“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” - Mark 6:45-52
Elements of our spiritual journey could be found in a single day with periods of light and darkness. There will be loss, lessons, and triumphs. Within it lies doubts, second guesses, and exploring unknowns. Often times, these experiences reveal to us a deep sense of humility that we are unprepared for life. It requires faith in God to be the gentle wind guiding our boat calmly to the other side. In placing our needs in His hands, our hearts open to enjoy the present without anxious dependence on the future.
Over the past year, I have dealt with several hardships including the rehabilitation and mobility of my dominant hand, an ER visit for my husband, and a near death experience of a sibling. These experiences were brutal and each of them knocked me down. Trusting in God kept me going and stirred a sense of peace within me. Small gusts of happiness moved me deeply. My understanding and respect for life strengthened as I continued to take refuge in Him. Overcoming these struggles became the birthplace of my praises and reminded me that He is near and with us always.
Every moment in our life will have about it a mystery, beauty, and something in the atmosphere that it lacked before the grateful heart opened itself. By emptying our hands, we allow God to work out His plans and weave our story together, line upon line, from which nothing can be taken away without injury to the whole. Like the apostles in today’s message, may we take a chance in faith to give ourselves totally to God when the pressures of life seem unbearable. And may hope gives us the assurance that God’s way will be done as we enter into the new year.
Lord, help me to grow in my understanding that nothing is off-limits with you...so I am not only reformed, but transformed.
Reflected by Tam Lontok
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