In mission and in service, we will be faced with plenty of things – more good, I’m certain, but there will be days when we may have to contend with the bad. What I mean by that are those times when we feel confused and burdened and we lose sight of the reason why we’re serving and who we’re doing it for in the first place.
I read somewhere that the Lord never gives us anything less of Himself. And as hard as it is to believe, I do trust that those bad days are the Lord’s way of still giving Himself to us. What we perceive to be terrible times in mission or service can be His way of molding and refining us to become better people. By pushing us beyond what we think are our limits, He is able to make us stretch and in the process, grow. It may be Him instilling hope and patience in us – making us remember that He has control over everything and all we really have to do is trust in Him. Or perhaps it’s His way of making us remember that we are never alone in our service because once we’re past the bad and all we see are the good, we realize that He was with us all along.
As we receive, so we must thank.
So Lord, for wanting the best… the moon and stars for us, and for everything You give us despite our shortcomings, I am thankful. For the bad and the horrible things, I am grateful. Thank you for never abandoning us, for walking with us through everything, and for letting us emerge as stronger individuals.
