Hardheaded

“Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:4-5)

When was the last time you thanked God for your problems? When I read my devotion this morning, I laughed. I tend to analyze my circumstances and mentally act out different scenarios. This is not what God would have us do but this is where I am. Instead, we should bring them to Him with thanksgiving but that makes no sense to me. Does anyone else struggle with being grateful for hard times?

Some would say this is being strong willed, hardheaded or even rebellious. Well maybe we all fit into one (or more) of those categories at times. One would think that at my age, I would have learned these life lessons thus bypassing all these problems. Not yet!

It all sounds so good, so easy—until I try to do all this. Asking Him to show me how to handle my problem is important, but unfortunately, I don’t always go to Him first—especially expressing thanksgiving for my problems. However, I do know that the very act of thanking God releases my mind from a negative focus. Usually, the situation fades in significance and loses it power to trip me up after a conversation with my Father.

He is so loving and patient that I can almost hear Him saying, “Together we can deal with the situation, either facing it head on or putting it aside for later consideration.” I have come to realize that most of the situations that entangle my thoughts are not today’s concerns; they’re borrowed from tomorrow or some later date.

What He does for us is almost impossible to understand but He lifts the problem out of today and deposits it in the future, where it is not in sight. We give Him our problems and guess what, He gives to us—His Peace which flows freely from His Presence.

If we could just skip over the problems that come our way, life would be much better. Right! No, it’s through the rough times that our faith grows. Next time we are faced with trouble, we can remember how He guided us through the last mess with His grace, mercy and love. Now that is something to be thankful for!

Father God, help me to learn from my problems and come to You with a thankful heart. AMEN.

Mo Haner