House of Cards

1 Peter 1:6-7
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.


Have you ever felt like you've been dealt a bad hand. Like life simply wasn't fair and it just didn't make sense why? Wednesday night as I was volunteering with the youth at my church the pastor poised this question. He asked the students if they have ever thought life wasn't fair? Being someone who has felt this way more than once I began to ponder on what God had to say about it. Sometimes I feel like Christians get caught up in the stereotypical church answers and forget that when giving advice on this subject that they are dealing with real people, who even though they follow Christ they still experience real emotions and temptations of this world. With that being said I feel that when you feel like life isn't fair and seek advice that people in church will give you an answer like: Well rest assure that God saved you by giving you his Son and so he really doesn't owes you anything and even if life doesn't seem fair you should be grateful for the things you have. You might be thinking that this answer seems a little extreme and maybe you're right, but I also feel that people respond to life issues this way and even though there is some truth to it, it doesn't make anyone feel better. I am sure all we want is some true and loving advice. By now you're probably think what's the point to all of this? The point is that God sees what hurts us. He know when we feel like life is unfair. So as I sat and contemplated this question He revealed something to me that has truly put the trials happening in my life into perspective. If the things we face in life  were compared to being dealt a hand of cards, life is like a game of Texas hold'em poker with God as the dealer. Still with me? Ok so if you have ever played a game of Texas Hold'em you are dealt five cards and with those cards you try to play off what the dealer flips over to win. You see sometimes we feel like the cards we were dealt are horrible, that no matter what we think there is no way anything good is going to come from it, but what we don't know if what the dealer is holding. Poker players take calculating risk and try to prepare their hands for the best scenario when the dealer flips the cards. It's the same for us we need to press into the dealer so that we are ready when he makes a move. Then when he flips it all comes together. The difference with us following God compared to the dealer flipping his hand is that we are always the winners. God had planned the hand he will lay down for each of us it just the wait. So as you examine your cards today remember who is in control. You can try to move things around and get rid of what you feel bad or you can relax sit back and trust that when the dealer flips you will com out ahead. So I challenge you today to press in. In the moments that the wait seems to much and the hand your holding is less then desirable press in, but the flip is coming. Our God we serve will deal us the winning hand in his great time because with him a royal flush isn't where is stops for Him, it stops with crown s in heaven.