"God may indeed seem absent, but in those times when he seems to be elsewhere he is probably nearer than ever. He does not abandon us. And through the times of uncertainty we must remind ourselves that God is eager for us to know and do what is best. He does not toy with us or keep us in the dark for some perverse reason. We must remain confident in this: God loves us and wants our best."

Listening to God in Times of Choice - The Art of Discerning God's Will
Gordon T. Smith

it's sadly easy to forget that God has my best interests at heart. i still have a hard time trying to fathom what could possibly be better than what i perceive to be "best" - yet it exists, and i'm confident that He does love us and want our best. sounds like a simple concept - but hard for people to accept.

i've been leading a small group for aacf for a few weeks now and we're reading through gordan smith's book together and the girls always have these great questions, but they're the kind of questions that have no practical step-by-step concrete answer. i mean...discernment will most likely not come in a large neon sign indicating the direction in which we should go. the thought i always sort of had was that if we're developing our relationship with God and seeking after all that God desires for our lives then that's all that matters - as in things will fall as they should. but unfortunately, people seem to like solid, absolute answers of "tell me exactly how it works." oi.