Jul 8

Written by:
7/8/2010 8:55 AM 

Isaiah 42:3 (NIV): A bruised reed he will not break,
       and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.

Isaiah 42:3 (The Message)

He won't brush aside the bruised and the hurt
   and he won't disregard the small and insignificant,
   but he'll steadily and firmly set things right.

 

For the last few months, I have been on a journey of self-discovery.  It’s been pretty darn painful at times, but it’s been well-worth the multitude of tears shed.  We all face those times in some form or another.  You know what I mean?  I'm talking about those times when we sit there wondering why we are who we are and how is it that we see the world as we see it?  At one point along this journey, I discovered that my relationship with God was not all it was cracked up to be.  Facing pain from my past, I truly felt that God did not care to be close to me.  I experienced significant hurt, but God was distant and stoic.  Certainly He was there for others, but not for me.  I couldn’t see it.  I was too busy tending to my emotional bruises.

 

Thankfully, I am not in that dark place anymore.  Daily, I am working toward a better relationship with God.  It’s taking time, but nothing of worth happens overnight, I think.  During this journey, I came across the verse from Isaiah 42 that I wrote at the beginning of this blog entry. This verse spoke so deeply to me, because it speaks so plainly to how much God loves us.  When we hurt, He won’t ignore us.  He will make things right—but it will be in HIS time and with HIS plan. 

 

I have a friend whose plans were totally turned upside down this last week.  Her life has been through tremendous changes, and she was just starting to get used to the new outlook God had given her.  Then…the test came back positive.  Plans changed.  The virtual rug was pulled, and now a new addition to their family will be joining them very soon.  Joyous time?  Yes…but…it wasn’t in the plan. 

 

Someone once said “Man plans, God laughs.”  You see, we expect life to go in a certain direction.  We talk with God about it, but often we are giving Him our plans and asking for His seal of approval.  Life just doesn’t work that way.  Sometimes, life throws us a curve ball and it smacks us directly between the eyes.  We lose a job, we lose a loved one, kids graduate, friends stop writing, the computer crashes, and the test comes back positive.  Does God still care? 

 

Isaiah tells us that He does.  Not only does He care, but He is working to set things right.  We may not see it.  It may not make sense at the time, but He is assuring us right there in Isaiah—He IS there and He DOES care.  His plans are both magnificent and petrifying and they can knock us off balance.  I said to another friend recently, “I know that when we are at the end of our rope, the only place to go is in His hands.  I just have to figure out how to let go of the rope (fear, lack of trust) and fall.”  

 

I urge you all.  Let go.  Fall.  He’ll catch you.