It's really hard to trust God when you don’t know what is coming next. I am a planner; I like to have control over the things in my life. It can be really difficult when I have to relinquish control or admit to myself I never had as much control as I thought I did. The last few years have been a journey of learning how to trust God when he calls me to new seasons of life.
God placed adoption on mine and my husband, Luke's, heart many years ago, so it wasn’t a surprise when an opportunity to adopt presented itself a little over three years ago. We felt the Lord leading us to take in two boys, Andrew (12) and Logan (8). At the time, our twin boys, Cameron and Jackson, were 3 years old. Andrew and Logan also have a biological sister, Alexis. She was adopted by their grandparents, but we lovingly refer to her as our daughter as well. Our family has changed drastically over the last few years.
Some of these life changes were expected and planned, and some have been very shocking. Change was expected when we adopted. What was not expected was how much these changes have led to a higher level of trust in the Lord’s timing and greater perseverance through these challenging and unexpected seasons.
In Curt Thompson’s book, The Deepest Place, he says “One of the crucial roles my idols play is to protect me from suffering.” For me, some of these life changes have brought my idols to the surface and shattered them. As a teacher and a perfectionist, I thought my kids would never struggle academically; that my kids would never be the ones to get in trouble at school; that one of my kids would never have to pause her life plans because she had a baby in high school (and another on the way); that my kids would never throw fits of rage that cause extended family to judge me. There are so many times that life happens and I have no ability to stop it. My desire for control leads me to try so hard to manage each of these situations, always thinking it’s about me. Really, it’s about me learning to trust God in the hard times and feelings of hopelessness.
I have heard it said, “The Lord is more interested in my character than my circumstances.” Changes can help shape our character and help us on our journey as we become more like Christ. That doesn’t mean the changes are easy, but it does mean we can trust God to lead us through the hard seasons in life. We can know he is working everything for our good to help us turn to Him. He is changing us and molding us to make us more like him.
It can often be hard to trust what God has in store. Honestly, I would rather make my own plans and keep telling myself I have control over everything in my life. God has called Luke and I to some pretty wild things over the last decade. With those wild things have come some of the most beautiful things I could have ever experienced. All as a result of learning to follow God’s leading through the good times and the hard times in our life.
Where is God calling you to trust Him more?
Meet the Author!
Mary is a wife, mother to four boys (15, 11, 7, and 7), cat mom to her amazing cat Charlie, and an elementary school teacher. She stays busy getting to watch her boys in all of their extracurricular activities. She and her husband, Luke, love serving others and spending time as a family.