God is at work in me!

Throughout these past three years or so of my college life, from my first year of college to my third year of college now, God has changed me so much. I have dealt with the many ups and downs of life- or you know... the roller coasters of life as many would say. But, to each their own set of issues. For me, I have responded to these trials with sleepless nights and grumbling, mixed in with cries of anger and frustration at God. My prayers seemed to go unanswered. Questions like, "Where is God when I need Him the most?" or "Why did you have to bring me all these hardships?" I can't deal with it!" clouded my mind, when something hit me. Maybe God is trying to challenge me and ask me where I was placing my hope in and who I was placing it in. Suddenly, I thought back to those countless days where I held my most prized possessions in the things of this world. Money, popularity, jewelry, relationships, and many other materialistic items of this world held a special place in my heart, when really God should have. Over and over again, my family and friends have told me that the things on Earth will fade away through time. But, my stubborn and rebellious self did not want to believe nor listen to them. Unfortunately, I was so wrong! I then learned and realized that I was sinning against such a perfect, loving,and powerful God. Sunday sermons started to make more sense, we need God every second, hour, and day of our lives! We cannot rely on our own strength, for we will fail. My pride had gotten the better of me and ultimately lead to my own consequences. This then lead me to repentance and to who I am today. My happiness and satisfaction, I quickly learned, was so far from righteous. I am still nowhere close to perfect! But, I try to live a Godly life every day that I am still living. I recognize that I am an imperfect human being loved by an almighty God. Why God you may ask? The answer is simple-because in John 3:16, it says, " For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believes in him, may not perish, but may have everlasting life ." There really is no other person or thing in this world that can love you unconditionally! When people fail us, or when life gets tough, God always has our backs. It's so comforting to know that we can run to God in any and every situation! Through every season in life that we may encounter, I strongly believe that God uses every minute of it to grow us to become more and more like His son Jesus. Whenever I feel as if things are hopeless I remember that we were created by God for a purpose- and that purpose is to glorify Him! This then sparks joy deeply inside my heart- and this joy is incomparable and indescribable, because it is not something that this world can provide me. As Christians, we look to the not seen- which is eternal, and not to the things that are seen- which is temporary. Although it is hard to love God and others perfectly, we do so because we want to obey our heavenly father. :)