Lessons Learned on the Journey

I wanted to follow up my last post with some lessons I learned on this part of my life journey. I do not believe that God takes us through difficulties just for the fun of it. However, if we are aware, we can see how God is modeling us to be more like Him when we go through difficult times.

1. God is in control.

I have a tendency to want to control circumstances in my life. I am a planner, and I like to think through how, when, where, and why things should happen. When my “perfect” plan for getting pregnant failed, I questioned God and became frustrated with Him. God showed me and continues to remind me 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

2. By faith …

The opposite of faith is doubt. Our pastor, Mark Marshall, recently preached a sermon on Luke 1:18-25. In this passage, Zechariah finds out that he and his wife, Elizabeth, are expecting a son. However, he does not believe the news. As a result, Zechariah is silenced until his son’s birth. As I focused on the fact that I was not yet pregnant, I began to doubt that it would ever happen. This was a direct result of my lack of faith in God. Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love, writes, “Worry (I could substitute doubt) implies that we don’t quiet trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in our lives.”

I learned much about myself but more importantly about God though the journey to becoming pregnant. The cool thing is that God takes us all on journeys, although they may look very different, to mold and shape us into the person He wants us to be. He is relentless in His pursuit of us, always desiring that we take on His character throughout the often-difficult journeys of life.