Before we see... we have to trust...

... for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

-Philippians 2:13 (NASB)

I'm always a little bit surprised with how God works. I don't know why. I mean, it's not like I haven't had a lot of experience with His watching Him move. & I so love to see Him working. Where I am the most surprise is how He works in ME. 

When I'm longing to see compassion... He's working to make ME more compassionate. 

When I'm longing to see more love... He's working to make ME more loving. 

When I'm longing to see grace given... He's working to make ME more graceful. 

Um... yeah. The list could go on & on & on & on. 

I have to admit, the 'working' is not so much fun sometimes. In fact, it's a lot of times super hard. 

Being more compassionate not only means that my eyes are open to seeing need & wanting to do something about it but I actually DOing something about it. 

Being more loving means much more than the blissful, huggy, touchy feelings I might have on occasion for one person or another. It's about something far deeper... genuinely caring about people that might not be so loveable...being there in the darkest times & not sitting in judgement of how someone got themselves there. 

And

Being a grace giver means I have to get over myself. I have to practice true forgiveness often moving past my own feelings & painful experiences to give real grace to others. 

Um... Owch... 

Here's the cool part though... when I allow God access to every part of my life... when I get myself out of the way... He is with me. He sustains me. & He moves in ways I never thought possible. 

“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize that He is able to carry out His will for me. It does not matter where He places me, or how. That is for Him to consider, not me, for in the easiest positions He will give me grace, and in the most difficult ones His grace is sufficient.”  

-James Hudson Taylor