Are We There Yet?

We have all uttered these words at one time or another but how many times in the last 5 years have you said it? As children, we said it on every road trip and drove our parents crazy! We were kids and we had no concept of time or patience but as adults what is our excuse? I know that it is going to take some time to receive some of God's blessings in my life and it can be hard to be patient. I think we some times think that we get our blessings in life due to what WE do instead of what GOD does. There is nothing in our lives that we can do without God and we tend to forget that. I know I do. So, to "hurry things along" we try and make it happen for ourselves. Then we are left scratching our heads trying to figure out why we didn't get what we wanted. We think to ourselves, "I did everything the way I was supposed to. I did the work, why am I not reaping the benefits?" Because it's not up to us! We can't do it alone. The only thing we can do is to have faith in God.

I have struggled with this a lot in a particular part of my life. I am ashamed to admit that I have reached this point but it is what it is. I find myself worrying too much about what is happening in others lives that I start comparing my life to theirs and then I become prideful because I think my life is better than theirs or I become depressed because I think they have it better than me and I long to have a life like that. We all do this. We may not want to admit it, but we do. Especially women, I don't know why but we are terrible about comparing ourselves to others. I cannot speak for the men, because I am not one, but I can speak for women. It is something we all struggle with and we need to draw strength from God to fight off the temptation to compare ourselves to others.

Now comes the real challenge...taking my own advice. It's easy to sit here and tell you all what we should do in these situations but the real test comes when these moments arise. Will I stand firm and resist the temptation or will I fall back into my original pattern? I don't know why I doubt God. He has given me NO reason to doubt him and I have given Him plenty!

I think that even though I may not be content with certain situations in my life I would rather stay it in than to follow God. It's relatively comfortable. I mean I don't have to step out of my comfort zone. How sad is that?! I am missing out! God shows me the way all the time but do I see it? No! Why is that? Because I am consumed with my plan for my life instead of focusing on God's plan for my life. Or maybe it is because I am afraid to make that leap of faith. I don't like to worry too much because it can quickly put me in a depression if I let it and a while back we had a sermon on worrying at church and it has stuck with me to this day.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:25-27)

Now, I say that I don't like to worry too much but it happens. I am only human but I try my hardest not to do it. I have had so many instances where God has brought me through a tough situation and when I look back on it I don't know why I was even worried. I just wish I knew that beforehand. ;-) One of my favorite quotes says it all:

"The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you."

God will never give me something that I can't handle. He will always be there to guide me, all we have to do is follow his lead.