Nothing Is Impossible

“I have found that there are three stages to every great work of God; first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.” - Hudson Taylor

I have this quote mounted right above my desk to serve as a reminder for myself everyday. These words, spoken by this missionary to China in the 1800’s, provide inspiration and motivation to keep going because often times I feel like life is just impossible.

Maybe it’s just me, but I frequently (as in more than just sometimes) get overwhelmed by life and all the baggage it brings. It’s in those times I wish I could revert back to those carefree days when eating PB&J’s and watching Saturday morning cartoons were my biggest concerns.

The truth is... being a grown-up can be hard, and living as a growing Christian that seeks to follow God and what He calls us to is even more challenging! Each time God calls me to do something it has seemed absolutely impossible by my standards. He said join a missions organization and raise support and I thought, “How? Can I really raise all the money I need to be a fully-funded missionary?” Yet, here I am four years later, and He has provided more than enough for every single thing I’ve needed, every time I’ve needed it.

He said marry an international, and I said, “I want to, and I do love him, but how will this work? Immigration alone is a huge challenge, but combining two languages and cultures seems impossible!” Despite my uncertainty, God, in His grace, has shaped us both as we learn to love each other and our differences more and more. And just yesterday, my husband received notice of his permanent resident status and should have a green card in a few months. Once again, the Lord has taken a seemingly impossible situation (the marriage of two completely different individuals and two completely different cultures) and has faithfully shown us the beauty of His plan through it.

I think we all have our “impossibles”. Maybe for you it is being a mom to a sleepless newborn child or a rebellious teenager. Maybe it’s just going to work everyday with people who are difficult to work with or trying to fill a role you don’t feel is a good fit for you. Or maybe it’s learning how to be a wife or struggling with the unfulfilled desire of wanting to be one. Whatever your “impossible” is, if it is in His will for your life, God says it is possible.

“Jesus replied, ‘What is impossible with man is possible with God.’” Luke 18:27

In just one sentence, God not only takes the word “impossible” out of our vocabulary, but He also promises to be with us through the process. Psalm 56:8 says, “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” We find our answer and hope in the very next verse.

“This I know, that God is for me.” Psalm 56:9

He is with us through all the tears, all the grieving in the loss of what we thought life would be like, all the anxious nights we lay awake thinking, “this is impossible.” God is with you and He is for you in your impossible situation. Trust Him in the process. The Holy Spirit will even help you with that. In Proverbs 3:5-6 Solomon, a man known for his great wisdom, says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Don’t trust in yourself or in anyone else who tells you it is impossible. Trust in God who makes the impossible possible.

What do you need to give to God today and trust Him to take it from impossible to difficult to done?