Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I can’t take God’s place. Even though you planned evil against me, God planned good to come out of it.”
Genesis 50:19–20
Good can come out of the evil others plan. Don’t limit your life by thinking that when bad things happen, your life is ruined or things are out of control. Bad things don’t always mean your end. People might plan to hurt you, but no one can hurt you unless you decide to let them. How you think about who is ultimately in control of life and what trials are for will decide how much they hurt you. You can be attacked on all sides, trapped, and wounded, but if you trust that God is who he says he is and decide that nothing matters except pleasing him, then you won’t be destroyed, only made stronger.
Suffering builds the life of the God Girl; it doesn’t tear it down. She knows that suffering can lead to pure joy because it builds her perseverance and character. She knows that it is through suffering that her faith is proven and her strength increased. Resistance, not ease, makes you stronger. So consider adversity to be only a part of your training. When you look at life from this perspective, no one can control you or hurt you. When you are a slave to God and God alone, no one else will tell you what to do, how to act, or how to feel.
This trial is only meant to make you better. So rise above your human nature that whines and complains and pushes back against trials, and stand on his nature that knows all, sees all, and ultimately controls all. As you stand on the solid rock of your salvation, you will overcome anything the world might throw at you. And whatever they plan for evil, he’ll use for good.