Reason #194
I stopped by Schlotzky's tonight to get a sandwich before bible study. As I sat there, eating my sandwich alone, my mind went back to November.
It was mid-November, right before Thanksgiving. I had been having a really rough time, so I was due another counseling session. I met with the counselor after work and left feeling as if a huge burden had been lifted off of my shoulders, at least for the moment. I felt as if some light had been shed for me, and for once, food sounded good. I drove across the parking lot to Schlotzky's to get a sandwhich and brought it home so I could fill my mom in on the new revelation I had from my couseling session. I distinctly remember standing in my kitchen, eating the very sandwhich I ate tonight, and talking through everything with my mom. I just needed it to make sense in my head. I needed something to grasp on to. An explanation, a reason, and I felt like maybe I finally had one. Stuck in the middle of uncertainty and not sure what was going to happen. I was trying to cling to what I had. My counselor encouraged me to "live in the hope I had." And so I was hoping in a Sovereign God, a loving God, a moutain-moving God who was some how, some way going to pull me through this. I wasn't sure how He was going to, but I was just trusting and believing He would.
And He did, however, I would have never imagined on that November night that I would find myself 8 months down the road sitting in Schlotzsky's, eating that exact same meal, and reading over a bible study lesson I was going to be teaching within the hour. And here's the cool part, it wasn't just any bible study lesson, it was a lesson over uncertainty. A lesson that discussed how to get through times where we don't understand. How to find our way through the darkness of life. And how to trust in a God who promises to bring you through each time.
Today, I received a picture from a friend who is on vacation. The photo was taken from the top of a hiking trail in Colorado. As I looked at that picture, I was captivated by its beauty. I realized that what stuck out to me the most was the valley. Of course, the only reason I could see the valley is because the picture was taken from a higher point. But it looked beautiful, lush, green. And I thought about my own valley. A valley that I can now begin to see because the Lord has so faithfully led me up a mountain. And now, I'm finally to a point where I can begin to look back and notice that really, the valley is quite a beautiful place. It was a scary place, a darker place, and it was full of uncertainties. But it was a place of growth, a place of restoration, and a place of strengthening.
I didn't know how He'd do it, but He did. And tonight, I was reminded that when we go through uncertainties, we cling to what we know, not what we don't know. And so I'm grateful to know that I serve a loving God who brings us through the valleys and up the mountains. And although I'm never sure of how He'll accomplish it, the one thing I do certainly know is that some how, He will.
#194 - Because He takes care of the uncertainties.
"As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me." - Micah 7:7
It was mid-November, right before Thanksgiving. I had been having a really rough time, so I was due another counseling session. I met with the counselor after work and left feeling as if a huge burden had been lifted off of my shoulders, at least for the moment. I felt as if some light had been shed for me, and for once, food sounded good. I drove across the parking lot to Schlotzky's to get a sandwhich and brought it home so I could fill my mom in on the new revelation I had from my couseling session. I distinctly remember standing in my kitchen, eating the very sandwhich I ate tonight, and talking through everything with my mom. I just needed it to make sense in my head. I needed something to grasp on to. An explanation, a reason, and I felt like maybe I finally had one. Stuck in the middle of uncertainty and not sure what was going to happen. I was trying to cling to what I had. My counselor encouraged me to "live in the hope I had." And so I was hoping in a Sovereign God, a loving God, a moutain-moving God who was some how, some way going to pull me through this. I wasn't sure how He was going to, but I was just trusting and believing He would.
And He did, however, I would have never imagined on that November night that I would find myself 8 months down the road sitting in Schlotzsky's, eating that exact same meal, and reading over a bible study lesson I was going to be teaching within the hour. And here's the cool part, it wasn't just any bible study lesson, it was a lesson over uncertainty. A lesson that discussed how to get through times where we don't understand. How to find our way through the darkness of life. And how to trust in a God who promises to bring you through each time.
Today, I received a picture from a friend who is on vacation. The photo was taken from the top of a hiking trail in Colorado. As I looked at that picture, I was captivated by its beauty. I realized that what stuck out to me the most was the valley. Of course, the only reason I could see the valley is because the picture was taken from a higher point. But it looked beautiful, lush, green. And I thought about my own valley. A valley that I can now begin to see because the Lord has so faithfully led me up a mountain. And now, I'm finally to a point where I can begin to look back and notice that really, the valley is quite a beautiful place. It was a scary place, a darker place, and it was full of uncertainties. But it was a place of growth, a place of restoration, and a place of strengthening.
I didn't know how He'd do it, but He did. And tonight, I was reminded that when we go through uncertainties, we cling to what we know, not what we don't know. And so I'm grateful to know that I serve a loving God who brings us through the valleys and up the mountains. And although I'm never sure of how He'll accomplish it, the one thing I do certainly know is that some how, He will.
#194 - Because He takes care of the uncertainties.
"As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me." - Micah 7:7