Life Cycles

Life cycles--sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But in Christ, "losing" is for a purpose. God allows you to "lose" for a while often to learn a very important life lesson--meekness. Then you win. I call these life cycles.

And it's all in God's hands...

Nothing is by your effort or decision. Well, it seems that way a lot of times--as if winning or success all depends on your willing it to happen to you. And lots of people have that experience, or so they think. Then they make a doctrine of that and teach it to others, and others, seeing how successful these people are, believe. The rest is history.

But no. Everything depends on God's will. Nothing happens without his approval. Even if you pour all your efforts and time and intellect into a thing, if he doesn't approve it, it will never happen. I've seen lots of people who labor and pour efforts and time and money and dedication and seriousness, all to no avail. And I've seen guys who almost never did anything and yet had success, just like that. Life cycles--times when you are in lack, times when you have an abundance. And Paul said we have to be content in both--in whatever circumstances.

My dad was once in lack when he was young and living in the province. Then, life cycles turned and he found himself on top and became rich and famous in the editorial spheres, and saw people who were rich before becoming poor. So we had it going good then. Dad was editor-in-chief and influential and put all his kids in the best schools.

Then the life cycles turned again, and dad lost his job and we became marginalized. Those who were formerly poor became rich and influential, and they scorned my dad, who had done them no wrong. I guess that's how people are--if you're up there, they dream of the day when they see you fall. and when you do, they celebrate. Like me--I live in righteousness by God's grace and most folks around me don't--and they hope to see the day when they see me fall and prove that I'm just one of them. They despise your righteous stand and living, saying you're too judgmental by how you don't live their standard.

By God's grace my dad didn't abuse his influence or power. That's why we ended up marginalized when martial law came. All those who corrupted their power and influence still had more than enough money during martial law in 1972 and even grew richer. We didn't.

Today, I and my family are a bit marginalized, though I thank God that I and my wife have jobs. We're trying to work out a small business, but God barely blesses it. I thank God for the small blessings we derive from it. I hope that the wheels or life cycles would change and God would start prospering us. We pray and do the business as best as we could, but I and my wife understand that nothing is by our own efforts--it's all in God's hands, by His mercy. He is sovereign and powerful. His will alone is done--both to the obedient and disobedient.

The life cycles are in God's hands and he turns it now and then according to his own designs. And when he turns it and some people prosper in the process, they mistake it to be the fruit of their hard work and effort, because most people are narrow spiritually, even most church leaders. They also think that their prospering ministry or life a result of God blessing them because of their hard effort. They think that God is after a hard worker. There's a world of a difference between a hard worker and a faithful worker. Martha was a hard worker; Mary was a faithful worker.

You can never please God except by faith. And faith is assurance of your hope, the evidence of unseen things. So where does hard work come in? Nowhere. If you have faith, you are assured of your hope--work or no work. Birds don't sow or reap or store in barns yet they are assured of food daily. If you have faith, you are the evidence of things unseen. People should see God and his Kingdom in you--and this is something never dependent on your hard work. It is a gift of God, lest anyone boasts.

It's all in life cycles. And the life cycles are in God's hands. I hope and pray that God would turn ours and our time to prosper would come, at last! In Jesus' Name! And it's all for His glory and His Kingdom come on earth.

God, when are you gonna turn my life cycles in my favor? Because when I hate life and ask what kind of life is this, I very badly need my life cycles turned around for the better.