Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
This post was written by author, speaker, and teacher Wendy Pope, who has written multiple books for women. When I read her book Wait and See: Finding Peace in God's Pauses and Plans, I related to the stories she shared about seasons of waiting (especially her season of waiting to become an author). In this post, she provides three practical ways to wait with trust and hope in the Lord.
So when we have to make a morally neutral decision (i.e., a decision that's neither moral nor immoral), we panic. I believe that in wanting to follow God’s will for our lives, we’ve gone from one extreme to the other—not caring what God thinks about our decisions to being terrified that God will despise the decisions that we make. What if there’s a balance between both of those extremes?
I don't know if you're a control freak like me, but I do know that trying to be in control is exhausting—because it's actually impossible. The outcome may or may not be good if you manipulate the situation to get what you want, but the outcome will be good if you choose to let God have control of the situation.
Still, it took me two months—two very long months—to find a job after graduating from college. I was definitely giving up hope, but I kept applying for positions and having interviews and receiving autogenerated rejection emails. I felt so behind. Was my feeling of "behind-ness" normal?
And you promised her that you would. So you did. You felt your grief, stopped avoiding your frustration, sat in your discomfort, and faced your pain. But you didn’t feel any better. Instead, you felt more upset and more hopeless than you did before. Why? Because your therapist didn’t tell you what to do after you had faced your difficult emotions—but I’m going to.
As I write this post I’m preparing to graduate from college. I had four lovely years at a college where I met new friends, found a church that felt like home, and led a discipleship group of six great gals. I attended many memorable student events, played keyboard for campus chapel services, and tutored an amazing girl named Lexi. I used the word “community” way too much, sat in local coffee shops as I watched people interact, and discovered my favorite local restaurants. I enjoyed being at college. But now I must return to my actual home—in the brand-new territory called "adulthood"—and I’m not ready.
But as I visit church after church and feel like I don’t quite fit, I sigh. As I notice Sean walk past me without acknowledging me, I sigh. As I struggle to find a job that sounds enjoyable, I sigh. I’m just glad that God hears me when I do.
As Christians in a world that's completely chaotic and utterly broken, it’s normal to desire peace, justice, and joy. We long to see redemption in broken places and restoration in weary souls—including our own. Because of Christ's death and resurrection, we will see redemption and restoration.
Disappointment hit you harder than you expected. You didn't realize that crushed expectations could cause such deep sadness. But in this moment, you genuinely can't remember the last time you experienced as much pain as you're experiencing now.
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 