No one ever said life was going to be simple. No one ever said college was going to be easy. No one ever said you weren't going to lose some friends along the way. No one ever said the person you thought you were going to be spending the rest of your life with was going to break your heart and you might never recover from it, but that's the way life goes.

I have a saying that has gone from dorm to dorm to apartment that says: "It is well with my soul." I have had to place it in a prime place that I will always see it so that it will be a constant reminder that no matter what I am going through, I will know it is going to be okay and I need to learn to be okay with the situation.

One of the hardest aspects of life thus-far has been learning to trust God and his timing. The older I get, the more apparent it becomes that my timing is not his and that's a hard pill to swallow. The thing I struggle with most is if I'm doing the right things or if I'm making the right decisions because there is no going back on it. I wonder if I have gone so far away from God if he can ever forgive me.

The truth is, not one of us has not sinned and no sin is no greater or no less than another. I know just because you lied about being sick and didn't go to work is not the same as robbing a bank and going to jail, but sin is sin. God sees it all as the same.

Asking God why things are happening is questioning his plan, and maybe we need to begin questioning our own plans for our lives. Give it to God. When God closes one door, he will open another. He has three answers to prayers: yes, no, and I have something better coming, be patient. Being patient is learning to trust in God's plan. It might not be the easiest, but in order to move on in life, it is a crucial part of it.

We may not understand why our best friend no longer wants to be friends with us, why our health is failing us and we are only 20 years old, why the person you thought forever was with is now a never or why your grandparent had to die, but don't go asking Jesus why. When you begin asking him why you are just showing how much you don't trust in his plan and that yours is better.

A lot of times we doubt in him and that is okay. But we have to trust that he knows what he is doing because he does. When no one else is there for you, he always is. He is always all ears and wants to know what you have to say. You may wonder why he isn't answering you, but if you think he isn't he already has; it just wasn't in the plans you wanted.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3: 5-6

While trusting may not always be simple, you can have hope that he has your best interest at heart. He made plans for you before you were even created and that is something you should be able to have all faith in, even in the most difficult times in life. God is faithful, and while most of us struggle with having the patience to trust in a plan he has made for us, in order for us to grow, we have to trust in his plan.

Part of trusting in God's plan is accepting it. We all make plans for our own lives. We all think about the places we'll go, the things we'll do, the jobs we will get, the people we will date, the places we will live, colleges we will go to and anything else; often forgetting that there was a plan already created before we created our own.

A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. Proverbs 16: 9

He is forever directing our paths, some we understand, others we may not. His timing is perfect.

I have to say, knowing that we have a perfect God, that has a perfect plan for me gives me hope, but I also have to admit that it is frustrating sometimes to not know what is going to happen in life next. Something you hope for isn't happening or your failing grades, even after trying your best aren't getting you anywhere. The waiting game may be the worst game invented, but in order to express faith, it is necessary.

Give your heart, your mind, and your body a break. God knows exactly what he is doing. Trust in him. Have faith that what he is doing is right for you.

God,

Thank you for showing me plans that were not my own. It has never been easy, but I am learning. Thank you for allowing me to fail, but also allowing me to get back up. Thank you for the no's you said to me even though I wanted them to be yes's. Thank you for my heartbreaks and my struggles throughout life because you made sure that it made me a stronger person. It has allowed me to trust you more. I have been overwhelmed with the amount of ways I have strayed away from you, but you still haven't given up on me. Your forgiveness never ceases to amaze me. You have shown me and given me the courage to have hope in your plans and to forget my own. You have also given me the strength for day-to-day life. Your compassion and love for others is something no one can explain. You are good. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Always.

When the time is right, I, the Lord, will make it happen. Isaiah 60: 22

It is well with my soul.