Nothing is wasted.

Sometimes in life, we find ourselves in bad situations which we can neither explain nor escape. I’d prefer that if I was in a bad situation, I could at least have one of those options available. Either I can explain why I am in the situation I am in or I can hit the escape button and leave the situation altogether but its not like that.

Sometimes we just find ourselves in situations which have no reasonable or logical explanation. I don’t like those situations. I like puzzle games and games that require logic because I like for things to make sense. However, if you have lived long enough, you know that sometimes life just does not make any sense. At all! When I am in one of those situations, my mind goes into overdrive trying to figure it out and work it out. In those moments, I can never seem to get my mind to be quiet. But, if I am quiet long enough, I can hear a praise or worship song in my spirit and I will begin to sing the words of that song. If I am at home, I sing it out loud otherwise I just sing it in my head.

I find sometimes the lyrics to songs are so powerful they can refocus your mind on who your God is and pull you out of the downward spiral of despair and hopelessness. You should try it. Worship your way through the uncertainties of life.

There are some bad situations which come but last only moments. Those situations where a misunderstanding is quickly resolved and everything is well with the world again. Then, there are those bad situations that come and last for years. No escape button in sight. You just have to walk on through them and trust God with the process.

I think it is easier to trust God when we know the situation can be turned around quickly. When we know we will have the answer by tomorrow. But it is so hard when we cannot see an end in sight. If you are in one of those situations that neither makes sense nor has an escape button available, I wanted to encourage you to hang in there. Keep trusting God to work it out. Isaiah 46:10 says, “Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” Isaiah 46:13 then goes on to say, “For I am ready to set things right, not in the distant future, but right now! I am ready to save Jerusalem and show my glory to Israel.”

God knows what our future holds. He knows the end from the beginning. So, no matter what we may face today, God has already seen how it ends- even when we can’t see it. I am convinced deep down that God is good. And if God is so good, I don’t believe He will leave you in a bad situation one second longer than you need to be there. He is working behind the scenes. He is moving. He is doing a work in you that sometimes cannot be done in your comfort zone. But you will not always be in this place. God will set things right, not in the distant future- He is working on it right now!

Nothing you go through in life will be wasted. I believe that after Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000, that He had the disciples gather basket loads of left overs afterwards so that we could see that the God of the universe, who fed 5,000 men (women and children were not counted) with 5 loaves and 2 fish and who certainly could replicate the same miracle multiple times over, is not wasteful. He didn’t discard the leftovers. He had the disciples gather them so we would know that He treasures it all and He wastes nothing (#Jesussaves).

The same applies to our lives. No part of our lives will be wasted. God gathers it all (the leftover pieces which we can’t make sense of, the bad things we have been through, the good things, all of it) and He puts it all together and causes it all to work out for our good. Nothing is wasted. Hang in there, keep trusting God and you will surely see Him turn it all around for you.

I will leave you with this, 1 Peter 5:10 says, “And then, after your brief suffering, the God of all loving grace, who has called you to share in his eternal glory in Christ, will personally and powerfully restore you and make you stronger than ever. Yes, he will set you firmly in place and build you up”.

Love and blessings,

Melissa Tsingano.