Hello, My Chickadees. Who would have thought that instead of planning our graduations and vacations, we would be in our homes, confined, and trying to learn contentment during this season?
Paul wrote in a letter to Timothy, “Godliness with contentment is great gain,” (1 Timothy 6:6). Paul wrote Timothy this message while he, too, was confined in a Roman prison. He couldn’t go anywhere and he was forced to go deep while he remained at a distance.
You have heard me say during this health crisis that on the other side of every crisis is opportunity. The ancestors would say, “It’s always darkest before the dawn,” but it’s in those dark times that we are stretched and forced to go and grow deeper – deeper in our relationships with God and deeper in our relationships with one another.
In the last month, I have had an image in my head of a rosebud under the earth. It’s confined in a place without light or water touching it directly, but it’s being nourished and nurtured by the soil pressed around it. To us, it looks like nothing is happening, but one day we notice that, like magic, a bud surfaces. Soon after, the stem, then leaves, and to our delight, a beautiful rose appears. Transformed from the seed that was planted into the darkness, it emerged as a flower of exquisite beauty to share with the world. I can’t help but think of this analogy as we wait to see what is on the other side of this present darkness.
In the Old Testament, “waiting” refers to waiting on the Lord. According to Bible.org, waiting means to, “bind together, to look patiently, to tarry or wait and hope, expect and look eagerly.” In essence, while we wait, we should expect that something good is going to happen. While we wait, we should expect revelation and transformation. Expect to be changed and as you change, so will those around you. Paul told Timothy, “Godliness and contentment were the way to great gain,” so let’s follow the patriarchs of old about how to experience to that “great gain” on the other side of all of this darkness.
In the account of Joshua before the battle of Jericho, the Israelites were told to wait and consecrate themselves. Okay, so you may be wondering about this godliness and consecration piece. So was I, so I looked it up for us. To consecrate ourselves, according to Bible.org means, “Spending time in God’s word, spending time in prayer, and seeking wisdom and discernment. Spending time meditating on God, what His will is for our lives, and what He wants to do through us.”
From the beginning of Scripture to the end, we can see that our God is a relational God. He desires a relationship with us and He wants us to relate to one another. The best way to build a relationship with anyone is to spend time with them. If we follow Paul’s instructions to Timothy and God’s instructions to Joshua in Joshua 13:6, in this time of waiting, we need to be seeking God. We too, like the Israelites, find ourselves in a way in which we have never been before and we need to seek the one who knows the way. By doing so, it allows us to have that peace I talked about in my April blog, so we may rest in the assurance that God’s got this.
We can reflect upon our relationships with the Lord and our loved ones… starting with the ones in our home. Now is a great time to discover what gifts and talents God placed in our loved ones that we never noticed before because we were too busy with all those things which have now been shut down. God has a way of getting our attention and refocusing us on what is REALLY important.
Time is an opportunity to do things differently. It’s an opportunity to reflect upon and acknowledge the blessings God places in our lives each day, despite what our bank account looks like. It’s an opportunity to praise God for our health and strength and the safety of our families. It’s an opportunity to expect God to be in our TODAY and supply all our needs TODAY. It’s an opportunity to see the love of God in those we know and be the love of God to those we don’t know (but who may need to feel God’s love and care through us). It’s an opportunity for God to transform us, and for us to transform the world when our rosebud breaks through the darkness of this space and we blossom into a replica of the Rose of Sharon.
God is in the business of spiritual harvest and while we wait, so let’s consecrate ourselves and view this present darkness through the lens of faith that allows us to stand on His promises as we rest in His goodness… one day at a time.
COVID-19 was a surprise to us, but not to God. He promised that He would supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory. Let’s rest in that. He promised that in the time of famine, we will eat. Let’s rest in that. We don’t know the way, but He is the way. Let’s rest in that. In the midst of the darkness of uncertainty and confusion, He is the light. Let’s rest in that.
The lens of faith allows us to take courage as we rest on the wave of His goodness, which promises that on the other side of the darkness is light. I can’t imagine it being much darker than it is right now, and while none of us know what tomorrow holds, we know who holds tomorrow. Just like He kept us through today, He will be in tomorrow when we get there. In fact, He went ahead of us and worked out everything we need for when we get there.
The jingle for State Farm insurance is, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” I say, “Like a Good Daddy, God’s always there.” He is better than State Farm. He is Alpha and Omega. And unlike Allstate claims, He holds All Power in His hands.
As we continue to wait and create a new normal, let’s do so with expectancy. Let’s rest in the assurance that God is with us and better is on the way.
Peace and Blessings,
Gail
P.S. Good Morning My Chickadees: Morning Messages from Mom is coming. Stay tuned.