You Give and Take Away

What a glorious God we serve! Our God gives and takes away. This saying is kind of bittersweet. Everthing we have on this earth was provided to us by God, and He has the right to take it away. Oftentimes by taking things away, He reveals His plan for our lives. We as humans can not understand the mind or ways of God. We are very selfish and usually only desire what will be good for us...or what we think will be good for us. I have been through times in my life where I have lost something or someone that I loved. At first my eyes are so clouded by the tears that I can only see the taking away. In times of pain or confusion, it is easy to overlook the giving of God. Maybe it is because we are hurting and we need someone to blame. Or maybe we only want to dwell on what we no longer have. I have come to find comfort in the giving of God. Though it is hard to deal with the taking, I find peace, joy, and thankfulness when I remember how gracious God was to give to us. A couple of years ago I lost a friend. When I thought about him, the pain was too much to bear. I could only think of what I did not have anymore...of what was taken away. I thought to myself, "If I had never known him, I would not be hurting right now. I would have no idea of the person he was, and he would not have been important to me." And then i would wonder...why did I have to know him at all? But when I seriously think about this I am sure I would not give up our friendship just to avoid the pain. It would be easier, but my life would not be the same. When I considered this, I long to praise God for the giving. Though I still don't know why I knew him, I am thankful that God gave me the pleasure of knowing him. This same example applies to pretty much everything in our lives, because almost everything we have on this earth will be taken away one day. But instead of grieving over the loss, we can celebrate the giving. We have a generous Father. Let us be appreciative, because He gives and takes away.