.

And I know sometimes bad stuff just happens.



It seems like everything I believe has a polar opposite that I believe just as strongly. Some of it is my own wrong thinking combined with my insecurities, but some of the other things can be backed pretty well with scripture.

Is it strange that I believe all of this and still feel a sense of closeness and calm toward God? I guess I don't think so, because what it boils down to is it doesn't really matter how safe we are, whether we suffer from our decisions, or even if God decides to teach us a hard lesson. What matters is He is right there with us. He never leaves us. He never gives up on us. He'll see us through every difficult moment.

You would think I just suffered some terrible disaster in my life, judging by where my thoughts are today. Oddly enough, everything is going amazingly well. In fact TWICE yesterday, God did far more for our family than we even dreamed possible. We are so, SO grateful for His wonderful gifts, but it seems my mind quickly goes to all the people I know who are suffering immensely right now. I know . . . I absolutely KNOW God loves them deeply. We've been through our hard times. We've had our turns. And it's pretty doubtful we'll get through the rest of our lives without having a few more turns. It's an imperfect, sinful world and we shouldn't be surprised that bad stuff happens.

But when I see the good things displayed right next to the excruciatingly painful things . . . when I know my friends are suffering and there's really nothing we can do but care . . . it makes me think about all the many facets of God. I hate when people say "I'm blessed" because something good is happening. We who live in relationship with God are blessed no matter what. Jesus did what He did for all of us . . . and nothing this (sometimes stinking) world throws at us can ever change that.

So sometimes this world just sucks. But knowing God is right there with us . . . Knowing He is going through every moment of every trial right next to us, holding us up whenever needed . . . Knowing His love for us is deeper than we could possibly imagine . . . Knowing in the end He will have the final word. Those are the things that give me great peace. They get me through my own trials and the pain of watching others suffer. I have felt the power of His love as it broke through seemingly impossible situations. I know what it is to be lifted up after feeling you've sunk so low you can never stand again. His love is a powerful thing. Whether we are celebrating victories or trying to find our way through the darkest of days, we are blessed. Because He will never, ever leave us.