Trusting God when it's hard



‘’Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.’’ Proverbs 3:5-6
Many of us who have been Christians for a long time will know this verse – maybe even off by heart. But I’ve only discovered very recently what this verse truly means in my life. In today’s blog post I want to share with you what has been going on in my life recently and how God has really
opened my eyes to the meaning of this beautiful verse.

For the last few years, I have been worrying a lot about my future. At the age of 15/16, there are so many people asking about your future and ''what's next.'' My answer has been the same each time, until recently: ‘I’m not sure yet.’ I'd shrug it off and pretend that it didn’t matter – that I wasn't phased and that I had all the time in the world to decide what to do with my life. But it did matter. It didn’t feel like I had all the time in the world and I actually worried about it a lot.  

However, I chose to trust God with my future because I knew that my future would be in the safest pair of hands if it was in His. But it definitely wasn’t easy. I would give my future to Him and then take it back again. That’s my problem – I’m a control freak and I hate the unknown because it’s outside of my control. So each time I’d take it back into my own hands again and try to plan my future myself once more. I still struggle with this, but God is slowly working on that in me and helping me to get better at trusting Him even when it’s hard.

This last year has felt the toughest year to trust God with my future, as my future seemed to be coming ever closer, what with me finishing my A levels a year early next year and until about 2 months ago, I didn’t know what I’d be doing once I finished. But I shouldn’t have worried – I should have trusted God with all my heart, knowing that He would provide and that He would be faithful.

So then back in April our Church got a new youth leader, and at around the same time I also decided that I wanted to go into youth work. I’d thought for a few years by then that I might want to go into some sort of youth work, but not necessarily as a career. However I suddenly decided that that was what I wanted to pursue and I now know that it was God who placed that passion and desire on my heart. I decided to speak to my youth leader, and I asked him how he got into youth work and what he thought would be best for me to do at the age I am, to help prepare me for going into youth work in the future. By the end of our conversation there were so many opportunities and doors that seemed to be opening for me, and I now know that it’s not just something that I want to do, but that it’s God’s plan for my life and something that He wants me to do. 

I am now going to hopefully be joining the youth team at my Church, and next September I plan to do an internship with my church to gain theology training and skills, as well as work on a youth work project and meet other brothers and sisters in Christ with the same passion as me: to share the gospel with young people and help train them up and guide them in their relationship with Jesus.
I am so excited for what God is doing in my life and for what He has in store for my future and I now see how He was working in the waiting and working all things for my good. Even when I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel, He was in the tunnel with me and He knew exactly when we’d see daylight.

I hope my story so far is an encouragement to you, that God does work things out for our good, but in His timing, not our own. He knows what’s best for us even better than we know what’s best for ourselves. I just want to encourage you to trust God with all your heart. His plan and purpose for your life are better than your own, so give your future to Him. Don’t lean on your own understanding, because His understanding is so much greater, His plans for your life so much better, and His timing perfect. Acknowledge Him in everything you do, and He will direct your paths.

Thank you for reading and please leave a comment below on what you thought of today’s post. I would love to hear your feedback and also receive any questions you may have.
Please do click to follow my blog, and subscribe to receive email updates for new blog posts!
Love in Christ,
Chloe xxx

(Photo credits go to my lovely friend Claire Oliver xx)

Comments

  1. Anonymous16 August 2018 at 22:45

    Thanks Chloe. Well written & encouraging. God bless.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Modesty: More than what you wear

So, this may be a slightly controversial topic for my first blog post to be about, but it is a subject I have been thinking about a lot lately, and am really passionate about, so I’m just going to go for it! My aunt owns a bridal shop, and at the weekend I was listening to her telling my other aunt about teenage girls who have been coming into her shop to order their prom dresses for the summer. I was listening to her telling my aunt how they come in asking for 'that side slit to be higher’ and the ‘neckline to be lower’ and the ‘back to be dropped’ until I was wondering whether they would have any dress left! This really got me thinking, though, about how the standard of dressing in our society these days is so low! More and more girls are going out wearing less and less, and most people don’t even bat an eyelid! But I believe that as Christian women, we should be different. That as Believers, we have an example to set. So, what is modesty? I love the quote ‘Modesty isn
Read more

Be Still

Image
Be still. Rest here. Breathe in. Take it slow. I know life is hard, the Christian life not easy,  but wait for the salvation of the L ORD , for the battles you face are His, not yours. Don't get so caught up in all the small things,  all the worries and stresses and confusion that life brings. And don't try to handle things on your own.  Instead, hold firmly to the Anchor that holds fast through every storm and Whose grace is enough and enough alone. When the waves come crashing over your head, hold firmly to hope and trust the One Who can calm the storm,  the One Who can walk upon the waves. He will keep your head from slipping under, He won't let you drown - He's the One Who saves. Hide beneath the shadow of His wings,  let Him cover you with His feathers. Let Him rejoice over you with gladness, and quiet you with His love,  and know He'll go with you and before you forever. And as you head into battle, remember your part to play.
Read more

Freedom // My #Oneword 2019

For the last 4 years now, instead of a new year's resolution, I have just picked one word for the whole year. It's incredible to see how every year, that one word shapes the whole rest of the year and what God wants to teach me throughout it. Last year's one word was 'Submit' and it was definitely a year of submitting my plans, desires, emotions, hopes, dreams, thoughts, mind and relationships to God and letting Him take complete control of my life . As a complete control freak, it wasn't easy at all, but it's been incredible to see the change God has done in my life over this last year. For 2019, my new word is 'Freedom'. I used to think that freedom would 'just come', but I've since realised that freedom is actually a choice. Jesus won our freedom on the cross, but it's up to us to choose whether we want to live in that freedom or not. I feel that there has been a lot of fear holding me back this last year, which has stoppe
Read more