1. Everyone has sinned and has fallen short of God’s glory. Even when I’m innocent of specific actions, my heart is guilty of rebellion against God. I’m never perfect, and I always want my own way. Arguing with God is simply me trying to be right in my own eyes. It’s pride.
2. Don’t compare your lot to another’s. I tend to compare my actions with others and conclude that I wouldn’t do what they are doing. Maybe I wouldn’t do that, but I would do something else that is just as wrong in God’s eyes.
3. Don’t dwell on “why” questions. The “why” questions are too heavy for me to bear. It rarely does me any good to ask why questions. Better ways for me to respond are:
This happened. What do I do now, Lord?
How do I make the best of this?
What can I learn from this?
4. Remember compassion when trying to help a friend.
Sometimes I want justice and vindication when I’m talking about others. But for myself, I want compassion. I need to say, “God is great,” but also care for and love my neighbor. Both ideals go together.
5. Remain humble. When I don’t understand the Lord’s doing (which is most of the time), the best thing for me to do is bow a humble head. But I can ask for God’s wisdom to get through whatever I need to get through. His grace, wisdom, and compassion are always there for me.
I can feel like I’m living right, and hardship may still come. Jesus said that in this world, I will have troubles. However, there is always a choice in how I will respond to adversity, disappointments, and frustration. When I keep looking to God, He will keep me centered on His compassion, mercy, and grace, which will make practicing patience much easier.
Even during terrible circumstances, I can remember that everything that happens to or around me happens for a reason. God grows me throughout all of it. The Spirit and my faith remind me that all things work together for the good. Not all incidents are good, but God is always good in the midst of them.
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I might gain Christ. Philippians 3:8
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