Tag: trust in God

Does it feel like Advent to you?

On By fosteringyourfaithIn AdventLeave a comment

Does it feel like Advent to you?

           Although we are in the midst of spring with summer just around the corner, it seems like Advent to me.  Advent is a time of waiting and preparation, of going into an unknown future while placing our trust in God’s guidance.  The promise of Advent is that God is “Emmanuel,” always with us.

            As I prepare for my retirement, my congregation is preparing for a future with a (yet unknown) new minister. After June 16th, my congregation and I will be on separate journeys.  After sharing our lives, work, and worship together for over 36 years, we will be on different paths.  I will venture into retirement and the congregation will continue their ministry with new leadership.  None of us can know what the future holds.  This is always true – but with a particular date in mind, it becomes even more apparent.

We can trust that God is in the midst of all of these changes and offering guidance, strength, and direction. We remember God’s promise that God’s steadfast love endures forever.

            Trying to plan for an unknown future reminds me of anticipating parenthood before any baby was born.  Before I had children, I had lots of ideas (and ideals)  and envisioned myself as a source of wisdom with boundless patience, someone who would offer delicious home cooked meals after afternoons of craft time and outdoor adventures.  The reality, not surprisingly, was somewhat different.  Life was often chaotic. I often lost my patience. There were meals on the table, but Julia Child was not threatened by my cooking skills.

 It all worked out, but it was not what I expected.

We just can’t know ahead of time what challenges await us.  Our paths will take unexpected twists and turns.   The promise of Advent – that season of watching and wondering as we enter the unknown – is that God does not change. God is steadfast even as our world shifts and evolves.  God will be with us wherever the journey leads. 

We will undoubtedly be surprised at what we learn and experience along the way.  We will be invited to try new ways of doing things and to experiment with different ways of being. Step by step and day by day, we are invited to notice how God is weaving in and through our lives.

Along the way we can be intentional about being grateful – notice the blessings that God places in our lives. We can give thanks that God is with us and rejoice that we are not alone on this journey.

Where will we all end up?  Just like Mary and Joseph, we cannot discern the entire path. But also like them, we can look for signs and wonders, we can be open to visitors and strangers who bring us good news of a God who loves us, and we can trust that God is leading us into new ways of serving and celebrating God.  

And through it all, let’s keep one another in our prayers.

Trust

On By fosteringyourfaithIn Faith2 Comments

I do not believe that everything happens for a reason. I have witnessed – and perhaps you have, as well – too many awful events to believe that God is directing those circumstances.  I have seen people’s lives disrupted, plans ruined, hopes crushed, and futures dismantled by accidents, illness, and sometimes just plain evil. It would be a cruel God who would cause a horrific accident or a child’s illness or a devastating historical event in order to teach us a lesson. And I don’t believe in a cruel God. 

So that means that some things – often, many things – are beyond my understanding.  I do not have a satisfying answer to the question, “Why?”  Why do plans fall apart? Why do dreams get destroyed?  Why do the innocent so often suffer?

I do believe in a loving God who promises to show up.  I believe in the God of presence.  I believe God when God vows, “I will always be with you until the end of the age.” 

Lately I have been reflecting on some Bible passages about trust:

  • Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.   (Proverbs 3:5)
  • When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  Psalm 56
  • Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.   Isaiah 26:4

Sometimes – often – things do not go as planned.  The future may appear murky. I am invited to place my trust in God – not because God is dictating every aspect of my life but because God has promised never to leave me or abandon me.

That means when I am facing daunting challenges, I trust that I won’t do it alone.  God has promised to be there when I need God most.

Life is not neat and tidy.  Personally, I cannot discover a reason for many events in my own life or in the world around me.  But I trust that God is on this journey with me. God offers strength and comfort. God invites me into renewing times of rest. God assures me that I can ask for help – from God and from the people God has placed in my life.

I trust that God is bigger than the overwhelming events in the world.

I trust that God’s strength will provide me the ability to go forward.

I trust that God’s wisdom can lead me through a maze of difficulties.

I trust that when I have reached my limit, I can turn everything over to God.  I don’t have to have all the answers.

I trust that when I fail, God will help me begin again.

I trust that God will always love me. 

And that will be enough, one day at a time.

PS: I commend Kate Bowler’s book Everything Happens for a Reason (and other lies I’ve loved) as well as her website www.katebowler.com

 

Starting with gratitude

On By fosteringyourfaithIn GratitudeLeave a comment

Can I admit it?  There are days when I feel a little discouraged.  There are times when I am weary and unsure that my efforts and the dedicated work of the church are making even a dent in the myriad of challenges facing us today. There are moments when the angry voices and ugly violence that fill the news cause me to despair that we will ever experience God’s peace or come close to God’s loving justice.

The wisdom of Proverbs whispers to me, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding” (3:5). So then I resolve – again – to place my confidence in God. 

            In order to do this, I needed to remind myself of God’s presence each day. I am developing a spiritual discipline (which is just a fancy way of saying I am trying to create and maintain a new habit) of gratitude.  Now in the morning before I look at my phone, before I turn on the news, and before I look at the (online) newspaper, I jot down five things for which I am grateful. I call it my thankfulness list.

            Sometimes my gratitude reflects the weather – I am thankful to be in a warm house on a cold, rainy day. Other times, I give thanks for communications – a Facetime chat with my daughter, texts from my sons, talking with my parents on the phone. Reflecting back on a previous evening’s meeting, I give thanks for volunteers who care deeply about the church and give their time and energy to live the Good News. It is usually not hard to find five things that warm my heart and fill me gratitude. And so I give thanks to God.

            These lists do not change the bad news that’s waiting for me. But they do offer me a fresh, uplifting start to my day. They provide a life-giving perspective. They remind me that God is at work in this weary world and that I am not alone.

            These simple lists bring me back to the eternal truth, “God’s steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1). “Forever” is a long time. So no matter what I am facing on a given day, I do not go forth alone. God’s love surrounds me and for that, I am very grateful.