Ups and Downs

Its funny how life goes sometimes. One minute you think you've got everything together and then the next you're flat on your face again thinking, "how did i get here?" As christians were constantly searching for God's will for our lives looking at everything as a sign to what God wants me to do now. I think that time is the only thing that will truly reveal God's perfect plan for our lives. But what happens until then? what do we do in the interim? Mystery seems to be God's forte. While were constantly trying to figure everything out and make all these fool proof plans God sits back and chuckles knowing full well that what we plan for ourselves is nothing like what His plan is for us. The music career doesn't pan out, you dont get that promotion at work you were hoping for, the girl you thought you were supposed to marry is suddenly a distant memory. Whatever the case may be; the end result seems to be constant. "What now?" The Bible says that " our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18) Yet time and time again we seem to look back and think about all the bad things that happen to us with regret and distane. It makes you question God and pushes you to take back the false sense of control you think you have over your own life. All of the pain leads you to believe you can do it better and that you dont need God at this particular juncture in your life. Were constantly thinking of these "bad" things as a cruel punishment for something horrible we did in our past when in Hebrews 12:6-7 it talks about God disciplining those He loves, and to endure hardships as discipline. Later on it also talks about the discipline being for our good and that it will produce a harvest of righteousness and peace if you learn from it. I know its hard to believe but all of this time we spend getting hurt and messing up is for our greater good in the long run. "God works for the good of those who love Him", (Romans 8:28) and these hardships inevitably draw us closer to Him and His perfect will. So until time tells your tale were told to not conform to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and then we can test what Gods will is for our lives.(Romans 12:2) So time will tell what plans God has for you and our job in the interim is to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God as our spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1)