Tonight was the absolutely perfect night for a walk. It’s starting to feel a little bit like fall, which I am not ready for as I absolutely love summer! But fall provides many beautiful opportunities to enjoy nature with crispness in the air. On my walk I saw the most beautiful sunset that looked more like a piece of art.

A few hours later, the weather changed drastically to a severe storm with crazy lightning. And just like that, the storm was gone.

The transition from something so beautiful to a severe storm in such a short time reminds me of life. There are many situations and circumstances that come up unexpectedly and can cause your life to be in turmoil. Usually you feel like the trial you are going through is never going to end, and the symbol of a beautiful sunset seems to be a distant memory.

In the past few years, I have been in both places of enjoying the beauty of life and suddenly being thrown into turmoil and suffering while feeling like I was swimming against the current and gasping for air.

So what’s the good news? My beautiful sunset is back. Day by day, step by step, I have learned that when you allow God to work in your life, He is faithful with his promises to provide and reminds us that there is a plan and He knows EXACTLY what He is doing.

I am living proof of this. I believe that God allows trials in our life to happen, so we draw close to Him and develop a more intimate relationship in the midst of our suffering. Because if life was wonderful all the time, why would we need a God to rely on and to know He’s got our back and can see the big picture…even when we don’t?

“But those who hope in The Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

My hope is in The Lord and my hope is that in the midst of whatever I may be going through, God IS there and He always has my back. Things may not always go according to my plan (who am I kidding, it’s not my plan anyway!), but God’s plan is so much bigger and greater than anything we could ever dream or imagine. Just like a puzzle, God fits the pieces together one by one according to His plan to form a beautiful picture, even when we are sure He has no idea what He is doing.

The suffering and the trials that are like a crazy storm? Someday they will seem like a distant memory or a blip in time, and the beautiful sunset will be back. Guaranteed.

Tonight’s sunset and storms were symbolic of life that God is in control, and the moments of beauty and trials in life are part of the plan. He doesn’t promise that life will always be perfect, but He promises that the path ahead will be full of beauty if you choose to trust and surrender that He is working out the details to create a beautiful photo. Just for you.

Have you experienced a beautiful sunset or a stormy period in your life?

Angela