grace given me

We just returned from visiting our son on the East Coast. Despite the wet chilly weather, we enjoyed our trip immensely, seeing and spending time with our boy. I have heard it said that having a child is like having a piece of your heart live outside of your body. No truer words have been spoken. As our stay was coming to an end and I was staring down our imminent departure, I was filled with melancholy. Blessedly, our son is doing well, but as he wraps up his junior year of college, I was struck by the passage of time and fears encroached surrounding the future. Where will he end up? This human I love so much, miss so much. Will he get to move back home? Will I get to do life near him? In my unease, I called out to God because I know he draws near to those who seek him. I needed a peace that could surpass this situation. I needed to put my trust in someone who knows fear and sadness, but does not dwell there. No one can hold both despair and hope better than Jesus.

With this familiar pensive pinging, I recalled a time I once scribbled, ‘When I go into the future I pick up fear. Stay uber present. Stay with God.’ Matthew 6:34 says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” As our visit was winding down, I was stuck in worrying about tomorrow mode. I had to force myself to actively choose to trust God. I asked him to remind me of the times in my past when I was anxious about something that ended up better than I could have imagined. He brought to my mind my own flashback reel of miracles and “God stories.” He reassured me that if he did it before, he can do it again. 1 Samuel 17:37 recalls David’s pronouncement that, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine (Goliath).” 

On Instagram, I saw a poignant meme that said “If you are going to spend time worrying about the worst-case scenario, it’s only fair to spend time considering the best-case scenario and also the most likely scenario.” So true, for we have God on our side. He longs to give us good gifts and he has good plans for us. Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…”

I had to declare that despite my emotions, I still trusted him. I think sometimes we believe that if we have a negative feeling then we are disappointing God. That is not what plays out in the Bible. The book of Job and the book of Psalms are filled with examples of Job and David crying out in sadness, despair, fear and doubt. The key is staying in the conversation with God; sharing your real thoughts and emotions and hanging in there until your thoughts can be brought under his. As we meditate with God, and on his word, our thoughts transform to his. Our thoughts begin to build up in hope and assurance as we remember who he is, what he can do, and what he wants for us. Isaiah 26:3 promises, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

As we begin to trust, we see a new hope, a new possibility. 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” As Rabbi Daniel Lapin coined in Business Secrets from the Bible, “As painful as change can be, it often contains the seeds of growth.” We must be willing to embrace change, recognizing that change begets opportunity. Lapin states that, “Every justified act of breaking, changing, or separating, as painful as it always is, can launch us into something new that carries us further down the path of our own development as individuals, and as the human family of God’s children.” The future can bring on feelings of trepidation but verse after verse confirm that God is for us. 

I recently read an interpretation of the famous story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. It contends that Moses was to tell the people to ‘march forward’ into the sea – before – God had parted it. That they were likely up to their knees, waists, possibly necks, when Moses raised his staff and God parted the sea. Do you know that the Bible says “do not fear” (or similar versions, such as “fear not”) 365 times in the Bible? God acknowledges that this world and life “will have trouble.” But we must “take heart” and move forward despite our feelings. The way to do that is by staying uber present with the one who gives courage, strength and wisdom to get us through. The one who has “overcome the world.”

Lord, how quickly our minds can wander to doubt, worry, and fear. I praise you because you are always there and your love and care is steadfast in the storms of life. You long to ground our feet and anchor our hearts in the promises you have made. Though things may change, you stay the same. You are the same God as the God of Job and David. Your plans for us are good. Thank you that moment by moment you can always be counted on. That your peace surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and minds. Amen.