Trouble in a person’s life is not a sign that God is against or punishing you, but that He is trying to bless you. We live our lives waiting for blessings, and complain when bad occurrences happen repeatedly. How do we expect to see the blessings God has in store for our life when we refuse to obey and acknowledge Him?
It can be quite difficult to desire, develop, and maintain a close relationship with Christ. It has been that way since the beginning of time, and even more so now days since our world is filled with temptations of evil surrounding us. Casual Christianity has become common in today’s world, which is a tragedy. The message of the Bible, God, and how Christians live is very distorted and looked upon as hypocrisy. An outsiders view of Christianity could be confusing, because many Christians who claim their religion do not act as the bible commands. What I think that the world forgets is that we ‘Christians’ are humans too. We fall, we give in, and we sin. We are not perfect - however we should always strive to be perfect like our Lord. The more we participate in the world’s activities, the further we are from God. God does not wish harm, sorrow, or pain for his children, but a life of love, joy, and faith. Every human will have pain, death, heartbreak, and disappointment; but with God in our lives we maintain hope. Hope it what drives us, faith is what fills us, and love is what gives us fuel.
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
—1 John 5:14-15
As a Christian, I sometimes forget to simply ask God for what I am searching for. I have searched for a pure love, peace in my family, friends with faith, and to better myself. I have tried multiple times to gain these without asking God, and did not succeed. I had relationships, I made friends, and in the end none satisfied me. One of the worst feelings is having everything you could possibly want or need, but not feeling complete. If we simply ask God for what we want, he will answer our prayers. It may not be the way we asked for, but He will do things the way that will bless us greatly. To truly glorify God, we must give up what means the most to us at times. Relationships, careers, cars, worldly ways, or sports. God will lead each of his children where they belong when it is time, and he will fill the emptiness in our hearts with His love and a new and righteous life.
Having God as a foundation is vital to having a successful relationship with Him. Make Him the center of your life; your relationships, your friendships, your career, your home, and your actions. Don’t be afraid of trials, because without them you would never need faith. we cannot experience blessings without some sacrifice on our own behalf.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. - Jesus (John 16:33)
