It has been one of those crazy weeks, when everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.  I was going to cut my grass, but the tires were flat on the lawn mower.  I went to pump them up and discovered that the valve stem was bad.  I went to the store to buy a new valve stem and they were out.  I went to another store to buy a valve stem and they were out.  I finally found a valve stem, went home, changed it out, pumped up the tires and began to cut the grass.

As I was cutting grass, I noticed that I had a rather large mud puddle in my front yard.  What makes this really strange is that we have not had any decent rain amounts in since I don’t know when.  Upon closer examination, I discovered that when my house was built they ran the water lines right beside two big ole trees.  The roots of the trees had attacked the water supply line and the tree was enjoy the water that should have been going into my home for me and my family to enjoy.

What I thought was going to be a minor repair, ended up requiring that we replace the whole water line from the road to the house.  We got that taken care of and were looking forward to no more worries, until we cut the water on and after a few seconds of good flow, discovered that we had almost no flow!  It seems that when the line was replaced, some trash got in the line and caught in the pressure regulator which stopped up the flow.

All of this kind of junk is the kinda stuff that most of us will allow to stop us dead in our tracks.  We get frustrated, angry, discouraged, mad and despondent, when what we need to do is realize that this is life and that which does not kill us, will make us stronger!  Every step of the way, I kept reminding myself that God is in control and has a plan – a plan that I do not want to miss out on!

Being a Christian is not easy!  God never promised that it was going to be easy.  God promised that He would be with us and that He would never leave us or forsake us.  In fact, I have noticed that during the tough times of life, I get more dependent upon God and more open to whatever plan He has for my life.

So, the next time you have a problem, just remember this:  Your problem is God’s opportunity to prove Himself real and active in your life! Don’t have a bad attitude.  Have a good attitude, knowing that as you trust God through this tough time, He is going to grow you in an amazing way for His glory and everyone’s blessing!

I used to think that peace was getting your life to a place where you did not have to face any storms, or at least it was a place where the storms were not that big. I have discovered that this is the world’s definition of peace and I had bought into it.

We work so hard to get our lives lined up in a “just so certain” way, because we have convinced ourselves that if we can get life to line up just right, then we will have peace – “the absence of conflict” according to the world. The truth is: It does not really matter how lined up I think I have my life, I am always going to be going into, in the middle of or coming out of a storm. Let’s face it – storms are a reality of life, they cannot be avoided and they don’t have to be a bad thing.

Peace is not the absence of the storm, but the presence of the Master. Peace is knowing that you do not face the storm alone and in your own strength. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in our time of need. (Psalms 46:1) Next time you find yourself in storm, don’t focus on the storm. Focus on the One Who is with you in the midst of the storm! Focus on the amazing reality that you have a Savior who loves you, Who you get to love back and you will discover a peace that cannot be understood or explained!