I remember thinking to myself before the trip: This is going to be hard, but it's going to be good, too.
As a quiet, sensitive introvert, I knew I was taking some big steps...but somehow I had a feeling the outcome would be amazing.
I wish I could say that I believe this every day. That when things are hard, I just look up and remind myself that it's all worth it and God is a God who enjoys revealing His goodness in every situation. But instead, I often respond with "no."
No, God, this is too hard. I'm stressed, tired, frustrated. No, I don't want this.
Psalm 33:5 got me thinking... One version reads, "...the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord" while another reads,"...the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord." (emphasis added)
What if when I complain and worry in difficult situations, I am really saying "no" to His love? ...Even the same love that put Jesus on the cross so I could be saved? Could I believe for one moment that the God who went through the worst to give me the best I could ever have would not use my trials, my struggles for a glory greater than all of this?
And what if I said yes? Yes, even when I don't know what He's doing. Yes, even when it doesn't look like love to me.
Blessed be the Lord, for He has wondrously shown His steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city." -Psalm 31:21