I went to a BYU football game yesterday and as I sat there in the crowd I pondered how quickly life goes by. I watched the students cheering as the other team was tackled in defeat or booing and yelling if it was against our team. They were filled with passion, energy and boy they looked so flippin young! 😳 I mean what the heck, wasn’t it yesterday Steve and I were dating and sitting in that very same stadium watching these games? Can we really now be the older folks that we used to smile at??
We flew back to Vegas for the show at Flamingo Las Vegas and afterwards I was telling some friends about being at the game. How watching these kids, especially on the jumbotron, made me ponder, “they think everything ahead in life is all figured out, that they’re somehow in control. Now they’re in college with their careers and lives all planned out. The truth is... they have no idea what’s ahead! Right? 🤣
Often times, I think we still try to do the same thing, to be “in control” of everything. We try to control our relationships, our jobs, our schedules... we think, “if we can control it, we can do it!” However, Paul teaches us that when we relinquish control and trust God's process, everything tends to work out much better than we could ever plan ourselves. God helps it to happen the way it should!
Right before we left for Hawaii, Steve and I planned to visit Stephen and Claire to see our two darling grandsons Stephen and Christian and hopefully be there for the birth of their third son... didn’t happen. But while we were with them Steve and I felt very impressed to go visit his Mother on the last night we were in California. We said goodbye to the kids after an early dinner then drove to Mom’s house, a couple hours away. It was a brief visit, but we wanted her to know that night how much we loved and appreciated her for the kind, service oriented, steady example of motherhood that she’s been in our lives. When we woke up that next morning, we found out that Mom had passed away just two hours after we left her house. We were SO grateful that we had listened to God’s promptings in that moment, and thanked Him for allowing us to see her and show our love one last time. These kind of monumental events cause us to ponder again how quickly life passes and that God really is in it ALL!
Trusting God, listening and especially having patience with His timing is one of the hardest lessons we as humans have to learn throughout our life. And it’s especially hard to listen when we’re hurting, in pain or are going through difficult trials. You’ve heard me write before about “shoulder taps” those promptings that happen when we let go of trying to control life, and instead ask for God’s help, listen and do His will! As we let go we can more easily follow our loving Father who is in Heaven, as He helps guide our lives. God always desires what’s best for us, regardless of what our circumstances may show. As our desires align with His guidance and as we humbly follow him, we can take comfort in knowing that He KNOWS us perfectly and will always help us become the best we can be if we just ask!
James 1: 2-4
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
I love this verse because it illustrates God's intention for our lives to be COMPLETE – perfect and entire, wanting nothing. That completeness comes through Christ and His healing atonement. Jesus said "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)
Over and over in the Bible we are reminded that in any test or trial that there is purpose in this process. The goal is for us to live full and complete lives, and we have to go through life’s trials in order to grow kinder, more humble and simply... a plain old better person (and in most cases it takes getting “old” to do that!) 😂👍 We grow through difficulties, we become better vessels to serve others, always staying humbly prepared for what life brings. With these trials—tragedy, sicknesses, loss—I like to keep remembering that everything that has happened up to this point, has brought me DOWN to my knees and has also been the catalyst that continues to holds me UP to be a better person! So no matter what you might be going through, let go, let God and consider it pure joy! You will get through it!!! Trust God, trust the process, and like my parents taught me to ponder, “always be in the constant pursuit of progress!”
Like the song I sang with my sweet friend Olivia, (who’s going through her share of trials once again) “We keep getting better all the time!” And we do, no matter what life brings...so let’s stop trying to control it. Because all this does is make us bitter and not better... and a whole lot older too!! 🤣😂🤣 I think the next time I go to a #BYU game I’ll cheer a little louder, even if I’m not 18 years old anymore. After all, aren’t we’re finally learning to stop trying to control life, to trust in God’s process. We’ve learned how to get back up even after being tackled to the ground as the naysayers applaud because we KNOW with God on our side we can keep on keepin’ on!!!! 😉😁🤣