A season for change

I've discovered that the weather and my life have quite a bit in common. Most obvious, they both change daily. However, they always stay within a realm of realistic occurences. The temperature never jumps to 180 degrees, just as my life never takes a 180 degree turn. I change everyday, yes, but gradually, as does the climate. They are both a roller coaster of ups and downs, with a season for both.

I'm at a time in my life now where almost everyday something changes. It might be as simple as an eating habit or as complex as a new realm of spirituality that I am reaching. Yet, just as the weather, I find myself in the same patterns weekly. Routinely I go through the motions. What really is changing anyway?

I think that's what I am discovering. God knows that if he wants to change parts of who I am, He has to start small and work up. He might only attempt to alter one thing in my life each day, but hey, that's 365 alterations in a year. Enough to bend but not break me. He molds me, shapes me, and although I feel like I am the same, I am not. I am being conformed into the man God sees and wants. That's the linchpin of my life, finding and living the image of myself that God envisions. That's why I keep going. I keep waiting.. and waiting. God said if I wait on Him good things will come. I have to endure the growing pains to reach that stature. The funny thing is that this answers an entirely different question, a challenging, debatable question.

Why do bad things happen to good people?
It has been said by an author before that either God is all powerful but uninterested... or perhaps loving yet too weak to intervene.

Well... I say neither.

God allows bad things, but He's definitely interested and He for sure loves us all.

So why do we have to endure these hardships?

Think about it for a second. My parents used to spank me as a child, not because they hated me, because they loved me. I had to learn from mistakes, bad choices and upsetting events. Yet I'm still here, stronger than ever.

So really, God does it for two main reasons that I'm aware.
1. He disciplines us in order to receive strength to become what he envisions.
2. He trains us to realize that we must fully rely on Him for EVERYTHING.

If nothing ever went wrong, nobody would rely on Him for anything. When bad things happen, that is when church attendance records are shattered, that's when more prayers are heard, that's when we look to the skies and say, "Lord, I do not have enough to carry on, please be my wings, my strength, and my guide."

So I say to myself now, "Don't fret, God is always in control. His understanding is far beyond mine, so trust Him and rely on Him alone."

So the next time a cold front comes through when you least expect it, relish in the moment, because although you may feel a bit uncomfortable for the time being, it's for a greater good beyond our comprehension.