Why is life so hard? Have you ever asked yourself that question. I have.

Just when things seem to be going along just fine, **!!!BOOM!!!** along comes that next big earth-shattering trial from out of the blue. It wipes that smile right off your face and knocks the living breath out of you. Such was my situation a week ago.

Last Friday, I was sitting in Serendipity Restaurant eating a cheeseburger and giggling with my dear friend, Cathy. We were talking about how good life is, how things seemed to be going great! Then, I got the call. In a minute, my mood went from relaxed, calm, and happy to shocked, angry, and sad. I could not imagine things could be worse. When Cathy stepped to the ladies’ room, I had been all smiles. When she returned to the table, my face, as I talked on the phone, told a much different story. She told me later that she had first thought by my expression that someone must have died.

Without going into detail, by Sunday evening, my earth started spinning again, and all went back to seemingly normal. Such is life. Such is my life.

Can you relate? One minute, the sky is blue, and the birds are singing. The next, the sky is falling. The next, the sky is blue again, and the birds are singing once again. And on and on. Life is uncertain. One thing is certain though. I may not know what tomorrow holds, but I know Who holds tomorrow. And, His name is Jesus Christ.

In my Bible is a card from my friend, Marie, that reads. “If you worry, why pray. And if you pray, why worry.” Honestly, I try not to worry. I am not always successful though. That seems to be a trend with many fellow moms that I know.

God answers prayer! I know that He does. He has for me more times than I could ever count. I just have to keep praying. Sometimes He answers, “Yes”. Sometimes it’s “No”. Sometimes it’s “Wait”.

While I am worrying that my  prayers are not being answered, often God is working a bigger, better plan than what I am asking for. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Sometimes what we think is an unanswered prayer is God painting a picture into the lives of our family more beautiful than anything we could have ever imagined. At times, we can only catch a glimpse of this picture. We may not fully see it until we get to Heaven.

It’s true that bad things often happen to good people. Where in the world did we ever get the idea that if we are a Christian, and we believe enough, love enough, serve enough and do enough that our lives will be a cake walk,  free from pain and worry and stress?!? You won’t find that in the Bible anywhere. Trust me. I have looked for it.

Rather than a cake walk, our path is often narrow, winding, steep and challenging. At times, it gets long and treacherous. We cannot do it alone.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.

We can’t measure how much God loves us by how much He does for us or by how easy our life is. It’s about the fact that although He is the awesome Creator of the Universe, He still loves us enough to be our personal God, our personal everything! If He never did one more thing for us than send His Son Jesus to die for us, that is unmistakable proof of His amazing, inexplicable love for us. 

And even after all that, He is there for us helping us through the hard times. James 5:13-16 says, Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.

When You Cannot Understand —LB Cowman

When the frosts are in the valley,  And the mountaintops are gray, 

And the choicest blooms are blighted,  And the blossoms die away, 

A loving Father whispers, “This all comes from my hand”; 

Blessed are you if you trust when you cannot understand…

If, after years of toiling, your wealth should fly away

And leave your hands empty, And your hair is turning gray, 

Remember then your Father owns all sea and land; 

Blessed are you if you trust when you cannot understand…

Dear Lord: Your ways are higher than our ways. There are times that we don’t understand what You are doing in our lives. Please help us to remember that we don’t have to.  We just have to trust in You. Amen

Is life more than you can bear sometimes? Just remember that God wants to help you carry your burdens. He is faithful, and He is always just a whisper away.

Please share your comments, experiences, and thoughts. Thank you for reading and sharing my blogpost. May we have faith enough to trust God when we cannot understand.