Imperfect
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world"
-John 16:33
This verse has been popping up everywhere lately.
I always heard this verse and been like "ok, yea Jesus has overcome even though things will be rough, but in the end it will be okay"
It is so much easier to say that to yourself when everything is going the way you plan, and you're not struggling (or at least you don't want to admit you are). But when you really are struggling and you're frustrated and you're discouraged, you find yourself saying "God, why is this happening to me? why is this not happening to me instead? or why did you ever let this happen? or why does this person have that and I don't? or why am I struggling with this or that?"
And then you remember, that "in this world you will have trouble". Oh. You see, I think so many times we get in this mindset that "if I do this and this, then God will bless me and all these things are going to happen" and while God will choose to bless you at times, sometimes, that's not the case. I know I wrestle with thinking if I do this and follow God, then this will happen and this. Things aren't going to always go the way you want because it isn't about what you want. Yet, we tend to make it about us because God loves and He wants what's best for us-which we tend to think we know what that is, when really, we don't.
I wrestle so much to accept that. Even as I type that, I am still fighting to think I know best. But the thing is, we have been given grace. We have been saved from Hell-anything else that God chooses to give us whether small or great, we should be thankful for because He has saved us from HELL. Why should we get anything else? but we do. So when we don't always get what we want, we can't sit and cross our arms in frustration, we should be grateful for the good things God has already given and more importantly life.
I've been re-hearing the Gospel a lot lately this year, and I've realized that-that's what matters. Did you ever notice that when you are hurting or upset, you find yourself going to God? If we didn't suffer, we wouldn't go to God. Someone shared with me the other day, that sometimes when we're having an "off" day or realizing that we're struggling with certain things we don't want to struggle with, it humbles us because it reminds us of how much we need God. Which is how it should be. So when you find yourself, struggling with something-recognize that you are, but then tell God, you need Him and thank Him for reminding Him of your humanness and incapabilities. We don't need to get so overworked up in our troubles, struggles and down days-they remind us that we need God which is good. Because this world is not perfect and neither are we. We need God. It is such a reminder that we all need so much, so often.
"...In this world you will have trouble but take heart! I have OVERCOME the world."
We can rest in God and the redemption that is found through Christ on a daily basis through the daily ups and downs and our ungratefulness. And we can really realize the gravity of what has been done for us which leads us to our knees, speechless before God.
"Humbly let go. Let go of trying to do, let go of trying to control, let go of my own fears. Let God blow His wind, His trials, oxygen for joy's fire. Leave the hand open and be. Be at peace. Bend the knee and be small and let God give what God chooses to give because He only gives love and whisper a suprised thanks"
-Ann Voskamp
-John 16:33
This verse has been popping up everywhere lately.
I always heard this verse and been like "ok, yea Jesus has overcome even though things will be rough, but in the end it will be okay"
It is so much easier to say that to yourself when everything is going the way you plan, and you're not struggling (or at least you don't want to admit you are). But when you really are struggling and you're frustrated and you're discouraged, you find yourself saying "God, why is this happening to me? why is this not happening to me instead? or why did you ever let this happen? or why does this person have that and I don't? or why am I struggling with this or that?"
And then you remember, that "in this world you will have trouble". Oh. You see, I think so many times we get in this mindset that "if I do this and this, then God will bless me and all these things are going to happen" and while God will choose to bless you at times, sometimes, that's not the case. I know I wrestle with thinking if I do this and follow God, then this will happen and this. Things aren't going to always go the way you want because it isn't about what you want. Yet, we tend to make it about us because God loves and He wants what's best for us-which we tend to think we know what that is, when really, we don't.
I wrestle so much to accept that. Even as I type that, I am still fighting to think I know best. But the thing is, we have been given grace. We have been saved from Hell-anything else that God chooses to give us whether small or great, we should be thankful for because He has saved us from HELL. Why should we get anything else? but we do. So when we don't always get what we want, we can't sit and cross our arms in frustration, we should be grateful for the good things God has already given and more importantly life.
I've been re-hearing the Gospel a lot lately this year, and I've realized that-that's what matters. Did you ever notice that when you are hurting or upset, you find yourself going to God? If we didn't suffer, we wouldn't go to God. Someone shared with me the other day, that sometimes when we're having an "off" day or realizing that we're struggling with certain things we don't want to struggle with, it humbles us because it reminds us of how much we need God. Which is how it should be. So when you find yourself, struggling with something-recognize that you are, but then tell God, you need Him and thank Him for reminding Him of your humanness and incapabilities. We don't need to get so overworked up in our troubles, struggles and down days-they remind us that we need God which is good. Because this world is not perfect and neither are we. We need God. It is such a reminder that we all need so much, so often.
"...In this world you will have trouble but take heart! I have OVERCOME the world."
We can rest in God and the redemption that is found through Christ on a daily basis through the daily ups and downs and our ungratefulness. And we can really realize the gravity of what has been done for us which leads us to our knees, speechless before God.
"Humbly let go. Let go of trying to do, let go of trying to control, let go of my own fears. Let God blow His wind, His trials, oxygen for joy's fire. Leave the hand open and be. Be at peace. Bend the knee and be small and let God give what God chooses to give because He only gives love and whisper a suprised thanks"
-Ann Voskamp
.jpeg)
Comments
Post a Comment