When the Storms Come

Disasters have the potential to cripple us. Scratch that. The usually cripple us. One of the most common questions I hear from people no matter their belief system is "Where is God? How is this loving or good?"

Ironically, this is a question I spent a season of my life wrestling. It is also the major issue in my book, Shaken, which releases in January 2014.

Unfortunately, there is no cookie cutter answer to this question. Like "proving" that God spoke and creation came into being, choosing to believe that God is good in spite of the storms is a choice based on faith.

Fire fighter from Stillwater, OK helping in tornado relief.

A few years ago, storms raged in my life and my heart raged against God. Seriously. One night in Colorado, I locked myself in my apartment and yelled into the room, wishing God was present for me to throw something at Him. Not my finest moment. But in the midst of that storm, I learned a lot about weathering the rocky seasons...

1) God is good despite the circumstances - Nahum 1:7. In fact, He is a stronghold in the midst of the pain.

2) He is peace. He stills the storm literally and figuratively. He stilled the storm when the disciples cried out to Him.

3) He allows them to test and grow our dependence on Him. In Job, He tells Satan to let Job have it because He knew Job would never renounce God.

4) Storms either make us bloom or demonstrate the shallowness of our roots. Who/what do you depend on?

In the midst of the Oklahoma tornadoes, the war in the Middle East, the death of children we have an opportunity to point people to a God who comforts, heals, restores, and gives hope.

Will you trust Him when the storm comes?

Finding Life on a Plane

One of my best friends in the world walked the aisle and said "I do" this weekend. Despite last minute details, all hands on deck, and a few minor bumps, everything came together and the wedding was beautiful.

What an example of God's faithfulness. I have had the privilege of living life with this amazing woman from states away. I've prayed for her guy, prayed she would be patient, prayed he would be whole-heartedly devoted to Christ, prayed he would absolutely adore her. I wasn't the only one praying this, and God answered every prayer above my expectation.

Over and over this weekend, I kept thanking God for His goodness to give us His best even when the waiting is difficult. I thanked Him for His sovereignty in placing Ash and me in the same room four years ago, despite our initial uncertainty. I thanked Him for the beauty of His creation as I drove the hills and farm country of Missouri. My heart was full with thanks to the God I serve who is so good.

This truth became even more real on the plane ride home. I sat next to a lady who was reading The Happiness Project, a book written by a woman trying to find more happiness in her life by creating a happiness project. The book is a New York Times bestseller, which is an indication that many people are seeking the answer to happiness.

My heart broke for this woman sitting next to me. I began to pray that the Lord would give me the opportunity to share Christ with her. As we began to talk about the book and life, she said that no matter what she does, nothing totally satisfies. She was hoping the book would shed some light and help her find happiness.

After a weekend participating in this wedding, I couldn't wait to tell this woman where life is found. Jesus came that we may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10)! Ashley and Jared have found that, not in one another, but in Christ, and now they will serve Him together. I've found unexplainable joy and contentment in Christ in a season of singleness. I shared the gospel with this woman and explained how my good and loving Father desires to give us joy and life to the full when we follow Him.

The secret to happiness is Christ. Plain and simple. It doesn't come with a better job, more money, a husband/wife, kids, or fame. Jesus satisfies completely. In the wake of a beautiful wedding and testimony to God's faithfulness and love, I'm praying that this bride-to-be that I met on the plane learns that life and fulfillment come from Christ alone.

Five Minute Friday - Comfort

Joining with other writers at Lisa-Jo's today to talk about...

             Comfort

In the craziness, I seek a slice of normalcy - comfort in chaos. Something, anything familiar.

In college, it was curling up on my bed on a Saturday, cocooned by my pillows. FRIENDS, NCIS, or Saved by the Bell filling the silence.

As an adult, it's the familiarity of faces that have known me my whole life or the people who share in my victories and struggles every week. It's reading a book I have read a thousand times or enjoying a walk as the sun dips below the buildings and trees.

I seek that comfort deep inside. The contentment that comes from knowing who I am and Whose I am in the midst of a storm.

His arms hold me, His hand guides me, and the gentle pressure is enough to comfort in the midst of the unknown. In all the changes, He is consistent. 

Five Minute Friday - Brave

Joining with other writers at Lisa-Jo's today to talk about...

BRAVE

I visit a third world country for a week and call myself brave. What a misuse of the word. I return to my comfortable bed, good job, and three meals a day plus anything else I want, and I have truly missed the meaning of the word.

I share my faith with the waitress, leave a verse on the receipt, and call myself brave, while soldiers may now receive a court martial for sharing their faith. Believers in other countries must hide their Bibles for fear of jail time, and I'm too tired to read mine tonight.

I don't define this word. I've just Americanized it to pat myself on the back, but I've missed the mark completely.

It's that mom who gives the last bit of food to her toddler while she rocks him to sleep crying, all while she prays and trusts that somehow God will provide tomorrow.

It's the soldier who values truth over man's version of honor and believes eternal life outweighs a reprimand.

It's the believer in China who invites his neighbor to the church in his basement, knowing they risk imprisonment and death if that neighbor snitches.

We are losing our status as "land of the free" when tolerance is redefined as anything goes unless it's Christian, and "home of the brave" means we take a stand for what is right and true only when we feel like it or it suits our purpose.

God help us be brave if the time ever comes when they take our homes because we bear His name. I usually keep quiet over social media with all this political correctness. What good does it do for Christians who have never met to argue in this arena? But when sharing my faith is in jeopardy, silence is not brave. So I'll add my voice to the crowd, and pray that I'll be brave when it matters most.

Five Minute Friday - Friend

Joining with other writers at Lisa-Jo's today to talk about...

FRIENDS

There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother... 

I called to talk about her wedding plans, but she let me cry instead. Separated by miles and bound by memories, she's seen me at my worst and my best and loves me in spite of myself. I don't feel the need to sugar coat. I tell her exactly how I've been stupid. But I don't feel the need to be strong either. I can just be me. We finally talk about the wedding details, and my tears are now tears of joy that she found this amazing man, that she is incredible, that their wedding will honor the Lord, and that she asked me to be a small part of it.

I text her in my weak moments and when I am incredibly excited, this friend who knows my heart. She reminds me to be strong, that God's got this. This friend also separated by miles and bound by a summer of concerts and mountain climbs and late nights giggling and talking about some day. She's my backbone, the one who throws the red flags, the one who knows me, loves me, and speaks truth. She is a ray of sunshine, and the inspiration for one of my characters in my book.

Still another friend, a heart friend. College rivals and childhood friends, she is my chill buddy. We share memories marked in joy, friendship, laughter, tears, and music. Even when she isn't close by, a conversation over the phone or text closes the gap. She is constant. Honest yet gentle, she knows my heart and my history.

How precious are these who never leave, who allow me to invest in their lives, all the while investing in mine. They define the word FRIEND.

The Problem with Fear

I'm learning really random lessons in a crazy season. I'm ready for this season to be over with, but I'm thankful for what the Lord is teaching me and how He is molding me through the struggle.

In the past two months, I have learned a lot about fear and a lot about faith. In fact, they are direct opposites of one another, something I knew but never really identified.

Fear
      - demonstrates a lack of trust in God's sovereignty
      - is an emotional response
      - makes us say things we don't mean
      - causes us to react in a way that results in consequences
      - hurts those we love
      - is selfishly motivated
      - is our attempt to control our circumstances
      - consumes and paralyzes us

However, the Lord creates masterpieces from our messes and our fear. The only time fear is used in a healthy sense in the Bible is to call us to fear God - He is holy, just, righteous, pure, and great. We have to learn to TRUST Him. Ralph Waldo Emerson said,  "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen." Fear is walking by sight and immediacy. Faith is walking in obedience, trusting God will show us what's next, even when we don't understand.

Faith
     - causes us to bear fruit
     - allows God to control the circumstance and result
     - breeds peace
     - fosters relationships
     - is an act of obedience (therefore God-centered)
     - helps us focus on the needs of others
     - demonstrates our trust in the One we claim to follow
     - frees us to act
   

In the past few months, I've seen and experienced the results of fear and the results of faith. Fear is painful. Faith is life and peace and freedom. I haven't mastered this yet, but I am committed to mastering my fear through fostering my faith. The One I follow is so sovereign over my circumstances and intimately knows my heart. If I truly trust that, whom/what should I fear?

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear." 1 John 4:18a

Five Minute Friday - Jump

It's easier said than done. That moment you are standing at the edge, looking over, knowing that once your feet leave the ground, your life will forever change. It takes courage and possibly a little craziness.

The jump is rarely safe. It's a lot like falling in love or moving states or letting go of something you've held onto for years. Total release. Total loss of control. Knowledge that you could get hurt, this may not work, something could go wrong.

But you jump anyway, because the idea of staying where you've always been is worse than the unknown. It's stale and predictable, and we are called to live lives of adventure.

So much in life is changing. A book deal, friendships, job responsibilities. I'd love to climb from the platform and run back the other way where it's safe. But back-tracking never benefited anyone. And I have people at my back holding me in place. They won't let me run.

So I stand with my toes clinging to the edge, heart racing, and hands shaking, knowing that the jump changes everything.

To jump or not to jump...I'm still hanging on.