Why Am I Always Amazed?

No really, I want to know?! Why am I always amazed? Because by now you would think I would be used to the fact that God will take care of me, provide for me, and generally look out for my best interests. And you would think I would not be surprised when it happens. But here I sit, yet again, absolutely amazed at how much God loves me, and how He provides for my every need.

As I have shared in previous posts, I am in the middle of a BIG life transition. It is a transition that I am super excited about but still a little cautious as to how it will all turn out. I have been praying a lot for God's clear direction, His loving guidance, His peaceful presence to be evident in my life. And guess what? He has provided!

I was teaching in our children's ministry at church yesterday morning and was with an older age group than I am normally with. It was the last week of our summer curriculum and I was expecting to be doing a lot of wrap-up and review. But God had a gift planned for the children, and for me. It came in the way of His Holy Word, specifically from the book of Joshua, chapter 1, verse 9. It read like this:
"This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (NLT)

Can you believe that!?!? God knew exactly what I needed to hear! You see yesterday was my last day on staff, after 2 & 1/2 years in the children's ministry, at my church. I am going back to school for Ministry and Leadership but I had to make a tough choice to leave my part-time, ministry related position at church in order to find a full time job that will help me pay for returning to school.

I have Full Faith that this is God's plan and I am being obedient to His calling for my life. But I am human and I am prone to doubt and wonder. I wonder if things will be easy or challenging. I wonder if the people in my world will understand or will I be constantly trying to explain it to them. I wonder if I am mentally ready to return to a rigorous academic setting or has my brain gone to mush.

Then I am reminded, right there in the middle of my Sunday morning, surrounded by 1st through 5th graders, that God is with me wherever I go! It took me a moment, after I read the verse, to catch my breath. (That happens to me a lot, when I realize that God is talking directly to me.) But I take my moment, gain my composure and dive into this verse with the students.

I have been in early and mid childhood education for the past 20 years and God has taught me so much during the moments I am teaching children, and this time was no exception. As I stopped and thought about the group of students sitting around the circle with me I realized that they are going through the exact same thing as I am! They are leaving their current season of life, summer and all the fun and relaxation it brings, and moving into a season of education and personal growth. They are leaving the old and the familiar to move into the unknown and the challenging too.

In that moment, those children and I bonded in a way that I will always remember. We dug into that verse in Joshua. We took it piece by piece and talked about what it means and how at the beginning of the verse it says "This is my command..." It did not say, 'this is a suggestion...' or 'this is something good to consider...' It said "This is my COMMAND..." A command is something you are expected to follow, and follow without question. And here God is commanding us to:
"Be strong and courageous!"
"Do not be afraid or discouraged."
And know that "the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Well, ok then! I guess I have my direction, my guidance, my peaceful presence that is evident in my life. And God, in His loving wisdom, used one of the ways He knows I connect with Him, through children, in order to share His message with me. How lucky am I?! How lucky are each one of us, to have a God that knows us, and respects us, and treasures us so much that He will come into our lives in ways that make sense to US. In ways that WE can understand and relate to.

Think about that today. Think about how God makes every effort to relate to you, to make clear to you the things He wants to share with you. Maybe He is bringing you comfort. Maybe He is bringing you a challenge. Maybe He is bringing you new insights and deeper personal growth. Whatever He is bringing you know that He is doing it because He loves you. He is doing it because He wants whats best for you and He wants to be in a closer relationship with you. He wants you to know that He "is with you wherever you go."

My prayer for you today is that you feel God with you as you move through your day. I pray that you stop and realize that He is always with you. I pray that when you slow down enough to be aware of His presence that you are BLOWN AWAY by His strength and AMAZED by His love for you.

Until We Meet Again,

Drea

p.s., If you have a student in your life that will be returning to school this week, or maybe they did last week, share this with them. Remind them that God is always with them. Remind them that He calls us to be strong and courageous, to not be afraid or discouraged. And then let them know that YOU will always be there for them as well. Move your Faith Into Action and make a difference in the life of a student this week!