I've experienced God's miraculous power in my lifetime. I've seen His divine protection and provision. I've watched Him do incredible things. But when my life crumbled around my feet a couple years ago, what God can do and what He was doing didn't line up.
God could have stopped my husband from cheating on me. He could have changed his mind about leaving me for the other woman. He could have saved my marriage, protected our ministry, and kept my heart from the deepest pain I've ever endured. He could have. But He didn't.
And I realized something simple yet extraordinary.
There's a difference between faith in what God can do and faith in who God is.
From my microscopic vantage point, it often seems like God's actions and inactions---what He allows---aren't consistent with His character. But I can't see the big picture from my tiny corner in the vastness of eternity.
Because the truth is, His character never changes. No matter what I'm experiencing in my life, God is loving, faithful, and trustworthy. He is just and merciful. He is Healer and Redeemer. And He doesn’t waste a thing.
Nothing---neither the best nor the worst that I’ve known---is wasted. Ever. Everything can be made new. Everything can be made whole. Everything can be redeemed.
Nothing is wasted.
Even when it doesn't appear that way right now.
My faith is supposed to be about much more than trusting Him to make everything work out according to my "perfect plan".
After all, He is more concerned about my holiness than my happiness.
So while life continues to unfold very differently than I'd ever imagined, I want to live with active trust in who He is, even in the midst of pain and brokenness.
Easier said than done, I know. The only way I can even think about making this shift is in moment-by-moment decisions of faith.
So right now, I'm choosing to anchor myself in the unmovable bedrock of God's character.
And trusting that what feels like Plan B (or maybe Plan F) is really His best for me.