Last night I read my little girl a bedtime story, the kind all girls (young and old) love. It starts with “Once upon a time” and ends with “and they lived happily ever after”
Long after I kissed her rosy cheeks and tucked her in, I still sat on the rocking chair, thinking about “happily ever after…”
Okay, I have to admit that I was in a rather melancholy mood yesterday, so it’s not really a surprise that I wasted my time pondering over sentimental things. I have a lot to be thankful for, make no mistake, in fact some might think that I have the perfect fairy tale life. However, I know better, I know that only by the grace of God can I claim joy in the midst of many trials and hardships. So I do love my life, but its’ far from “happily ever after”
And then, this morning while doing a new Bible study (isn’t it so fun opening a new Bible study?) I was reminded of how God uses trials to keep us close to Him. I know that this is true for me personally. I am ashamed to admit it, and it seems so wrong, but I’m afraid that the times my life touched the outskirts of “happily ever after” I was out there doing my own thing, celebrating my own happiness, forgetting about the One who made it all possible. I don’t want to be like that, and I always promise myself that this time will be different. I even promise God that I will stay so close to Him, if He will only…
I’m sure God made provision for this part of our fallen nature. I know for certain that His mercy and love reach way beyond our humanity and flakiness. What I’m getting at though is that I don’t like trials, I hate the anxiety and the pain and I don’t think I will ever get used to it. However, looking back on my life, I have to admit, it was ONLY the trials, the emptiness, the loneliness and the pain that made me remember: This life is not my home, I’m just passing through, there is Someone who loves me and will never leave me. And then I will turn back, and get closer to the lover of my soul, Jesus.
So I think I am after all scheduled for a “happily ever after”. It’s just different from what I had in mind initially, something my mind can not quite comprehend, and I might have to wait for it a little longer…