Afflictions and Convictions

Afflictions and Convictions

Do you often wonder why bad things happen or blame or become angry with God? Or do you allow your afflictions to help you grow in Him?

We might wonder why things aren’t going our way.

We’re good people, right?
We’re honest.
We pay our taxes.
We go to church…most of the time.
etc…etc…

So why don’t things seem to go our way?

Here’s the hard truth. We won’t always know. We won’t always have all the answers. Sometimes, bad things happen, because we live in a corrupt world where there is a lot outside of our own control, no matter what we do.

But here is something to take comfort in. These ​bad things can draw us closer to God. We can learn from them. We can grow in them. And sometimes, they are meant for just those things. 

When things go my way, I often forget about God. Not completely, but in a general busy life kind of way, in which I might not call my parents for more than a week. I don’t talk to Him as much. This is something I continually strive to improve upon, but I have found that I am not alone in this. Many of us only turn to him in trouble. Throughout my life, those troubling times have served as a pause, in my journey. Not a stop, or an end all, but a yielding to Him who has the right of way.Hindsight is always 20/20. But after those times, I realize how they drew me closer to God. How I turned to Him, suddenly in need, and how He took my hand and led me through. I have story upon story, that maybe one day I will share here, of how these pauses taught me patience, wisdom, and most importantly, reliance, on Him. It was good for me to be afflicted. 

Whatever you may be going through now, whatever has you feeling stuck in your journey, I pray that you would pause, and allow God to move.