Choppy Waters
I must say, it’s been a little rough lately. My consistent blogging has been a bit inconsistent and a website snafu will lead to a little but much needed makeover. I think my blog will continue to go out, but if I go dark for a week or two later this summer, just know my site is getting a little tender loving care.Good things are ahead, but I’ve found myself preoccupied. A lot. And I’ve found myself waking up at odd hours and unable to return to sleep. Consequently, I’ve doubled down on the things I know:
start the day with God;
exercise regularly;
turn off the news;
turn on podcasts and sermons that speak truth;
keep Scripture in front of me;
spend time with people;
turn it off… it will be there tomorrow.
These are my go-to’s when life’s feeling a little much. They work, but today I was reminded of a truth I thought I’d bring to my friends which helped bring the bumps of this life into perspective. Smack dab in the middle of Romans 8 is this little statement:
Now hope that is seen is not hope.(Romans 8:24)
And then this:
For who hopes for what he sees?
I don't know, but sometimes the obvious moves me from the place I currently am to a better place and a better perspective. All through scripture, we see faith, hope, and love interwoven into the fabric of who we are called to be. We’re called to be people of hope. We actually can offer the world something they don’t have. After love, there’s still more. We can’t leave faith and hope behind.Do we see the answers to all our struggles? No, but that’s the point. We know there’s a God who’s greater than this junk whom we get to trust in while others lack that pillar. The passage in Romans goes on to remind us that it isn’t just the power of God that we can trust in when we can’t see the way through, but also…
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.(Romans 8:26-27)
If it’s been a rough morning, a rough week, or a rough year, we can know that the God of the universe isn’t caught off guard when there are some things that we cannot see and cannot figure out. We can even be too weak to hold on or too exhausted to know how to pray. That doesn’t deter Him. He holds onto us and His Spirit fills in the gap. He can do that as long as necessary. So, even if you can’t hold on, don’t fear. He’s got ya!