When glancing back on my life recently, I realized two things.  One, I have been richly blessed in countless ways.  Two, like everyone, I have had heartaches I never could have anticipated.  I offer thanks to God for the incredible good that has permeated my life — so very much to never take for granted.  And, given God is the Source of All That Is, I must also offer God the bad — the wounds and chronic difficulties.  While it may be hard to offer these struggles to God in a spirit of gratitude, I can do so in a spirit of trust. 

Experience has taught me that I can trust God to take that which causes me pain and transform it to something useful.  I don’t always make the leap to this kind of grace with conviction that such a process will have made the hurt worthwhile, but I do often find consolation knowing that at least some purpose will be extracted.  The harms and hardships of life can mean more than just unfortunate points of suffering.  They can be building blocks for something of value that we cannot yet see.  And this is where that spirit of trust comes into play. 

I often think of God as “The Great Recycler” because nothing is wasted when we offer it to God for repurposing.  It may look like a pile of rubble from where we stand now, but through God’s intelligent use of time it can be made into something beautiful that we will only be able to identify in hindsight.  All that’s required is for us to give up resistance to what is and allow God to create anew.  Though it might not be the dream we once imagined for ourselves, perhaps it becomes a dream God dreams for us… a path imbued with profound love and lasting impact, the fullness of life after all. 

May you be inspired!