2608) Being a child of God isn’t always easy. There’s so much our minds and hearts cannot truly understand in this life. Because of this, I like to read what others have gleaned from their faith, hoping to give me some insight I had not considered.

A quote I read recently (and, I’m sorry, I do not know the author) is: There’s a difference between saying it’s all a part of God’s plan and God’s got a plan for it all.

Is this a comparison without a difference? I don’t think so. When I consider that something has happened is part of God’s plan, I see it as direct guidance and direction.

When I consider, God’s got a plan for it, it’s something difficult that happens in this life because we live in a fallen world. These times are things God can use in our lives to strengthen us and make us more like Christ.

Deuteronomy 8:2 reminds us that God intended the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness to humble them and test their commitment.

It’s not always easy to discover if the things we are working through spiritually are in one of the above categories or the other, but we do know that God is seeking to know what’s in our hearts, either way. Why? Because these types of things all make our relationships better with God. That’s what he truly wants from us. A good relationship.