Dear Traveler,
I’m doing a “Blog Swap” this month! I’m swapping posts with Eliana Duran, a talented teenage writer from the Young Writer’s Workshop. She also posted my article “5 Ways to Love our Families Better“, on her website at Eliana The Writer.
If you’ve been facing big (or small) challenges in life, then this lovely blog post by Eliana is for you. Praying that you find encouragement. 🙂
Sincerely,
The Story of Joseph
There was once a boy. His brothers were jealous of him because his dad gave him a cool multi-colored coat. In their hatred, the brothers sold him into slavery, and the boy found himself in Egypt, a distant foreign land. As if that couldn’t get worse, the boy was framed for a wrongdoing he didn’t commit and was thrown into jail.
But years later, he found favor with the Pharaoh himself. He was given a high-ranking government position and was appointed to help all of Egypt prepare for a famine.
Ultimately, he saved lives. This boy’s name, as you might have guessed, was Joseph.
His own brothers—the ones who sold him into slavery—were eventually on their knees before him, dependent on him for food. Though Joseph could’ve exerted revenge, he instead said:
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. – Genesis 50:20 (ESV)
“Why Me, God?”
I don’t know about you, but my brothers have never sold me into slavery.
Yet I still question my circumstances.
I have ten younger siblings, and sometimes they can be a pain. In the past, I was so frustrated to the point that I’d rather be an only child. I’m also a teenage girl, so I have to deal with a lot of emotions. It makes being a robot sound like fun.
These circumstances drove me to ask God, “Why do I have to go through these trials?”
My situations may not have been as bad as Josephs’, but I bet that boy also had questions.
Joseph probably wondered why God would let a righteous guy like him get sold into slavery. Or why God would allow him to be jailed unjustly. He probably doubted how all the misfortune in his life would lead to good.
But despite his difficulties, all the events did turn out for the better!
It’s the same with our trials. We may not be able to see the big picture, but God does, and He has a plan!
You might think that your trials are too big to possibly lead to good. Or you might think the annoyances you face are too small to have a place in God’s plan for you. But think again. If you surrendered your life to God, then every circumstance in your life is allowed for a reason.
“What are you trying to teach me, God?”
God is teaching me that all my circumstances were allowed for a purpose.
When it comes to my situations at home, God is showing me that siblings are blessings. They give me the opportunity to build my patience. I’m also learning that my negative emotions to hardships aren’t bad in themselves. They help me relate to others and to be a good friend.
You might think that your trials are too big to possibly lead to good. Or you might think the annoyances you face are too small to have a place in God’s plan for you. But think again.
The Big And The Little Things In Our Lives Were Allowed For a Purpose
God’s sovereignty includes both the big things and the little things.
For example, sisters Betsie and Corrie ten Boom were caught hiding Jews during World War II. They were thrown into an internment camp, but that allowed them to read the Bible to the Jews. That’s a big evil used for good!
Their jail room had fleas, but the fleas kept the guards from catching them read the Bible! That’s a tiny form of evil used for good. Betsie and Corrie ten Boom chose to see it that way. (You can read about their lives in the memoir, The Hiding Place. )
The point is this: If you belong to God and are yielded to His perfect will, then every circumstance in your life is allowed for a reason.
Your hardship was possibly allowed to help you relate to others who are struggling. It might be to strengthen your faith or to give you more opportunities to serve Him. Or the reason might simply be to bring you closer to God—to teach you to rely on Him.
In whatever you’re going through, there is a reason.
If you love God and are His child, then this is true for you. God will work all things together for your good if you have surrendered your life to Him. All you have to do is trust Him.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28 (ESV)
God’s Purpose Is Good. He is Active in Accomplishing His plan.
Sometimes we unconsciously view God as a faraway being rolling dice. We might imagine Him as a school coach on the sidelines yelling, “Pain is gain!” with no true concern for the P.E. student.
But God doesn’t roll the dice.
He doesn’t just let evil and good happen.
He’s the world’s Author, carefully dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. Yes, evil might seem to “thwart” His perfect plan (like when Joseph was sold by his own brothers), but what enemies intend for evil, God allows for good.
God is completely good, and so are the purposes for His plan.
They will declare, “The Lord is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!”- Psalm 92:15 (NLT)
God is With You Through The Circumstances
God is also not a passive coach on the sideline. If you are His child, then the Holy Spirit lives within you. You have the Counselor who enables you to respond correctly in difficult circumstances (John 14:16-18). He doesn’t expect you to live righteously in an ungodly world by your own will-power.
God loves you, and He is right there by your side, enabling the good through you. You don’t need to strive on your own. (And it also means that you can’t be proud or boastful about it.)
But God doesn’t roll the dice. He doesn’t just let evil and good happen. God is completely good, and so are the purposes for His plan…. He is there to orchestrate every sour note of your life into a beautiful masterpiece.
Keep Hoping!
Beloved, you may be going through a lot of hardships. You might be wishing that the painful struggles and trials weren’t there. But keep trusting God. Keep hoping. Keep fighting.
Whatever you’re facing is something God saw and allowed–and He’ll get you through it. He is there to orchestrate every sour note of your life into a beautiful masterpiece.
No matter what difficulty that may be, keep your hope alive.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eliana Duran is a homeschooled high school sophomore with a love for words. Besides when she is writing, you can often catch her doodling or reading. She loves Jesus first of all, and also the color purple, mint chocolate chip ice cream, and her nine younger siblings (most of the time). She regularly posts on her blog, Eliana The Writer.
Photo Credits:
- Simon Matzinger
- Jad Limcaco
- Nathan McBride (Featured Photo)
- Toa Heftiba
Thank you for letting me come on your beautiful blog, Nicole! =D