It would be extremely easy at this point to be frustrated and negative about the circumstances of my life. In some ways, my body has been fighting battle after battle just trying to survive. As if that's not hard enough, people have been asking me why I'm constantly sick. I've even had someone ask me if God was possibly trying to let me know that I've done something wrong. Several years ago, I would have been inclined to agree, but thankfully, I'm a little older now and a little wiser. God has taught me an important lesson through the course of this disease. God is always at work in His children's lives, even when it seems like He's abandoned us. He has a plan to use the bad and turn it into good, but we have to trust Him no matter what.
I don't know if it's because I've finally learned the truth of Romans 8:28 or because I trust God is at work in the seemingly negative situations of my life, but for some reason, through this time of constant infections, I have seen God do some AMAZING things in my life. Because of all the infections, I have had to come off certain medications which keep the body from fighting infections. I began trying natural supplements and vitamins, and within a two month period, I went from taking sixteen different medications down to four. As if that weren't enough, I am now the healthiest I have been in years. I am close to completing the writing of my first book, and God has provided the money to attend a writers' conference so that I can begin the publishing process.
The temptation for anyone going through a difficult time is to become negative, bitter, and cynical. Yet we miss so much when we focus on the challenges we are facing rather than on the great God we serve. I often wonder if our lack of faith in God keeps us from experiencing the many blessings He longs to give to His children. I don't know about you, but I long to see God at work in my life. So my question of the week is this: what is the object of your obsession? Are you focusing on the negative, difficult problems in your life, or are you focusing on the God who can do something about your problems? Your answer is what determines if you will merely survive this life or if you will thrive.
"The Spirit helps us with our weakness. We do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit Himself speaks to God for us, even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain. God can see what is in people's hearts. And He knows what is in the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit speaks to God for His people in the way God wants. We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love Him. They are the people He called, because that was His plan." ~ Romans 8:26-28 (NCV)
(c) May 16, 2012