Through The Fire

So many times, I've heard people say "why would God let this happen?" I had a patient of mine actually tell me once "I don't understand why I'm sick, God said we'd never get sick" To which I replied "no, I don't think He ever said that." People always, me included, why "bad things happen to good people." I was just listening to The Crabb Family song "Through The Fire" and the song is so true. It says "He never promised that the cross would not get heavy, and the hill would not be hard to climb. He never offered our victories without fighting, but He said help would always come in time." People like to think that life should be perfect, without blemish. And so many more people think "Hey, if I go to church and become a Christian and start living right, life with be great." Hate to say it, but it's almost just the opposite. Once you make the decision to start living "right"with God, it's almost like you get thrown out to the wolves. The devil seems to attack more when he knows you're living right than ever before. When that happens, lots of Christians give up thinking "well, I can't live right, it's too hard" or "Go obviously doesn't care about me since He's letting this happen." The truth is, living right is hard. Harder than living "wrong" as a matter of fact. As the song says, God never said to us that life wouldn't be hard. He never said that we wouldn't have trials and tribulations. He only said that He only said that He would be there to help us along the way. All we have to do is call on Him. Another thing people do, is pray for something, it doesn't turn out the way they plan, so they give up, thinking God didn't hear their prayer. They actually had an article about this very subject about a month ago in the Tennessean. God is an on-time God. Our choir at church sings a song that says "He's an on-time God, He may not come when you want Him, but He'll be there right on time." What this means is, just because a prayer doesn't get answered as soon as you pray it, or with the outcome you wanted, doesn't mean God didn't hear it. As Garth Brooks said in his song "some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." And it's not that they are really "unanswered" they are just answered with a different answer than maybe what you wanted. Let's say you pray for patience. Guess what?? God isn't going to let you wake up the next day with the patience of Job. No. He's going to put you in situations in which you can choose to exercise patience. God gives you the ability to do things, He doesn't just hand it over. God gives you the ability to make your own decisions. He just stands by, hoping you'll make the right ones. If you don't, He's still there. God doesn't give up on His people. His people give up on Him. God never leaves. People leave Him. He's always there, good or bad, right or wrong. You always have the choice to go running back into His arms.
Let me end this by saying, I'm not one to judge anyone, and I don't. Everyone make mistakes, everyone doesn't have the same idea of being a "Christian." Some think it's ok to drink, smoke, and do other things, and still be a Christian. I, for one, don't think it's "wrong, you're going to go to Hell and God will never love you" it's just not for me. I won't ever say that someone isn't a Christian because they choose to do those things or other things. This isn't my world to judge, and I thank God for that!!! That's probably the hardest job anyone would ever have to do. So, don't ever think that I think that "I'm better than so-and-so" because that's the farthest thing from the truth. I'm just little ol me, trying to live my life for God, and be the mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, aunt, etc. He wants me to be. And it's hard sometimes.