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Blended family life revolves around the children. Their innocence and trust make situations with custody so complicated and emotionally exhausting. Watching your beloved children go through those times is incredibly hard and will, without fail, test your trust in God.
I Peter 1:6-7 talks about this:
“[So] rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Later, in 1 Peter 5:6-7, he says:
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
During times of trials, it is easy to get frustrated and angry. To ask questions like, “Why would a God who says He loves me let me go through something like this?” God promises us that our reward is worth every trial. Our faith is strengthened when we are tested and we will be rewarded when we reach heaven.
We struggle with believing that we know what is best and that if something doesn’t make sense to us it is wrong. But these are feelings of a limited human mind. God is so much bigger than we can understand and He absolutely has the power to turn the worst situations for our good. Please believe me when I tell you that I am not saying this flippantly. I am where I am because someone who I loved and trusted chose to do horrible things to our family and is now in prison. What he did changed our family in such a way that my limited human brain cannot see that my family will ever recover. It took me a long time to get to the place where I could say this and truly believe it: even that terrible situation can be used for good in each of our lives. I have seen it to be true in my own. I have to trust it to be true in the rest of those affected.
God takes us places where we do not have the capacity to understand Him. Our brains do not have the power to process what He is allowing to happen. We are faced with a choice: “Here, in this place where nothing makes sense, where you see your life heading in the wrong direction, where you must helplessly watch those you love being hurt, do you still trust Me?”
It begins with trusting God with all the details of our lives. We have a Heavenly Father who knows everything and loves us so very much more than we deserve. Are we willing to release our facade of control and trust the One who holds all the power?
Trusting God with a delayed UPS package is infinitely easier than trusting God with, say, a court hearing where you fear you may lose custody. Even if you struggle with believing whole-heartedly that God will get you through the trial you are facing, take that fear to Him. Be honest with Him. He already knows where you are struggling. Tell Him if you are trying to trust Him but you don’t know how. Ask Him for peace and wisdom. James 1:5 promises that God gives wisdom to anyone who asks without judgment. You don’t need to have the perfect attitude when you walk into that courtroom. But as long as you ask God to be there with you, He will be.
In Mark 9, a father comes to Jesus, asking him to save his young son from an evil spirit. He says, “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” You can almost hear Jesus’ tone when he responds, “What do you mean ‘if I can’? Anything is possible if a person believes.” Jesus took this man’s honest admission that his faith wasn’t as strong as it should be, and healed the boy.
Whatever trial you are struggling with right now, He is waiting for you to talk to Him about it. The God of the universe can certainly handle your doubts and fears. Practice trusting God. Get into the habit of thanking Him for every little thing. Ask Him to bless your day, your home, your children, your husband. Set a reminder on your phone to pray so you get into the habit of doing it every day. Find something that will work for you to continually push you toward a habit of communicating with God and leaning on Him throughout your day. Continually talk to Him about trying to trust Him. Ask for wisdom and peace. Exercise those muscles so that, when each trial comes, it will be muscle memory to turn to Him.
