Fear

It brings tears to my eyes when I think of the times God has encouraged me through others… Days when I felt weightless and frazzled, as though the rug had been swept from under my feet. When I didn’t know whether I was coming or going.  Or, whether to sit down, or stand up.  Like an entree of breakfast chops and scrambled eggs, struggling to comprehend the time of day.  Feelings of no direction, yet always moving towards something. Never sure if the something I was headed toward, was the something which was divinely orchestrated.  Nevertheless, God always found a way to communicate to me along the way, all was good… Giving me insight and encouragement, He would gently whisper, “Keep going…You Got This”.

God is so awesome. A well-known fact shared whole heartedly throughout, I’m sure.  On my worse days, He can alleviate the greatest sufferings and infuse it with a sense of peace. If this were an ode, it would be a passionate, fervent ode to my God. For my heart cries and sings simultaneously as I reminisce of His goodness in my life. My mind, in awe, is mystified by the way He touches my life. Have you ever been in love? It is this kind of love which is the feeling I have when I think of Him. The love you cannot live without, even on your busiest of days. It’s the kind of love, no matter what the case may be, you can never be angry with the other. You always find your way back to that feeling, that love, which thankfully never goes away. In Romans 8: 38:39, Paul writes, “ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God.” Once you have experienced His presence and have acknowledged Him as your God, and expressed to Him your love for Him and His children, there is no turning back. If like Paul and many believers, you raised your hands to the sky asking for forgiveness and mercy, and then praised Him for giving you peace which surpasses all understanding… And if like Paul, and many believers you did this on a daily basis, every chance you could get…. There isn’t anything, anyone, or any circumstance that will be able to take that fervent Love away you have for your God.

When talking with my Mom on the phone, we snicker like little girls, as we tell our stories of triumph, witnessing God’s influence and hand on our life.  Just like David in 1 Chronicles 16:9 when he was overwhelmed with the goodness of the Lord, exalting, “Sing to Him, sing his praise; tell of His wonderful acts”.…….When you begin to witness his goodness, you can’t help but rejoice and sing praise to His name. He helps us along in the most mundane of ways. One of the amazing gifts given to us is to know He is here encouraging us, cheering us on, teaching us the fundamentals of life, as He knows it. Just as earthly fathers teach their children, He too teaches us daily.  It is disheartening though, to see those of us who do not realize how close God’s hand is to their own. If they’d only reach out and take His hand, they too would see and feel his amazing love for us. Just last week, I was trying to decide on which day to mow the lawn.  And suddenly, a vague shimmer of thought and encouragement evaded my mind which suggested I mow it on Tuesday, even though I really wanted to mow it on Wednesday, since the forecast didn’t call for rain until Thursday. Not fully confident who it was, or what it was nudging me along, I conceded it was the Lord’s doing and asked Him to help me to be obedient. The following day after I had mowed the lawn, as I pulled up to the driveway to get the mail, sun shining … not a cloud in the sky… I said see Lord, could have mowed the lawn today anyway. And thought, maybe it wasn’t You after all nudging me along.   And since He was giving me lessons on knowing his voice, I decided to chalk this one up to, not, being his voice, at this time. But then 20 minutes later, around the time I would have been heading out to do the lawn, what do you know… I looked out the window and what did I see, but little droplets of rain falling on the deck… I had to take a second look and wipe my eyes a bit, until it was plain to see it had started to rain. I was tickled pink….

He speaks to me through the sermons of my Pastor. He speaks to me and through me in my writing. I see Him in messages inscribed on bulletin boards, tags of cars when driving, or pamphlets I read when given the opportunity. So many signs. No one could ever imagine how grateful I am for my life and the encouragement I receive from God. Whether it is for the purpose He has given me, or the mundane activities of my life, He gives me encouragement each and every day.  Through all the trials and tribulations, I would not change any of it for all the world. For my Father has taught me so much about love, fear, and trust. He truly has made me and molded me in His image. And His encouragement tells me, I am his biggest fan.