Certain things have been happening in my life recently. Some good, but mostly not so good. It’s as if my life is falling apart bit by bit, but I have no idea why, and I’m clueless as to how to stop it. Everything was perfect a few months ago, and I can’t help to wonder: what happened? However, this passage I read in my daily devotions gave me the answers:

But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

- Deuteronomy 8:11-18

Yes, in my times of success and prosperity, I have forgotten God. I convinced myself that everything was because of my doing, and that I was responsible for my success. How foolish and arrogant me to think so, when it has been God who has graciously given me everything? How can I say it was me, when really, I haven’t done much at all? Without the grace and power of God, I could not be where I was, just like the Israelites could not have escaped Egypt. Yet when all is well, it’s too easy to forget what God has done during the tough times and begin relying on ourselves.

My life falling apart is a reminder that apart from God, I can do nothing. But I’m grateful for these times because it teaches me the humility and dependence on Him that is necessary for future success.