For Such a Time As This

The world feels pretty crazy right now, huh? In just the last week, it feels like all of life has suddenly shifted in huge ways and gone completely topsy-turvy. As I’ve been processing and praying through all of this, here are some things I’m trying to remember right now, and that I thought might be helpful to you all as well. 

1. God knew about this. He isn’t surprised, and He isn’t worried. He has everything under control, even if everything feels out of our control.

I think one of the hardest parts about this whole thing is the feeling that everything is falling apart. Events are cancelled left and right; stores are empty (I mean, we can’t even get toilet paper for goodness’ sake); things we took for granted aren't easily available; and there is just a lot of fear and panic happening. In spite of that though, the truth is that God is still in control. He isn’t shocked by this thing. He isn’t up in Heaven wondering how we will ever make it through. He’s got this. Rather than looking around at all of the chaos and fear, let’s look to Him and remember Who He is:

• He is our Provider, and promises to give us what we need. We aren’t going to go without; He will take care of us.
  ~Matthew 6:26. "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?"
  ~Philippians 4:19. "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
  
• He loves us more than we will ever be able to grasp, and nothing can take that away or change it!
  ~Romans 8:37-39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, nor heavenly rulers, 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 that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
  ~Isaiah 54:10 “10 Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”
  
• He has good plans for us, and nothing that happens in this world will change them.
  ~Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
  ~Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

2. You have power to decide how this season will go for you

As helpless as you may feel right now, you actually have a pretty significant amount of power: you have the power to choose how this time will be for you. While we can’t always control our outward circumstances (kids home from school, enforced/strongly encouraged quarantines, stores out of our favorite food, etc), we can control how we respond to them. 

• We can decide to live in fear, worrying about how we will be taken care of; we can be grouchy and irritable, upset that our plans are “ruined” and we have to do what we don’t like; we can focus on the disappointments and stresses, and complain about them...
• OR, we can strive to search for the good (even if it might be hard to find); we can purposely put our faith into practice and live like we really believe that God has got us; we can pray for eyes that are open to every single blessing, and take advantage of the opportunities these changes have brought (maybe there’s extra family time, a chance to build relationships more, more time to work on projects that would have never gotten done?)...

Please don’t read me wrong here; I’m not saying this isn’t hard. I have had many moments of feeling fearful, overwhelmed, and grouchy, and have definitely muttered some complaints under my breath and shed a tear or two (ok, more)! This IS hard. This is different and uncertain and requires an entire overhaul of life for some of us! Instead of just complaining about the hard things, though, and plodding through this season in survival mode, what if we tried to be purposeful? Don’t ignore the hard things, but see what can be done about them. List out the biggest struggles right now and see what would help make it easier. For example, my biggest thing is with the need for social distancing. I am going to sincerely miss other people (I already do, and it's only been a few days!) I’m used to having daily interaction with others that I love, and the thought of going weeks without that literally makes me cry! So to remedy that, some friends and I are planning to do some “digital” coffee dates. We are going to find a quiet hour, get a yummy drink, and use FaceTime or Skype to just chat together and reconnect (if you want in on that, let me know! I'll do all the digital coffee dates in all the land!) We are so, so blessed to have the different options available to us in this day and age, Guys! So let’s be creative, use our resources, and make the best of this thing, not just barely survive it.

3. We were placed in this time for a reason.

“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14) Ok, so we haven’t exactly been put into a royal position for this season, but we have been put in this place, at this time, for a purpose. God knew you would be here at exactly this time, and it was not on accident. What can you do, now, to take advantage of this season? How can you encourage, help, and shine for Jesus? How can you use your gifts, strengths, and resources to lift up, bring a smile, or ease a burden? There are so many people that need those things right now! Think of this as a mission opportunity, Guys! People that would otherwise have never gotten a glimpse of Jesus’ love in action might get to finally see that, thanks to Him using YOU. 

• Do you have some extra finances from not using gas or spending money out and about? Use them to buy a giftcard from a struggling business and send it to a friend!
• Do you have a good sense of humor? Find some funny videos or memes and text them to someone who needs a boost. 
• Are you good at writing? Send some encouraging cards to others who are lonely. 
• Do you have this whole “new routine and schedule” thing down? Share your ideas with others who are overwhelmed at the thought of somehow managing to work from home, or having their kids home from school

The possibilities are seriously endless. Imagine how awesome it would be to look back on this season and be able to see that God used YOU in a national crisis to shine His light well. “Well done, good and faithful servant”, indeed.

In some ways this seems like it’s going to last forever, and that can be so overwhelming. In the grand scheme of things, though, this is not long at all. We will get back to normal, even if it’s a new normal. It won’t always feel this hard. In the meantime, let’s strive to tackle this thing well, trusting our awesome Heavenly Father, enjoying the opportunities, and shining for Him in all we do. Love you all!!

At the Command of the LORD

Numbers 9:22-23 "Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time that the cloud remained over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out. They kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by Moses."

"At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out." I love this example of following God's leading. He used the form of a cloud hovering over the tent of meeting to let the people know when He wanted them to stay in camp, and when He wanted them to move to the next spot, and the Israelites did not move from their camp until they saw the cloud move--no matter how long it took or how short the rest was. I don't know about you guys, but this is exactly how I want to live my life. When God says to stay, I want to stay put, and when He says to move ahead, I want to obey. I think so many of us have the desire to do this, right? So what stops us? I think there are a few things that come against us and make this desire harder to carry out.

When God tells us to stay put...

• We get bored. We want a change of pace and scenery; we want something different to happen; we want some kind of excitement and to not be stuck in the drudgery of everyday life. I think it's almost like getting cabin fever, but with life's circumstances.
  
• We get discouraged. We are tired of the same battles, the same trials, the same pain. We are desperate to get to a different season of life and to move ahead from the things that never seem to get any better. We might question why we still haven't learned what we need to, and start to feel defeated and hopeless.
  
• We get antsy. Maybe we know what God wants us to do, and we have a vision and goal from Him that we just can't wait to get started on! Waiting where we are at when we know what "could be" is torture; it's really challenging to stay faithful in the current task when the new one seems so much better.

On the other hand, when God tells us to move on...

• We feel afraid. We don't know what is coming up, and things feel so secure and safe here. We are content and in a good place; why would we want to shake that up? What if doing that means we "ruin everything", or the things up ahead aren't as good as what we already have?
  
• We feel grief over leaving things behind. Maybe moving ahead means letting go of people, places, or things that mean a great deal to us, and it's intensely painful to even think of losing them! We don't understand how God could have given us such good things, only to ask us to leave them now.
  
• We are exhausted. It feels like we've already had to journey so, so much, and the thought of moving into more growth, work, and spiritual "travel" is overwhelming. We are so weary we can't fathom taking another step in faith. We just want to sit down where we are at and rest!

I think God often calls us to simultaneously stay put and also to move ahead in different arenas of life. Maybe He says to stay where you're at when it comes to a challenging relationship (that you'd much rather just give up and move on from), but He is calling you to move ahead into new opportunities and work in your ministry or job. Or maybe He wants you to be content in the teeny little house you are living in (when a bigger, better home is calling your name!), but He says it's time to release those old habits that are keeping you back from fully following Him. We need to have every facet of our lives surrendered to Him and be ready to either go or stay as He calls us.The question is, how do we let God lead and follow Him without trying to go ahead of Him or lag behind so He has to drag us forward? The answer depends on whether our struggle is with the staying put or the moving ahead.

The Key to Obeying God in Staying Put is Contentment

I think the thing to focus on when it comes to staying put is contentment.
God has us "camped" where we are for a reason, no matter how much it feels like drudgery, and how much better things up ahead seem to be. There are lessons to learn, relationships to build, work to accomplish, and even blessings to experience right where we are, and we will really miss out if we are too busy pining for what's next to be aware of our "here and now". Instead of complaining about how long we have to stay camped out, what if we instead try to find contentment in where we are at? I'm not at all saying this will be easy; in fact, it probably isn't even possible in our own strength. Even Paul mentions how impossible it can be to find contentment in every situation, but he also tells us in Philippians 4:12-13 what the key is to doing it:

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." We need to seek God to give us the grace and ability we need to stay content for as long as He calls us to stay put.

The Key to Obeying God in Moving Forward is Faith

So what about when it's time to stop "camping out" and instead start to move forward into new things? Well, I think the key in this arena is faith. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1. We must have faith that when God calls us forward, He will take care of us, provide for us, and protect us; that He has better things ahead for us than anything we leave behind; and that He will equip and strengthen us for the journey, no matter how weary we may feel. 

None of this is easy, Guys, but I'm finding that very few things in a life poured out to Christ and devoted to His will really are! This is why we cannot rely on ourselves AT ALL. Everything that we do must be done through the power of God at work within us. It is only in relying on Him and asking Him to equip us that we will have victory, whether we are staying put, or moving into the new adventures He has in store for us. My challenge to you is to really reflect on where God has you and what He is calling you to do now. Does He want you to stay put and learn the practice of contentment? Or is He calling out a growth of faith so that you can move ahead into the unknown with Him? I hope that as you rely on Him, you can follow through with obedience in either situation.