Do you know someone who is not happy with where he or she is in life? She is frustrated because she is not married, and her internal body clock is sounding an alarm. Or he is upset because somebody is not treating him fairly on his career path. They are constantly worried, trying to reason things out, trying to change things that only God can change.
I believe that we created much of our own unhappiness and frustration by constantly resisting and fighting against situations and circumstances occurring in our lives. We don’t understand why our prayers aren’t being answered, why things aren’t changing sooner. “Why has this happened to me?” Consequently. we live with unrest and uneasiness on the inside.
Learn to relax and accept the place where you are. Admittedly, it may not be a great place right now. We all have things we want to see changed, things we want to happen sooner. If we really believe that God is in control and is directing our steps, then we must believe that we are exactly where are supposed to be. We needn’t be wrestling with life and resisting our circumstances all the time.
Yes, we should resist the enemy; we should resist sickness and other robbers of joy. Now, that doesn’t mean that every minute we must be fighting and struggling. Some people seem to wear themselves out, constantly praying, resisting and rebuking. They beg, “Please, God, you’ve got to change this situation. Change my husband. I don’t like my job. My child won’t do right.”
No turn all of that over to God. Your attitude should be: “God, I’m trusting You. I know that You are in control of my life. I may not understand everything that is happening, but I believe You have my best interests at heart. I’m not going to go around resisting and struggling. I’m going to relax and enjoy my life.” Friend, if you can sincerely pray such a prayer, it can take an enormous amount of pressure off you.
The Bible says to “Be still, and know that I am God.” Notice, you need to get still. You need to be at peace with where you are right now. Things may not be perfect. You may have some areas in which you need to improve. But as long as you are living with worry and stress, you are trying the hands of Almighty God. If you could get to a place of peace, God could fight your battles for you. He can turn your negative situations around and use them for good.
Scripture records, “Those who have believed enter in to the rest of God.”Being in God’s rest means that although you may have a problem, you trust Him to take care of it. It means that you may have a situation that you don’t understand, but you are constantly trying to figure out. It means you have a dream in your heart, but you are not in a hurry, you’re not frustrated because it hasn’t come to fruition yet. In other words, when you are really in God’s rest, you know that God has you in the palm of His hand. No matter where you are, you accept it as the place God wants you to be.
I’m not saying that God wants you to stay there, but if you are truly trusting Him, if you believe He is in control, then wherever you are — in either good circumstances or bad –that is where you are supposed to be. Maybe something unfair has happened; maybe somebody is not treating you the right, or you are struggling financially. Still, that doesn’t give you the right to live upset and frustrated.
We have to understand that God has promised He will use whatever comes into our lives for good. He will use the difficulty to do a work in you. What are you facing currently may not be good, but if you’ll keep the right attitude, He’ll use it for your good.
**This is an excerpt from Joel Osteen’s book, Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day.
