Just a few weeks before we got married, my husband and I adopted a golden retriever puppy. We named him Sparky, and I can say with full confidence that he has lived up to his name because there is never a dull moment when he’s around.
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Whenever I’m having a tough time, a bad day, or I’m feeling down, I open up my “words of affirmation jar.” I’m still working on the name, but that’s not important. My “words of affirmation jar” is a white jar that sits on my desk. It’s filled with tiny little folded-up pieces of paper, each containing an encouraging or affirming message from my husband. This was his Christmas gift to me three years ago, and he has continued to refill it ever since he gave it to me. I remember one particular afternoon when I was feeling down and discouraged, I opened up the jar and grabbed a piece of paper. When it opened it up, it contained one word, followed by a few numbers.
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Imagine that someone who loves you, knows you super well, and is an excellent planner put together an amazing day for your birthday - your favorite meals, your favorite activities, your favorite people, etc. They planned the absolute perfect birthday for you. Wouldn’t you be excited? And wouldn’t you trust that person because of how well they know you and how much they love you? Of course you would! So then let me ask you this: Why do you doubt God when He loves you more than anyone, He knows you better than anyone else, and He has plans more perfect and custom fit for you than anything anyone else could ever put together?
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A few years ago, I was sitting in a seminary class where the professor was talking about the importance of having an honest relationship with God. He said, “God is big enough to handle your emotions. He’s big enough to handle your honesty. Let Him be who He longs to be in your life, and don’t be afraid to communicate with Him honestly about how you feel.”
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Every Sunday night, I lead a life group of nine high school girls. In my years of working with students, whether that’s in the context of youth ministry or coaching basketball, I’ve learned that while you’re there as an adult to teach them and give them wisdom, it’s often the students who end up teaching you. My Sunday night life group is no different.
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I want you to imagine a gardener sowing seeds in the fertile soil of a garden. Day after day, she tends to her plants with care, watering them, nurturing them, and patiently waiting for signs of growth. Yet, despite her efforts, the surface remains unchanged. Weeks pass, and still, there is no sign of life. Doubt creeps in, and she wonders if her labor has been in vain.
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A few years ago, I bought a book of prayers that was recommended by one of my friends, and this book has become one of my favorite resources to read, especially when I can't seem to find the words to pray about what's on my heart.
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I was reading a devotion by Lysa Terkeurst recently, and in it, she wrote a line that hit me like a ton of bricks. Or as I like to say, the Holy Spirit knocked me upside the head with a heavenly two-by-four. The line went something like this: You will make so much more progress in your life as a result of praying than you will from worrying.
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Trusting God in the unknown can be one of the hardest parts about being a follower of Jesus. For some reason, even though we know we serve an all-knowing, all-powerful God, we find it difficult to trust Him when life doesn’t seem to be going the way we thought it would. We walk into a difficult or unforeseen season, and we immediately start questioning our Heavenly Father instead of choosing to trust Him.
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