I have been praying about what I should share and I feel that God is wanting me to write about hope. God has been reminding me through a commonly known verse how much He loves me.
“For I know the plans I have for you, ‘declares the Lord’, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Sometimes God places us in different situations in order to refine and grow us. However, the process of refinement is not easy, comfortable, or free of pain. Therefore, we need to completely lean on God and have hope in His ultimate promise of good that comes from challenging and painful circumstances. Knowing this does not mean that we should “fake ‘til we make it” and act as we have all together when we are struggling in the midst of a hard season in life. God calls us, as believers, to reach out to those He places around us, in our community, and to bear each other’s burdens. Through this, we can feel God’s love and be reminded of His promise of never leaving us or forsaking us, by giving us a physical gift of friends who can give hugs, pray with us, and share encouraging words.
I would also like to share the following verse that has been encouraging to me during challenging moments in my life:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
All of this to say, I truly believe that God doesn’t make mistakes and that His plans are way better than anything we try to plan for ourselves. However, I do struggle at times to be content where God has me. Nonetheless, I know that I cannot do this life on my own and need God to guide me every step of the way, even if that means walking through very difficult times. At the end of the day, I know that God doesn’t have plans to hurt me but to give me hope for the future. If any of you reading this is going through a hard time right now, I want to encourage you to leave the hurt at Jesus’ feet and walk in His strength.
– Tracy Frohlich, GEM Missionary
If you’d like to support Tracy as she serves with GEM in Mexico, you can do so HERE. You can also contact her directly to talk further about what it means to be on her support team and find out how you can be praying for her!