When God Doesn't Fix It

I recently finished reading a book by Laura Story called When God Doesn't Fix It. There was much with which I could identify in Laura's story.  Both of our husbands had neurological issues.  Her husband had a brain tumor which after a surgery to remove it resulted in huge complications and lasting effects.  My husband's disease was a rare neurological disease which became progressively worse leading to his eventual death.

There were also many differences in our situations.  Yet the truths we both learned through our circumstances were very similar.  These are truths which are helpful to anyone going through a difficult time in life, be it family care-giving or another challenging circumstance.

In her book Laura tells her story. She tells of the brokenness and the struggles. She also discusses the myths we tell ourselves in times of difficulty and then contradicts those myths with the truths of God's Word.  One of the myths she talks about is the assumption that when God allows trials God is not with us or just does not love us.  The truth is that when things look the darkest God's light is with us the brightest.  Also when God does not fix things or He withholds what we want, it does not mean He does not love us or is punishing us.  It just means God has something better for us.

This "something better" God has for us may not look the way we thought it should. It may go through the pathway of trials, challenges, and heartaches.  If we choose trust and not bitterness, however, this leads us to a deeper, more dependent, sweeter, and more intimate relationship with the Lord.   It brings us to a trusting relationship with the Lord where we know we are secure in the God's hands.  We may not like what God has allowed in our lives, and we sometimes struggle with the "why" of it all.  Yet we know God's ways are always best and that blessings often come from the trials.  They are often "mercies in disguise."

I like how Laura says that we should use and share our stories even when we are still struggling.  We don't have to have everything resolved in our lives to share our stories.  We do not need to have won a complete victory to share our stories. We also don't have to be a great example or always "have it all together" in our faith walk in the midst of our trials.  We further do not have to be famous.  All we have to do is to be willing for the Lord to use our story.  We need to remember that it is not about us. It is about the Lord.  Our stories are just a part of the Lord's larger story.

As mentioned before, we can grow through the difficult experiences in our lives by replacing the lies that we tell ourselves with the truth of Scripture.  It is in trials that we learn that we can't do it on our own, but must depend on the Lord.  God uses our difficult experiences to stretch us and to make us realize that joy does not come from circumstances going our way, but from the Lord Himself.  Also since God is with us in difficult circumstances, we can have joy in the midst of them.

At the same time we must learn that this earth will never satisfy.  Only eternity will bring complete joy and fulfillment. Always thinking that if we can just get through a particular set of difficult circumstances or attain a certain level of success we will be happy is an illusion.  Joy is found only in the Lord and ultimately in eternity.

Further God's grace is sufficient in our brokenness and trials, and often God's power is shown more clearly in our weaknesses.  We then have His power in us, and God is magnified in the process.  This does not mean we do not wish our circumstances were different, but we can have joy and trust in the Lord in the midst of the difficult circumstances.

This is the link to the Laura Story interview.  It may take a little while for the interview segment to come up, so be patient.  Even if you are not able to buy her book, just listening to her short interview will be a blessing to you:

http://www.crosswalk.com/video/when-god-doesn-t-fix-your-life-an-interview-with-laura-story.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fbpage&utm_campaign=cwup


Here is another link.  It is link to Laura singing her beautiful song, "Blessings."  In this song Laura talks about how blessings can come from trials.  In fact, trials can be "mercies in disguise."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQan9L3yXjc


Besides considering buying Laura's book you may consider ordering my book.  A link for ordering my book is on the right hand side of the screen.  Either way trust the Lord, as you sometimes walk the challenging and heartbreaking paths of this life. Share your story and believe your story is part of the Lord's bigger story.