Trusting God When It Isn't Easy

Two weeks ago my husband was made aware of a new business opportunity. Being a man who loves business, he spent the week thinking, strategizing, and dreaming about this new business. He went into full-blown investor mode. By the end of this last week, he had found all the necessary equipment, priced it out, found a manufacturer and put in an offer on the property.

Though he was close to settling on a purchase price with the property owner, today he got news that halted his plans. The zoning was changed, and the property is no longer able to function in the same capacity.

H E A R T  B R E A K.

It happens to all of us, doesn’t it? We get an idea and start to make our plans. We have it all worked out – or so we think – and then, all of a sudden, something happens and we realize our dreams are nothing but ashes.

It isn’t going to happen like we thought. Or maybe it’s not going to happen at all.

We go from flying high, feeling like something great is about to happen, and then suddenly are left heartbroken, knowing our best-made plans have evaporated and nothing is going to change.

We’re left thinking, what are we going to do now?

This happens in so many ways. Maybe you had hopes that the guy you like was finally pursuing you, only to find out he is dating someone else. In that instant, all the dreams you had of a sweet love story, a destination wedding, and a houseful of kids, went down the drain. Or maybe you thought you were next in line for a promotion at work, but just found out they’re bringing someone in from the outside. Or, maybe you thought your kids were getting into a Christian school, but were just told all the spots have been filled. Or maybe – and bear with me as I know I’m walking on sacred ground here… I’ve been here more than once – you were expecting and your dreams have been full of the smell of a baby’s skin, sweet little chuckles, and midnight lullabies. And then you miscarried, and realized all the hopes you had for that little life, have faded away.

There are thousands of different scenarios and different degrees, but disappointment is universal. It’s part of the human experience.

This morning, when my husband got the news, I was heartbroken for him. I knew how excited he had been. I knew how invested in this opportunity he was, even if just emotionally. I knew how excited I had been, and the dreams we had dreamed together. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me…I could only imagine how he must be feeling.

Concerned for his heart, I took his hand in both of mine and asked if he was OK.

He was completely calm, completely peaceful when he answered, “Yeah. It’s good to have a closed door.”

What?! How could he feel like that? I felt sad and frustrated and in a bit of shock, and it wasn’t even my “thing.”

He explained that he had been praying for God to either open or close the door, and he was thankful for a closed door because he knows God’s ways are better than ours. He can make his plans, but ultimately he wants the guidance of the Holy Spirit when it comes to business. Sure, he was disappointed, he conceded, but he was more thankful than disappointed.

See, over and over and over we have seen the blessings that come from doing things God’s way. Sometimes those blessings look like an addition to our life – something that’s added to our work, relationships, finances, health, lives, etc. But so often, we see those blessings in what’s taken away or missing from our lives.

Would it have been great to have this new business opportunity and the revenue it would have potentially brought for our family? Absolutely. But we trust that God’s ways are better than our ways, that He sees in full when we only see in part.

Perhaps the business would not have been as successful as we had anticipated. Or, perhaps it would have brought a large amount of stress, which could have been harmful to his health and/or his relationships. Perhaps God is saving our resources (time, money, focus, etc) for something better down the road.

Sometimes, when our plans suddenly change or fall flat, we will never know what headaches, heartaches, or hardships the Lord has saved us from. Sometimes we just have to trust that His ways are better, that He knows the full picture, and that His plans for us are GOOD. He has plans to give us a HOPE and a FUTURE. (Jeremiah 29:11)

And that is truth. Truth that we can stand firm on. Truth that we can trust more than the plans we can so quickly make or the emotions that can feel so real. Truth that we can hold tight to even in a world where it feels like truth is relative.

Whatever disappointments you’re dealing with today, I pray you will feel the peace of knowing that the Creator of the world is for you, not against you. That He has plans to give you a hope and a future. That He has plans for you that are good, and that His delays are not the same thing as His denials. We’re only people. We make mistakes. But He is God, and He doesn’t make mistakes. Let the sovereign peace of that settle over you today, and dare to have the courage to whisper, “Whatever comes, I trust You, God.”

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