By JEREMY CROOK

Why is it difficult to not worry, remain calm, and deal with the unexpected challenges in life?

For all of us the simple answer to that question is: We’re finite. We can only exist in one moment at a time and one place at a time. And we don’t even get to choose the moments, our lives are stuck in play and there is no pressing rewind, fast forward, or pause. This makes us prone to things like worry and frustration because the majority of our life is outside of our own control. Think about that for a second. The majority of your life is outside of your own control. What does it mean to own something?

It means that you have paid a price for something and now it’s under your control. If I as a human am subject to things outside of my control, (which I think we can agree we all are) then it must be true that I am not the sole owner of my own life. Weird I know. Thus, my life cannot be completely mine but at least partially owned by something “other than.” God, through my faith, is that something “other than” that is guiding and steering my life.

What if God who owns all things is gently using my good and bad experiences to bring glory to himself and to fulfill the ultimate plan of Creation? Maybe the purpose of everything in existence including myself is being brought to fruition by the Author and Creator in a way that I can’t fully grasp. What if even the most mundane moments of my life and yours are serving the purpose of restoring things back to Shalom? Shalom being that state of Creation when all is as it was meant to be. All the hurt, frustration, worry, and disappointment we experience is evidence that something is wrong, and my hope is that God is restoring us back to a place where these things no longer exist, because it will be as it was supposed to be in the beginning before sin.

My life can count for something because the person who owns everything, not only created me but when I refused to be led, He came back and bought me once again with His life. More often than not I grumble about the things outside of my control rather than rejoice in being under the gentle direction of someone who knows all things and is working all things for my good. This simple yet profound truth when believed can turn ordinary days into worshipful days. In can transform the most seemingly dull moments in to resting in God’s sovereignty in all things with a true focus on his goodness, even when it’s counter-intuitive.

Romans 8:28

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

James 1:12

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

Jeremy Crook is pastor of Mill Creek Baptist Church. He blogs at http://jeremycrook.blogspot.com.