Be inspired

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Over the past year and a bit, my family and I have been on the most chaotic roller-coaster ride of our lives and during this testing season our faith has been pushed to its very limits.

 

To be honest, at the beginning of this season my faith in God and my hope that He would do what was best for our family was almost completely destroyed. Our lives felt as if it were falling apart and instead of feeling like God was in control, I felt like God was nowhere to be found. I felt as if God had completely abandoned us and no matter how hard we prayed or how much we believed, I felt alone, as though God had left us to fend for ourselves.

 

You see during this season of our lives my family and I have had a lot to do with the court system, in particular the criminal and family courts. We've had to deal my husband's conviction and his imprisonment. Because of this, I've had to adapt to becoming a "sole parent" looking after our two daughters alone while my husband has been away and together as well as individually we've had to deal with people's judgement and the loss of friendships.

 

In the midst of those difficult times I felt lost, I felt disappointed in God, I felt like God had let us down, I couldn't get my head around how God could allow such a devastating thing happen to our family, and I felt like completely giving up on my faith.

 

But as time has passed by, I have seen how God has used "what was intended to harm us, for [our] good". In a time where I could have thrown in the towel I chose to persevere, maybe it wasn’t by choice, maybe I felt I had no other way but to lean on God anyway.

 

Regardless of that, I have now seen how much my husband and I have grown through our circumstances. I have seen how much stronger we have become as a couple and now looking at where we are, how much stronger our marriage is.

 

Through all of this I have seen how independent I have become as an individual. I have seen God's hand in different and unexpected places within this season. I have experienced new opportunities that never would have occurred had this season of our lives never happened. As a result of all of this, my view of God has also changed.

 

Instead of seeing God as a genie who will grant my every wish and desire and make my life as pleasant as I expect it to be, I've realised that God will do what He believes is the very best for me, which often involves using hard circumstances to develop my character and grow me into the woman he envisioned me to be.

 

It was during this time that I have learnt that I can either fight and struggle against those testing seasons and miss out on the great things that God has planned for my life. Or, I can submit to His will, His plans, and His purposes and allow my difficulties to mould me and shape me into the person God is calling me to be.

 

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At the start of this season, I never would have been able to say that I am thankful for the difficult obstacles that we have faced. But today (even though life is still not the way that I would like it to be) I am grateful for every difficult circumstance that we have come against.

 

 

I thank God for everything that He has allowed us to overcome, for the new opportunities that have come our way during this time, and for the way that God is using these circumstances to shape our lives.

 

Life can be difficult, it isn't always fair, and sometimes life can be a devastating mix of unbelievably crazy events that come crashing in around you. But one thing remains true, God will never ever allow you to face your difficulties alone and although at times it sure feels like God is nowhere to be found especially when the tough times hit. Rest assured, God has promised that he will never leave you nor forsake you.

 

So in the times of hardship that you face, remember this: God loves you and He is good. God is with you and He is for you. There will be times when life seems too overwhelming to handle but God will always give you the strength that you need.

 

My journey alone is proof of that.

 

God bless,

Mara

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