It’s hard to believe it’s been almost six months. Six months since the Coronavirus changed our way of life here in the United States forever. I don’t like this other version of “normal.” It has SEVERELY tested my patience and faith, and sometimes broken both of them. At my best, I consider myself a really patient man. Patient, loving and understanding with friends and family. It makes me sad that I struggle to have the same patience with God.
But I may have gotten a shot in the arm this morning. I spend WAY, WAY too much time on Facebook. So I made the conscious effort last night to cut back or avoid Facebook altogether today. And I filled that morning time I unfortunately habitually use for checking Facebook with a little bit of Scripture and a devotional reading. In both instances, the message was clear: God provides for you, or will provide for you. Please be patient with Him. In the devotional, the author talks about how God gives us work to do, but that it is ultimately accomplished by God, and that we are sustained by Him through our faith.
I picture God in a certain way when I think of this kind of situation. Yes, we work hard or do what we think will move us forward through life. But I imagine God up there in Heaven being like, “Okay. I know they are intelligent, hardworking people. But I’m about to throw them a curveball to test them. Let’s see if they get the message.” And God chuckles to Himself. Not in a mean way toward us, but like a parent trying to teach their child something in a loving way that can’t be taught by showing us directly. He’s quiet and He watches us without saying anything. We bang our head against the wall in life, over and over again. Until we FINALLY realize that it is not our own effort that will get us out of the dead end, but rather that He will.
I feel like I’ve been banging my head against the wall a lot recently. And that either God or my guardian angels are either chuckling to themselves, or they have their head in their hands. I imagine they’ve probably been this way with me many, many times 😉
He finally tossed me a bone when I read the first part of John 6. I have always seen the story of the five loaves and two fish as God saying, “I have provided here. And I will provide for you everywhere else.” Jesus provided food for 5,000 people. He provided for them in a seemingly impossible situation. His disciple Philip thought like we did when he said, “We only have five loaves and two fish. What good are these for so many?” He didn’t see a way out of a seemingly impossible predicament.
Yet Jesus showed that He was, and still is the ultimate provider, and that we need to look to Him to provide, always. Life has a lot of difficult situations that we might see as impossible or never ending. I know the Coronavirus sure seems like one of those. There is seemingly no end in sight to it. My job situation seems like that too. Normally when I’m faced with these things, I usually get discouraged, beat myself up for not handling everything as well as I think I should, and then struggle through the rest of the day. But for the rest of this day, I will work hard like I think I should, but also trust that God will eventually provide a way out of every obstacle and situation that I encounter.
And he will do the same for you all! All you have to do is humble yourself, quiet your mind and heart and have the tiny bit of faith it takes to trust in Him. Count on Him. Lay your issues, worries, doubts and fears at His Cross. Drop your burdens, and pick up and take stock of your blessings. For like any good father would do for his children, the Father always provides for you. Not always in ways that we want, but always in ways that we need.
God bless and take care everybody! 🙂
Luke's Thoughts 