Think about Christ. Has He ever failed you? I’m not asking if the people of God have failed you (the answer to that is yes) but Christ Himself. Has there ever been a time when you doubted that He is who He says He is or that He will accomplish what He promised to accomplish? It is easy to let our troubles overwhelm our senses, minds, and hearts to the point where we can no longer find our footing in trusting Christ.
When I am unsure of what the heck is going on or when I am in pain because life is just broken and hard and disappointing, I think of the man Samuel. I think of Samuel because sometimes my circumstances seem so immediately painful and uncertain. In the book of 1 Samuel, Samuel is being attacked by his enemies on ALL sides. It is frightening. It probably feels hopeless. Samuel could despair. But instead, he takes a stone from the ground and uses it as a reminder, declaring, “thus far, the Lord has delivered me.” Samuel reminds himself that 1. God has brought him to that moment for a purpose, and 2. God has not ever abandoned him in the past so Samuel can trust that He WILL not abandon him in the future. Christ does not lead us out of things to abandon us. He leads us out of things to deliver us. But deliverance doesn’t always look like we expect it to. I would like deliverance to be clean, white, easy, and painless. Like four warriors rushing in to a battle zone and lifting me up to a cushy pink pedestal and then I get to sit back and eat chocolate while the obstacles of life are worked out for me and I sit unfazed above it all. The problem with that scenario is that it doesn’t change me. I don’t want to arrive at the end of my life and say I trusted in Christ and it was a walk in the park because my life was so easy. I want to arrive at the end of my life and say that regardless of my circumstances, the good and the bad, I held on to Christ. I trusted in Him— even when I was surrounded on ALL sides. When it seemed hopeless and uncertain and painful. In the midst of a battle, to cling to the reminder that thus far, He has delivered me. *Image from dailymail.co.uk.
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Something is coming. I don't know what and I don't know when.
Let me back up. I go to work every day acutely aware of how blessed I am to have a job that I love. Only a few times in my career have I wished to be doing something else. I am content and challenged (in a good way) by my work and I have so much gratitude every morning that I get to unlock the door to my classroom. I begin with this because it is critical to understand this is not a post about discontentment. I am not discontent, but I am not content because I feel something is coming. A change. The unknown makes me feel hurried and antsy-- I am prone to look forward, searching for the answer of what is to come. Today I came to work early, hoping to have some time alone to reflect in my classroom. To sort out the questions I was turning over in my mind. Of course, that didn't happen and there was no solitude because divine appointments had been planned for me. Within five minutes of unlocking my door, two people entered, needing to talk about weightier issues than English. I saw my time for reflective solitude slip away, yet I had to ask myself— why was I reflecting on the future when a present need was so clearly in front of me? Yes, maybe some big change is coming but how can I expect to address it if I am not being faithful with the task in front of me? Wherever I am going in the future, I am not there yet— because I am not meant to be. For today, I am meant to be here. So often we want to rush ahead to what is next. The next big thing. The next challenge. The next phase. The next adventure. But we forget that one step we need towards whatever happens next is what is going to happen today. The needs and challenges we face today. The interactions we have with people in front of us today. Engaging in the task we have today is the most faithful way to actively wait for what is to come; we are faithful with what is given to us, knowing it is preparation as we fully anticipate what's to come. This doesn't mean I will stop actively looking for the next step. Just that first, I'll remember to be fully present and thankful for the step I'm currently on. |
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