There Will Always Be Something

Have you ever had the thought “my life would be better…”

…if I were skinnier

…when I get married

…if I would get divorced

…when I have kids

…when my kids are older

…if I had a job

…if I had a job where I was appreciated

…if I had more money

…if I had more time

…when I retire

I could go on and on! We tend to think that life would be easier, and we would be happier if things on the outside were “just right”. I hate to burst your bubble, but that is not how it works, even though we continue to act like it is. There will always be something that’s not just perfect.

Fairly recently I was lamenting about the pressures in my life, just wishing they would go away and leave me alone. Inside I heard God say, “There will always be something.” We have an enemy who hates us because He hates God, and we belong to God. So, the enemy will always work to bring something to make us sad, angry, upset, overwhelmed, off kilter. But the Bible says, “Greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world.” God is bigger. Always has been, always will be. Our challenge is to live closely connected to Him and less connected to what is happening to us. We need to live from the inside out.

Inside out?! What are you talking about, Bonni?! If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior (and if you haven’t, it’s as easy as just asking Him to be!), then you have Him within you in the form of the Holy Spirit. God Himself lives inside you! Pause and think about that for a moment! He is not just up in Heaven with a busy schedule trying to listen to everyone’s prayers and you are way down on the list. The Creator of the Universe lives within you! You are divinely connected to Him. Any problem or situation you face, He has the answer. Every time you have a need, He is there. Every time you feel overwhelmed, He is there with the comfort and strength you need. 

How do you access that help? Relationship. Relationships have to be developed. Otherwise, it’s just coexisting. You have to spend time together, talk to each other. I am married to a wonderful man. We will celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary next month. We have a great relationship. But one thing I have learned in all those years is that if I need his help, I have to ask for it. He doesn’t read my mind. Now God does know what is on our mind. He does know our thoughts, but we still have to ask. He is a gentleman, and He follows by the rules He set up at the beginning of the universe. He won’t bully His way into your life. You have to ask. But if you do ask, He will answer! Sometimes it’s not in the way we thought it would be or in the timing we thought it should be. But He always answers. He is faithful. He is true. He is good. And He loves you more than you could ever imagine.

Yes, there will always be something on the outside trying to get us off track, trying to mess us up. But greater than that, there will always be Someone on the inside of us guiding us, helping us, leading us, talking to us, giving us wisdom, giving us answers. Remember to ask. Remember to listen. Remember to thank Him. Walk close to Him and He will always walk close with you.