We have choices. We can spend our precious time worrying, fretting, fearing, and dreading life, or we can rest in the Lord’s peace that gives us the courage to face anything life throws at us. We cannot control what comes, and we cannot control the outcome, but we can control how we respond. Bad things happen to good people, and conversely, good things happen to bad people. Matthew 5:45 (NIV) tells us, “…your Father in heaven…causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” 

There is a truth we all can count on—nothing ever reaches us that hasn’t already gone through the Father. He knows what’s coming, and He knows the outcome. He always has our best interest in mind. So, if He allows something we see as a problem, there’s a reason for it. There is nothing that is ever beyond His grace, and He will empower us to withstand it. The old song, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus,” explains how we should move forward. When we choose to follow the Lord, with no turning back, we determine beforehand how we’ll respond to any situation. As we truly follow Jesus, the battle is already won.