No matter how dark and dismal one's current situation might be, Pastor Rick Warren from Saddleback Church says Christians need to learn how to trust God's will.
People might be worried about debt, not having a baby, never realising one's dream, or patching up a broken relationship. But no matter how mysterious the road ahead might appear, one thing's for certain: God's grand plan will always prevail.
"Right now it may look dark and you may feel defeated and it may seem like a mystery to you. But one day you're going to see in the light of eternity how it all fits together in God's plan," he wrote on his website.
Until then, Warren shared three mistakes that Christians need to avoid doing as they seek God's will.
The first is that people should avoid being fatalistic. "The idea of fatalism — that everything that happens is God's will — leads to self-pity," he warned. "It causes us to blame God for everything bad in our lives rather than accepting responsibility that we caused the problem."
At the same time, fatalism leads to passivity because it makes people think God will handle everything that needs to be done in their lives.
Next, Warren said people should avoid frustration. Whenever people try to figure out everything in their lives, they will end up frustrated. "Sometimes you're going to do what you think is God's will, and it's going to fail," he said. "What do you do when there are no answers? You keep trusting God, knowing that he's working on your character through all of your circumstances and that he has good plans for you."
Lastly, Warren warned against fearfulness. When people are fearful of God's will coming to fruition, they are doubting God's love. Warren said nothing but trouble happens whenever people doubt God's love, because people find it difficult to obey God when they doubt Him.
"God's will is an expression of His love. When you don't understand what God is doing, have patience. God knows what's best for you. You can't see the end result, but He can. God's path may be a path of pain, but all those delays and difficulties and problems are building character in your life," assured Warren.
