We cannot live a holy life without Him.

None of us can honestly say that we have never looked at those who are wealthier than we are and not desired to be like them, to be in their same position, to wear exquisite clothing, to live in large homes, to drive expensive cars, and  the likes. Yet many of us feel confused and anxious when it comes to making major life decisions. How should we spend our money? Who should we marry? Where should we live? What job should we take? These and countless other questions can be difficult to sort out. How can we experience God’s peace in the midst of such life-altering choices?

Albert Einstein once said: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” This comes from a genius – a genius who didn’t talk until he was four or read until he was seven. Einstein’s teachers labeled him “slow” and “mentally handicapped.” He may have been last in his class to do what the rest could, but certainly Einstein wasn’t any less than his peers. He just had his own way of thinking. A way of thinking that would earn him the Nobel Prize and change the way we understand our world.

But where would Einstein be if he thought that he should be the first to read instead of last? Where would he be if he spent his life punishing himself for being different from everyone else? If Einstein tried to be someone else, he would have missed out on being himself!

What is your view of God? If you think of God as remote and powerful, but basically unconcerned with the details of your life, you will lack warmth in your faith. Your view of God will be cold and distant. Your relationship with God won’t be marked by either a heart of trust or the practice of prayer. At best, God will be a distant sovereign, a king who doesn’t care too much. At worst, you’ll drift into either resentment towards God or practical atheism – living as if he doesn’t exist at all.

The successful outcome of our lives revolves around one thing: our view of God’s nature. What we believe about the nature of God shapes our attitudes, our choices, our relationships and our expectations.The foundation of our faith must rest in this reality: God is good.

On the other hand, if you think of God as near, personal, and caring, as a friend with whom you can talk, but not a God of exhaustive wisdom, power, majesty and sovereignty, then you will lack reverence in your faith. Your view of God will be mushy and sentimental. Your faith will sound as hollow as a Hallmark commercial. Maybe it makes you feel good, but will it really do any good? And over time you will likely drift away even from the warmth of friendship with God, because your faith will lack the gravitas that comes from knowing that he reigns as sovereign over all.

When things don’t go our way, we have a choice: to question God or to believe that God’s goodness will somehow turn it around. What we believe at that moment has the power to change everything. That’s why it's so vital to establish your view of God as He truly is: infinitely good beyond our wildest dreams or expectations!

Our faith in God’s goodness renders powerless the negative circumstance in our life. When we know how good God is, we know the bad thing in our life doesn’t stand a chance. Nevertheless, as soon as something bad happens, many people ask, "Where is God?" But the better question to ask is, "Where am I?" The answer is: in the hands of a good and loving God. When you realize that, no matter what is going on around you, everything is going to be all right!

Take some time and try to figure out your place in this world. How can you best serve God? When you know your place, you will feel joy and peace – and the last thing you will want is to stand in anyone else’s place or to be anyone else. It’s not about being in first place or last place – it’s about being in the right place.

When you encounter challenges, bring your problems to God expecting that God will intervene to help you solve them, at the right times and in the right ways. Keep in mind that God is always at work in your life, so something good can be happening in you even when trouble is happening to you. Invite God to accomplish good purposes in your life; He will use even the worst circumstances in your life to bring about good when you trust Him to do so.

While we can look forward to the day when God looks at us and pronounces a completion of His work in our hearts, we must remain faithful and allow the Holy Spirit to continue His transforming work in our lives.

Blessings,

Raj Kosaraju