Through the Stillness

All before my eyes and the ridge behind is the spot my husband picked out for us. One day we will bring our grandkids here, I thought. I stood still and the rest of the world seemed to fade away. There were five adults and my two boys preparing to plant trees on the ridge directly behind me, but even their voices turned to faint whispers…

My husband is a patient man. He took his time picking and finding the spot on his uncle’s land. I was just ready and impatient and wanted to tell him to pick a spot to get it over with. Everyone else had been able to work on their spots and we helped…and it was nice but I wanted our own spot!  But that is not how Matt is with decisions.  I am so glad he is patient.  Because we would not have gotten this spot.  He wanted it to be the right spot, not just any spot.

I realized, as I snapped this picture that Matt’s patience in these matters is so much of a Christ-like trait.  Matt would probably shake his head no if I said this to his face…but really it is.  Christ does not want us to just settle. He wants us to be patient in every aspect of our lives. Patience is a part of following God’s will. I am thankful my husband reminded me of this…although he did not intentionally do so.

I had more than one moment this weekend where I felt His loving arms wrap around me. Truly,  nature has a way of forcing you to be still and feel His presence. I was walking in the woods, Oliver came running up to hold my hand. “I want to walk with you. Didn’t you hear me calling your name?”

I didn’t hear him because I was distracted by my own thoughts. But as his little hand grasped mine, my worries went away.  We walked and talked…his eyes looked up to mine…I felt how safe he feels with me…and I felt God’s love through Oliver’s touch. In this world we will feel lonely…even in places we feel we should not. We need to remember God is always calling us closer.  He is always right there wanting to walk with us.  His hand is always there to be held––and He is always a safe place.

Do not allow your church to become your religion, instead your religion should become your church.

As I look back at my last two posts, it may appear as though I am living in fear.  I am not. I mean, sometimes I think of the things of this world and am worried about raising kids in a world with such complex issues.  I get worked up over it all and threaten to pull my kids out of public schools if they institute co-ed bathrooms.  I am sure it will happen.  So yes, I do have some fear, but I fight it. I will continue to trust God. I will continue to remind myself it is better to think of these things as being wrong than to conform to the ways of this world.

I was at a theological conference on Saturday and one of the speakers said something along the lines of this: “God has us here (the present state of the world) for a reason. It can be invigorating.”  God is in control of the situation.  Remember that. Another great quote, it was from Stonewall Jackson, was this: “Duty is ours, consequences are God’s.”

So…God has us here for a reason.  He knows why we are here.  It is not our job to sit and try to figure out why.  It is our job (duty) to follow God’s will in our lives and not think of the consequences such as what people may think, how people may react, or what the outcome may be.

The end.