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For This Moment

All too often we are reminded that God is using this time in our lives to prepare us for the future. I believe this to be true and remind myself of this daily. When I was in the Marine Corps, the approach was "no pain, no gain," or "what doesn't hurt you only makes you stronger." The reality is that there will be pain without gain and sometimes you will get hurt, very hurt, and it may actually make you weaker. But Scripture says "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (James 1:2-3). Sometimes I wonder when God is going to stop developing my perseverance. However, today I was reminded of another viewpoint: God has been preparing you all your life for this moment. When I heard that, I began to think about what that meant for me. When I look at where I am in my life right now, the trials that I am enduring, the frustrations that I feel, I feel ill-equipped to handle it all. I look to God and ask why I have to be in this place at this time?
It would be easy to go through life resting on the promise that what you are enduring is preparing you for the future. It is harder to go through life and acknowledge that God has been preparing you for where you are right now. The catch is that while God is preparing us and giving us the skills and gifts we need, we will never reach the level of human independence we so often desire. We must continue to rely on God. We must continue to bring all of our cares, concerns, burdens, hurts, and pains to God. When we do this, He begins to reveal to us how He has equipped us to handle this moment. He begins to remind us of things we have learned from past experiences that will help us to work through the present. He shows us how His plans are bigger, better, and greater than our own.
All of this is not to say that God is done working on us. While He has equipped us for this moment, He continues to fine tune us for the next moment. We need to stop asking God "why" and starting asking Him "how." There's a great song sung by Amy Grant called "God is In Control." It has been around for many years, but every time I hear it, I am reminded that He truly is in control and we must "choose to remember and never be shaken." Don't let the hear and now pull you down. Lift your eyes to the heavens, the the Creator of all things, and seek His help - He will never let you down. He will bring you through this moment and will equip you for the next.

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