Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Matthew 6:27 (NLT)

Have you ever faced a difficult circumstance or tragedy and thought—If only I had known this was going to happen? In that moment or the days and weeks following, you may have felt that if you had known what was going to happen, you would have been better prepared to handle it.

I remember my father saying this a few months after he had to have his leg amputated due to diabetes. As someone who was used to being in control, I believe he felt that if he had known ahead of time, he would have been better physically, emotionally, and definitely financially able to deal with life as an amputee. At the time I remember agreeing that yes it would have been nice to know ahead of time and be better prepared.

But, I later began to think about how it would be to have known ahead of time that something bad was going to happen. Would we really take that knowledge and use the days before it happened to prepare ourselves for it?

 Actually, in most cases, I believe if we knew something bad was going to happen we would spend the majority of the time worrying ourselves to death about it.

I can only imagine what the days between Jan. 2, 1994 & Aug. 11, 1994, would have felt like if God had told me on Jan. 1, 1994 that I was going to have my accident.  I may have tried to learn more about quadriplegia, but ultimately every day would have been filled with increasing dread and anxiety. 

It is understandable that as we go through a difficult circumstance, we wish we had the possible control beforehand knowledge may have given. It is scary having to deal with changes and not knowing what will happen next.

But, instead of futilely wishing we had only known, we can trust in the One who knows.

God is all, sees all, and knows all. Rather rain or shine, in darkness or day, over mountains or in valleys he is beside us guiding our path, holding our hand so we will never fall. His power is all-encompassing and if we rest in his arms we will be safe and secure.

This life may not always be easy but when resting in his arms it can be full of peace and joy.  There is no place better than the shelter of his grace.