Happiness in Uncertainty

“I know one thing for sure,” my husband declared as he walked through our bedroom door with a tall glass of sweet tea in his hand. The statement came out of nowhere but was made as if the two of us had finished a long debate on some deep subject about which neither of us were able to come to any conclusion and the only way to end such a debate was to state a matter of certainty. It’s highly possible, though, that my husband had debated the matter all in his head prior to entering our room and felt the need to sum it up for me with his enlightened statement of truth.

No matter, I was curious and eagerly inquired of his certainty. “What’s that?” I asked.

He paused for a brief moment at the foot of our bed as if searching for the perfect words to express his great truth. Finally he replied, “Give me a minute. I’m trying to remember what I was going to tell you.” Then he lifted his glass and took a long drink of sweet tea as I laughed at his forgetfulness.

And I did laugh – not because I was mocking him (well, maybe just a little – okay! A lot!) but because that brief conversation with my husband pretty much sums up my life. When I think I have it all figured out, life always takes a surprising turn and everything I thought I knew for certain gets thrown out the window. I find myself stumped and perplexed around every bend and when called upon to take action or make a decision or simply respond, I hear myself saying, “Uhm. Give me a minute.”

Ah, but maybe that’s the certainty: Life is uncertain. And maybe that’s what makes life worth living. If I had all the answers, if I knew every situation I would face, what kind of life would that be? Sure, if I knew what problems await me tomorrow, I could take steps to avoid them. But what if by avoiding a problem, I miss a valuable lesson that could help me in the future or make me a better me? And wouldn’t knowing all the good that was coming my way take some of the joy out of the blessing?

I don’t know.

I do know that in my moments of uncertainty, I can always look to the One who knows it all. He holds my every moment in His hands and He is working them all for my good. That doesn’t mean I won’t face any problems or that I won’t have those times when all I want to do is run and hide because I don’t have any answers and can’t seem to figure anything out. But it does mean that I don’t have to face any of my moments of uncertainty alone.

Yes, yes, life is uncertain. But there is one thing I know for sure…

You’ll have to give me a minute, though. I’m trying to remember what it is. 😉

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Just Me

Wondering why, wondering what if -
A trap craftily concealed -
Ensnares the unsuspecting.
To the weak and wounded it appeals.
 
Undetected by its captive,
The entanglement’s hold is fast.
Each doubt, each fear, each question
Only tightens its greedy grasp.
 
Struggling now, fighting for air,
The trap becomes apparent.
Is it too late to escape
The damaging thoughts inherent?
 
Silencing lies, silencing the fears -
The only way to break free -
Shedding all misconceptions
Until I’m left with only me.
 
The me who can learn from my failures
The me who can laugh at my fears
The me who can see the beauty
In my scars, in my pain, in my tears.
 
The me who must stop wondering why
Who must smile and simply move on
Holding tight to all I’ve learned,
Believing it will make me strong!

How’s your Vision?

20 years ago, we were trepidatiously awaiting the clock to strike midnight. Y2K and all of it’s promised glitches and meltdowns were upon us. The New Year’s ball was dropping and all we could do was sit back and wait for the technical havoc to begin.

Well, the clock struck midnight. The dates on our computers rolled over and the world did not end.

True story. 😉

Now, here we are at the dawning of the third decade of this once-feared millennium. We live in a world where our whole lives can be accessed with a thumbprint or even a face (if you like that whole facial recognition thing!), where purchases can be made in seconds with the swipe or tap of a card (if the chip is not damaged or if the network isn’t down), where every aspect of our homes can be controlled with a single app on our phones from hundreds of miles away (if you’re not afraid your house will become too smart and learn to control you! Watch Sci-Fi much??) and where information is readily available with just the call of a name – “Hey, Siri!” (She’s always listening. Always….).

If only we could have seen what 2020 was going to look like as we fearfully counted down to the year 2000, if only we could’ve had a small glimpse of what two decades of technological advancement was going to bring, we would’ve had a good laugh at the threat of that silly Year 2000 Bug, now wouldn’t we.

But that’s the problem with the future – none of us know what it will bring. We listen to the doomsday predictions. We worry about tomorrow’s problems. We stress and bite our nails. We gobble up bottles of anti-acids and we wait for the misery, trouble and chaos to come our way.

What a complete waste of our time!!!

We miss so many blessings when we spend our time worrying.

Jesus put it like this:

“Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? If then you’re not able to do even this little thing, why worry about the rest?”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭12:25-26‬ ‭CSB‬‬

You see, God knows what tomorrow will bring. He knows the answer to your problems. He has the remedy for your fears. And here’s a shocker:

We don’t.

So, the choice is yours. You can step into the new year, or any day for that matter, in fear of the unknown. Or you can move forward trusting in God’s plan, asking Him to reveal His Vision for your future, and believing that no matter what comes your way, God will use it for your good.

I don’t know about you but I think I’ll trust God’s “2020 vision” instead of my own. After all, He’s already been there and He can’t wait for us to discover all He has in store!

Happy New Year!

He’s Got You

Your world may seem out of control;

Your future may seem uncertain;

Your questions may seem unanswered

But there’s no need to worry –

He’s got you.

 

You may feel like your dodging curve balls

Life is relentlessly throwing your way;

You may feel you never catch a break

But there’s no need to doubt –

He’s got you.

 

Your hope may seem dried up;

Your faith may seem extinguished;

Your dreams and your prayers may see futile

But there’s no need to give up –

He’s got you.

 

No matter your situation right now, in this very moment, remember this one truth:

GOD’S GOT YOU!

He’s holding you in the palm of His hand. He is surrounding you with His loving arms. He is working out your troubles for your good. He is preparing you for His glorious purpose.

 

He hasn’t forgotten you.

He hasn’t forsaken you.

He hasn’t failed you.

 

He loves you.

You are His child.

You can breathe easy because

HE’S GOT YOU.

A Year of Smiles – Day 291

Reason to SMILE #291: HE’S GOT YOU!

Matthew 6:25 – 26

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Read those verses again and let that thought wash over you.

Are YOU not much MORE VALUABLE?

By the way, that question – it’s rhetorical. But in case you are unsure, the answer is “Yes! Yes you are!” And our God will take care of you.

He’s got you!

So stop with the worrying. It’s time to SMILE!

My God is SO BIG

My God by Go Fish

Have you ever heard this song?  Click the link and take a listen.  It sure didn’t sound like that when I was singing it in Sunday School as a kid.  But I love this version and so do my kids at church.  We rock the children’s wing as we pump up the volume and sing as loud as we can, “My God is so big and so strong and so mighty. There’s nothing my God cannot do!”

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve created a healthy competition between the boys and the girls. I’ve challenged the groups to sing louder than the other.  OK. OK.  So, it usually becomes a screaming match but it is so much fun!  And I hate to tell the boys this but the girls can out-scream them any day of the week!  That’s just a fact.

Last night was no different.  I had the groups stand up and separate. I could see the excitement on each face.  The challenge was made and the boys and girls faced off to see who could sing the loudest.  It was a fierce battle.  Each team attacked with great force and enthusiasm.  The boys were not going to be outdone and the girls were not going to lose their winning title.  When the song ended and the kids began to settle, there was no doubt in my mind that this battle had to be declared a tie!  The girls actually did sing louder but the boys’ valiant effort showed that they can definitely stand their ground.

More than just a never-before-imagined tie between the boys and the girls, last night’s sing off yielded an overwhelming response within my heart.  As I listened to these children raising their voices to declare how mighty and big our God is, a huge list of worries began to whirl through my mind and I realized how silly I’ve been trying to handle these worries on my own.  I’ve been wasting so much time worrying about things that are out of my control, causing myself so much grief and damaging my emotions, my mind, even my body.  And it’s all been unnecessary!  You see, no matter the problem, my God is BIGGER.  No matter the obstacle, my God is STRONGER.  No matter the opponent, my God is MIGHTIER.

So, today I say to that financial concern, “Have you met my God?”  To the issues my husband is facing at work, “You better step back.  My God’s on the way.”  To the anxiety and nervousness that is constantly tormenting me, “Fear? Ha! My God’s got my back!”  I know there will always be problems.  There will always be obstacles.  There will always be mountains to move and waters to part but I don’t have to worry.  I serve a BIG, STRONG and MIGHTY GOD!  And there is nothing that He cannot do!!!