Skittle-Pooping Unicorns...

Have you seen Facing the Giants? If you haven’t, you need to! If you have, you should watch it again! What an inspirational movie! I cry every time I watch it! I love the overall theme of this movie so much, “With God, NOTHING is impossible!” However, this theme causes me to think too. Since nothing is impossible with God, are we to assume that we’ll get everything we want? Should we think that nothing but healing, prosperity, and perfect relationships are in our future? Not so much; here is why.

God cares more about your character than your comfort.

It would be nice if we could all live in a blue-sky world filled with nothing but rainbows and unicorns who poop out skittles, but in that comfortable world what would happen to our character? I don’t know about you so I will only speak for myself, I really actually have an easier time loving God when times are tough. I feel drawn to Him so much more frequently. I long for Him more often. I pray harder, search my Bible deeper, and rely upon Him more fully, when I am suffering. It is in these postures (prayer, need, longing, searching) that my character is molded.

I am sure God would prefer to set me down in a beautiful land of milk and honey and skittle-pooping unicorns; however, my God knows His baby girl. He knows that in that world where things are going perfectly I will move along doing everything in my own strength. I will have the power to read my Bible and pray and worship in my own strength. What need will I have for Him? He will just fade to the background, and I will become the focus. He knows that in that comfortable world, my character will suffer.

Please don’t get me wrong. I do not enjoy the suffering. I do not long for hardship. However, I am learning to embrace it. I am learning to move beyond tolerance to appreciation. I am finding how to appreciate the good things which can result from tough times.

Recently a man from our church received a terminal cancer diagnosis. His response to this diagnosis knocked my socks off! He asked us NOT to pray for his healing. He asked us to pray for God to be glorified through his situation, realizing God could be glorified just as much through his death as through a miraculous healing. Wow! Now that is some STRONG character!

Be inspired today. Whatever you are going through, stop fighting against it! Stop lamenting the terrible times you find yourself in, and start looking for ways to take notice of the good things which can come from your circumstances. Let your suffering bring you to your knees in prayer. When you are facing tough times, dive into the Word. Allow God to turn your suffering into His glory. AND whatever you do, don’t you dare forget the theme of my favorite movie: With God, NOTHING is impossible!