God is faithful

God is faithful. Yes all of you who are believers are nodding your head and saying, " Yah I know that already." But no I mean really, God is faithful.
He has a plan, a purpose, and a direction that He is faithfully and intentionally pursuing. In my life this plan is to make me more like Jesus Christ, and He is using every circumstance in my life to accomplish this.
I am learning to trust that His hand is on my life no matter what I may be going through. These past few months especially have been a time of seeing first hand that He does care and always provides.
I had been reading and studying a lot about living a simplier life, of not getting caught up in the materalism that surrounds us, and instead using the wealth of this land to further His kingdom. This was impressed on me more as I spent a few weeks living with a missionary family in NYC and observed how they lived by faith and trusted Him to always provide.
My plans for the summer had been made in early spring. I would go to NYC and come back to spend the summer working to save money and pay bills. But God had other plans, and I spent the summer looking under rocks and in dusty corners for jobs that never panned out. It was frustrating and stressful, and I wanted it to end. After all this is North America - its very easy for a young, healthy person to get a job - any job - right?
Yet God wanted to teach me that my security isn't in the income I can generate, or in a good economy. He was also putting to the test the ideas I had in my head about forsaking materialism and living simply. You see it is one thing to like an idea and another to actually live it.
I am still learning these lessons and I suspect it shall take an entire lifetime, but I am grateful for the learning curve the past few months have been. There have been many times God provided in direct answer to prayer, and even times He fulfilled a need that I had failed to take to Him. He is so good to His children! When we are busy running around trying to provide for ourselves, He is still gently but firmly in control; always there to restrain us in our foolishness.
Yes He is faithful, faithful to conform us to the image of His Son, and faithful always to show exceeding abundantly beyond what we think, how much He tenderly loves His children.