Reason #533
I got to have breakfast with my friend, Brandi, this morning. I hadn't seen her since my wedding as the summer has not allowed for much free time. Brandi is one of those people who just has the ability to lift your spirits and create a really peaceful setting. This is definitely a gift. Most people that have this gift are counselors, and you have to pay about $85 an hour to be around them, so it's nice to have a friend who can do the same thing and do it for free. And so I'm really thankful to have such a sweet friend who is a good listener and always comes with doses of encouragement to give out.
It's funny how the brain works. Mine seems to pick really random thoughts sometimes for no reason at all. And although this drives me crazy every now and then, remembering the past can be a good reminder, an encouragement. I was driving to breakfast this morning and I had the strangest memory pop into my head. I don't know where it came from or why it even came to mind. But as I thought about it, I decided to feed it a bit. Sometimes I push things out as quickly as I can and other times I let thoughts linger. I figured this was there for a reason, and as I entertained this thought I realized that God was reminding me of His provision and protection. That He was reminding me of how He takes care of everything, even the really tough stuff. And so I know I don't talk about this a whole lot anymore, but I'm going to tonight. Because I want you to know how God has taken care of me, and when we remember that He has done it before, it's always a great encouragement that He will do it again.
I remember the day I came home to find a huge brown envelope stuffed in my mailbox with a lawyer's address on the return label. This was my new reality. I opened the envelope and read the papers, which was a really strange feeling. I don't know what provoked it, but I figured I'd just give this man a call. Of course, I hadn't hired him and I wasn't pay him. He wasn't fighting "for me," I suppose you could say so I didn't figure he'd talk to me anyway.
I called his office and was transferred directly to him. Keep in mind, I never do things like this. After all, I wasn't really sure why I was calling him. But something inside me just wanted him to know my side of the story. I wanted him to understand that this girl is a fighter. And so we talked for a few minutes and he said some really encouraging and sympathetic statements as if he truly cared about me. This wasn't what I expected. Maybe it was my preconceived notions about lawyers, but I fully expected him to be rude, ruthless, and short with me. I figured he'd be a little heartless and spineless and flippant. He wasn't, he was the exact opposite. And so he advised me as best as he could even though he wasn't representing me and I hung up the phone feeling very surprised by this.
Three months later I got the next to last set of papers I was going to be receiving. I reviewed them and noticed a few changes I'd like for him to make. It was 10:30PM on a weekday night, and I decided to call his office again. I prefer to leave messages rather than talking on the phone to people I don't really know, so I was thankful it was way after hours. To my surprise, he answered the phone. I told him the few changes that needed to be made, and for the next 15 minutes or so, he poured out encouragement over the phone. This is what he said (summarized), "I'm really sorry about this. I see it happen to so many people, and it's never easy. In fact, the same thing happened to my own sister, but you continue to be faithful and God will take care of you. I know you don't see it now, but one day you will look back on this and you will praise God for it. Trust me." We hung up the phone, and I have never spoken to him again.
I made a comment to my parents that it was funny this man was the lawyer I dealt with. My dad thought differently, pointing out that this was just one of the many other ways God was taking care of me. And as this thought popped into my head this morning, I thanked the Lord that He had done exactly that. Gone before and helped make the hardest battled I've yet to face not as hard as it could have been. That He not only encouraged me Himself, as well as surrounding me with so many encouraging friends and family, but that He even gave me a super compliant, trustworthy, Godly and encouraging lawyer to get me through the process. Things like this don't just happen.
Well, after breakfast ended, I drove home listening to songs from the past. Songs that God used to give me strength to move forward, songs that reminded me of His goodness, and I didn't have another thought about such things as the afternoon went on. But the evening rolled around and as we stood in line at the theatre waiting to be seated, I saw a girl I recognized. A girl I worked with who left to be a legal assistant to the very lawyer who helped me, and the very girl who sent me all those papers. Funny? I don't think so. Because seeing her only drove home the point that was made earlier this morning. A reminder and another reminder just to help me really remember and understand the magnitude of His ways.
God is always fighting for us. Even when it feels like we're in a losing game and the odds are against us, even when it seems like we are in a downhill fight and we're doomed, we're not. God is on our side. And when it feels like defeat is looming and we're too weak to fight on our own, He's there to fight for us. Putting defenses in place to help us long before we even realize it because God knows the challenges that will come our way. And so I don't think any of this was by chance or even luck...ever. I think it was just one of the many ways God proved Himself faithful and sovereign and victorious. And so even though that battle is well over and is but a remnant from the past, I still face battles. These days, they just look different. But the truth of the matter is, not matter how big or small, how intense or drawn out the battles may be, we have a God who will fight for us, who will make us victorious, and who never, ever loses. And the lawyer, well he was right. Because even though it felt like I was in a losing game, I wasn't. And I praise God for it. Wouldn't change it if I could.
If God has done it before, He'll do it again. History is testament to that. But it's good to be reminded when we forget, and what comfort there is in knowing that God is always for us, never against us.
#533 - For reminders that God is for us, that He is victorious, and that we will win any battle with His help.
"What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" - Romans 8:31
It's funny how the brain works. Mine seems to pick really random thoughts sometimes for no reason at all. And although this drives me crazy every now and then, remembering the past can be a good reminder, an encouragement. I was driving to breakfast this morning and I had the strangest memory pop into my head. I don't know where it came from or why it even came to mind. But as I thought about it, I decided to feed it a bit. Sometimes I push things out as quickly as I can and other times I let thoughts linger. I figured this was there for a reason, and as I entertained this thought I realized that God was reminding me of His provision and protection. That He was reminding me of how He takes care of everything, even the really tough stuff. And so I know I don't talk about this a whole lot anymore, but I'm going to tonight. Because I want you to know how God has taken care of me, and when we remember that He has done it before, it's always a great encouragement that He will do it again.
I remember the day I came home to find a huge brown envelope stuffed in my mailbox with a lawyer's address on the return label. This was my new reality. I opened the envelope and read the papers, which was a really strange feeling. I don't know what provoked it, but I figured I'd just give this man a call. Of course, I hadn't hired him and I wasn't pay him. He wasn't fighting "for me," I suppose you could say so I didn't figure he'd talk to me anyway.
I called his office and was transferred directly to him. Keep in mind, I never do things like this. After all, I wasn't really sure why I was calling him. But something inside me just wanted him to know my side of the story. I wanted him to understand that this girl is a fighter. And so we talked for a few minutes and he said some really encouraging and sympathetic statements as if he truly cared about me. This wasn't what I expected. Maybe it was my preconceived notions about lawyers, but I fully expected him to be rude, ruthless, and short with me. I figured he'd be a little heartless and spineless and flippant. He wasn't, he was the exact opposite. And so he advised me as best as he could even though he wasn't representing me and I hung up the phone feeling very surprised by this.
Three months later I got the next to last set of papers I was going to be receiving. I reviewed them and noticed a few changes I'd like for him to make. It was 10:30PM on a weekday night, and I decided to call his office again. I prefer to leave messages rather than talking on the phone to people I don't really know, so I was thankful it was way after hours. To my surprise, he answered the phone. I told him the few changes that needed to be made, and for the next 15 minutes or so, he poured out encouragement over the phone. This is what he said (summarized), "I'm really sorry about this. I see it happen to so many people, and it's never easy. In fact, the same thing happened to my own sister, but you continue to be faithful and God will take care of you. I know you don't see it now, but one day you will look back on this and you will praise God for it. Trust me." We hung up the phone, and I have never spoken to him again.
I made a comment to my parents that it was funny this man was the lawyer I dealt with. My dad thought differently, pointing out that this was just one of the many other ways God was taking care of me. And as this thought popped into my head this morning, I thanked the Lord that He had done exactly that. Gone before and helped make the hardest battled I've yet to face not as hard as it could have been. That He not only encouraged me Himself, as well as surrounding me with so many encouraging friends and family, but that He even gave me a super compliant, trustworthy, Godly and encouraging lawyer to get me through the process. Things like this don't just happen.
Well, after breakfast ended, I drove home listening to songs from the past. Songs that God used to give me strength to move forward, songs that reminded me of His goodness, and I didn't have another thought about such things as the afternoon went on. But the evening rolled around and as we stood in line at the theatre waiting to be seated, I saw a girl I recognized. A girl I worked with who left to be a legal assistant to the very lawyer who helped me, and the very girl who sent me all those papers. Funny? I don't think so. Because seeing her only drove home the point that was made earlier this morning. A reminder and another reminder just to help me really remember and understand the magnitude of His ways.
God is always fighting for us. Even when it feels like we're in a losing game and the odds are against us, even when it seems like we are in a downhill fight and we're doomed, we're not. God is on our side. And when it feels like defeat is looming and we're too weak to fight on our own, He's there to fight for us. Putting defenses in place to help us long before we even realize it because God knows the challenges that will come our way. And so I don't think any of this was by chance or even luck...ever. I think it was just one of the many ways God proved Himself faithful and sovereign and victorious. And so even though that battle is well over and is but a remnant from the past, I still face battles. These days, they just look different. But the truth of the matter is, not matter how big or small, how intense or drawn out the battles may be, we have a God who will fight for us, who will make us victorious, and who never, ever loses. And the lawyer, well he was right. Because even though it felt like I was in a losing game, I wasn't. And I praise God for it. Wouldn't change it if I could.
If God has done it before, He'll do it again. History is testament to that. But it's good to be reminded when we forget, and what comfort there is in knowing that God is always for us, never against us.
#533 - For reminders that God is for us, that He is victorious, and that we will win any battle with His help.
"What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" - Romans 8:31