We live in a fallen world, and difficulties will inevitably come our way. It should be no surprise. Being a Christian does not make us exempt from trouble. Jesus warned us, “In this world you will have trouble…” (John 16:33b). The year 2007 brought our family many difficulties. The natural response when hard things come our way is, “Why, why me?” I’d like to share with you a simple story that God has used to encourage me to ‘just trust’ Him, even when I don’t understand.

I am the mother of seven. When my children were small, I took them, as any good parent does, to get their immunization shots. Not just one, but a series of them—DPT, measles, mumps, etc.

Some children get the shots without having a negative reaction, but not mine. Every time they received the injections, my kids ran fevers and felt sick. One daughter would be unable to use whichever limb they gave her the injection in for at least 12 hours.

How much more does the all-perfect, all-loving God act out of goodness and love toward us?

How could I do that to them? The shot hurt and made them feel sick and scared—but I did it out of love. I knew how important it was for them to receive these shots to protect them from terrible illnesses that could kill or cripple them. Here I was, an imperfect, sinful human being, carrying out this harsh deed—in love. How much more does the all-perfect, all-loving God act out of goodness and love toward us?

When they were very small, I sometimes had to hold them still so the nurse could give them the shot. As they grew older, most of them grew to trust my love, and although they still didn’t like the shots, they submitted to them willingly.

Whenever I don’t understand why some difficulty is allowed in my life, God reminds me that He wants me to trust His love…even though I don’t understand, even if it hurts, even if I feel afraid.

As difficulty and loss struck our family that year, I was faced with the questions: Did I really believe God? Did I really trust Him? The answer was yes, and with each yes, peace came. And with peace came joy.

Are you facing some grief or sorrow, some trial that you just can’t understand why God would allow it? Although you may not understand it, will you make the conscious choice to trust God and His love for you? I pray you will.

Originally published in our Winter 2007 newsletter

About Nancy J. Collins

Nancy J. Collins is the director of Joy of Living Bible Studies. She has been a speaker and Bible teacher for over 30 years, ministering to both children and adults, and is the presenter of the Joy of Living training video, Planning & Leading a Bible Study.

Nancy holds a B. A. in Biblical Studies, and is the author of three complete Joy of Living courses; the commentary portion of five Joy of Living courses; the study questions for over ten Joy of Living courses; and three Joy of Living pre-school studies. She, also, co-authored the Leadership Training Guide, and has edited many of the Joy of Living courses.

She and her husband, Chuck, live in Southern California. They have 7 adult children.