Look forward to wonderful future blessings

Are you tired? Is your strength almost depleted? And, perhaps, you just don’t know what to do next, or which way to turn.

“When is my situation going to change?” you wonder, as you take a deep breath. “What is the reason God is holding back?”

Right now, you may be undergoing many challenges and there are no solutions in sight. But do not let your current circumstance or this time of hardship to cause you to lose confidence in yourself and recede.

There is so much more ahead for you. And the hurts, the setbacks, and the unfair circumstances are going to be replaced with more opportunities, more love, more joy, and more successes.

God is greater than the giants you face.

There was a warm breeze in the summer air, as a friend of mine and I walked into a neighborhood café for coffee. “God has something wonderful planned for you…. I know it,” I said to her, as we waited to be seated.

My friend looked at me, her eyes sullen, searching for hope. Then, I encouraged, “He is just waiting for the right time.”

It had been eight long years since my friend left her thriving corporate career to start her own business. Although she is faithful, a hard worker, creative, giving, and talented, for some reason, nothing had worked out for her. It was maddening. For just when it seemed as if a breakthrough would come, it turned into another dead end. Yet, through the ups, and mostly downs, my friend gained tremendous knowhow and experience.

“God is leading you as He always has. Have faith,” I softly whispered, as we sat down at a round wooden table by the window. And I added, “He will lead you to the right position.”

Thereafter, in-between sips of warm coffee, I told my friend, in my own words, a story that a reader had sent to me.

A mother and her grown daughter were having a conversation in the kitchen while they were making a cake. The weary and disheartened daughter stood by her mother and explained how everything in her life had gone wrong. Her career was at a standstill, she had encountered setbacks, met with losses, made mistakes and regretted some decisions she had made in her past.

Mother listened closely and then asked her daughter if she would like a taste of the cake she was mixing together in the bowl. The daughter uttered, “Sure, Mom, I’d love some.”

So the mother reached for her measuring spoon, poured some oil into it and handed her daughter a tablespoon of oil. The daughter looked puzzled.

After that, the mother asked, “How would you like two raw eggs?” Perplexed, the daughter answered, “No, thank you!”

Next, the mother offered, “How about some dry cake mix?” “Yuck!” the

daughter exclaimed, and questioned, “Mom, what are you doing?”

The wise mother replied, “All of these ingredients seem awful by themselves. But when you put them all together, they make a wonderful cake!”

As I finished this story, the smile across my friend’s face told me that she understood what I was trying to say to her through this simple analogy. For no experience in your life, good or bad, has ever been wasted. It is those experiences, put together, that help mold you into the person you are destined to become.

My friend was encouraged when we left the café late that afternoon, and as I hugged her goodbye, I affirmed, “There is something great ahead for you.” “You will understand when it all falls into place.”

A few months passed, and my friend called me with good news. Literally, in a flash, an opportunity with a local company became available. And because she had tremendous credentials and experience, she was offered and joyfully accepted the job of her dreams!

I’ve heard it said, “God is never early, He is never late, but He is always on time.” Therefore, keep doing your best, for when the time is right, as He moved in my friend’s life, God will move in your life.

A while ago, I heard about a philanthropist named Larry Stewart. For almost 30 years, this successful businessman anonymously gave over a million dollars to needy people. Often, he would roam the city streets, typically handing out $100 dollar bills to those in need. And he even recruited others to help him carry out his mission of love.

“Why did Larry Stewart perform these random acts of kindness to total strangers,” one might ask? Because he knew the pain of growing up poor and living in extreme poverty. Raised by his grandparents in a small town, there was seldom enough money for food or proper clothing. However, Stewart’s earlier struggles were worthwhile, for he chose to use them in a positive and productive way. For years later, Stewart’s heart of understanding motivated him to serve others.

God has given you special gifts, and the obstacles that are in your path today are giving you everything that you need for the victories that are yet to come. This time of adversity will pass.

Soon, something great will happen in your life that will be payback time for all of the kindness and good you give out to so many.

So look forward to the wonderful blessings in your future, and keep your hope and trust in God! And you… will be the victor!