If you and I were chatting about life over brunch, I'd tell you—with a laugh—that "I just wish I knew how the story unfolds and how God makes sense of everything going on in my life!"

Chances are, my "in real life" friends are nodding their heads and smiling at this; they've heard me say this ad nauseam.

If only I could flip ahead to the last chapter or read the "spoilers" to see the glory of God pull it all together!

I tend to feel frustrated because I cannot see how God is working in all the complicated parts of my life. I've even shaken my fist at Heaven, grumbling like the Israelites who "tested the Lord, saying 'Is the Lord in our midst or not?'" (Exodus 17:7).

And yet He works and moves when I can't see it or feel Him.

The challenge, I'm learning, is to seek Him constantly, to be open to unexpected moments of grace, to keep my heart open for Him at all times. The challenge is trusting in His plan.

I’d love to chat with the Samaritan woman about this. She had a broken past, filled with heartbreak and shame. Yet she held onto hope and belief in the Savior to come (see John 4:25). I want to learn how to recognize Christ in my life, to speak openly with Him, to invite Him into my heart.

Like the woman who didn't turn away from God or give up hope because of her brokenness, I want to persevere in hope.

Like the woman who gradually recognized Christ before her, I pray to recognize the Lord in my midst—daily messes and all.

Yes, I’m working on less grumbling and greater trust. Work and practice with me, sister?

[bctt tweet="He works and moves when I can't see it or feel Him. // Gina Fensterer" username="blessedisshe__"]

Lord, open my eyes and my heart to see You in my life, even and especially the complicated parts. Jesus, I trust in You. Work in my daily life for Your glory. Amen.

Gina Fensterer finds daily life to be perfect for practicing virtue and sometimes blogs about raising up saints (she has six children). She loves the Jesus prayer, long runs, and coffee at any time of day. She is a contributing author to our children's devotional prayer book called Rise Up. You can find out more about her here.