I don't exactly who you are, but if you're reading this, and you're breathing oxygen, it means you want something out of life.
You want a career opportunity, or a relationship with someone, or a bunch of friendships. Today's message is about patience, discipline, and acceptance. There are many things we have control over in this life, but not everything can be forced. Often, trying to force something to work ends up breaking it.
You will fail.
There are jobs you won't get, and people who won't like you. You will feel loss, and you will be unhappy. You will wonder, "why don't I have peace?" You will ask yourself, "why am I still miserable?" You will be stressed, but I promise you there is hope.
Not every job is meant for you. That failed relationship, the one you fought hard for, wasn't a total loss at all! It taught you what you wanted, and it taught you how to fight. It also taught you that you can't force someone to be there if they don't want to. No matter how badly you want something, you can't control other people. You cannot make people like you, or make someone loyal when they're addicted to disloyalty.
You can't make a liar truthful, or make a faithful person out of someone who's faithless. In life, we want the best for people. We have this infinite capacity for goodness that says to us, "change the world for the better!" It says, "change that person for the better!"
A tough truth of life is that it's impossible to change someone who doesn't want to be changed.
Some of you were in relationships that weren't supposed to work. You're sitting there praying to God, "bring this person back." Let me tell you something: God allowed that person to exit your life for a reason. Maybe that person was abusing you, or causing you stress, or making you second-guess yourself. Maybe that person was fighting with you all the time, or changing you for the worse.
It hurts when people leave.
At the end of the day, you have to remember that God allowed them to go. Sometimes, things need to be broken down before they can be put back together. Sometimes, it requires hurting before we're allowed to find ourselves.
When I lost football, I thought my life was over. Little did I know, my life was just beginning!
God had something better planned for me, and whatever loss you're grieving, know that He has something better planned for you, as well!
You can't predict the blessings in your future, and you can't control the actions of other people in your present. What can you do?
Love God and yourself first. Trust in God and your vision, and the rest will follow!
It all starts with you.
