3.29.2020

what in the world is god doing


anybody else find themselves wondering this??

--especially the past few weeks--

we are living through a pivotal time in history. a time like no other. a time full of fear & uncertainty, of heartbreak & confusion. 


but, like, what IS god doing?


as followers of jesus, we know that god has a plan & a purpose for everything (jeremiah 29:11). we know that our way of thinking is not the same as how he thinks (isaiah 55:9). we believe we all have a part to play in god's big plan. but we really can't be an effective part of god's plan if we don't know what he's doing. we should often be asking ourselves, "what is god doing," and then ask ourselves, "what is my response to that?

if someone were to ask us, as followers of jesus, "what is god doing letting this all happen right now?" what would our response be? i think it's important we have a response ready & a promise to rely on.

one thing we can all agree upon is that life is a mystery to us. our own lives are a mystery to us. our lives have not always gone according to planned (proverbs 19:21). heck, my morning didn't go according to plan. we each have a plan for the way we see our life going & we can easily get stuck living in our own little stories rather than keeping the perspective that our little story is a working part of god's big story...which is why we have to regularly be asking ourselves, "what is god doing" and "what is my response to that?

in 1 peter 1:3-9 we find a plot summary of god's big story of redemption. in verse 3 peter mentions the "past" & in verses 4-6 peter focuses on the "now." this is so important to us because it is often in the "now" where we lose our way. we're constantly looking back through our lives & dwelling on our past disappointments, our past frustrations. living in the "now" can be harder than we think. if we get trapped focusing on our past, we can miss what god is doing in the present. 

a key component of god's big story of redemption, is that god doesn't leave us as we are. that's his redemptive love at work. it wouldn't be love or grace for god to leave us to ourselves. "we often think of grace as a pillow, a cool drink of water, or arms that carry us...maybe grace puts us in places where we feel unable & foolish & needy because THAT grace wants to form things in us that would never be formed in our terminally self-reliant state" -paul david tripp. we often want the grace of relief or release "now" when really what we need "now" is the grace of refinement. that's the gift of "uncomfortable grace."

god allows trials to enter our lives because of his redemptive love. i think we give satan too much credit. trials are inevitable in a believers life. we shouldn't be surprised when hardships come our way. being a follower of jesus, isn't a one-way ticket to easy street. it's quite the opposite--but for good reason! god will take us where we do not want to go to produce in us what we could not achieve on our own. he has to drive us past ourselves--past our own self-reliance--so we will turn to him. 

during difficult times god is doing two things:
1. releasing me from my reliance on me
2. releasing me from my reliance on things of this world

while god most definitely built glory into his created world, the things of this world are only meant to point back to god (colossians 1:16). the beauty all around us in springtime is captivating, but we can't be left worshipping the flowering plant because it's only a sign to remind us of the glory of the creator. it's easy for us, as humans, to get caught up with what's in front of our face, things that are tangible. but this is why god allows trials to enter our lives...to loosen our grip on creation so we can reach for our creator.

anyone feel like their grip on the things of this world has been loosen over the past couple weeks? anyone really leaning into their spiritual walk in the middle of this pandemic? i think we can see where god's hand is at work here. we are living in a time of uncomfortable grace. 

that is his redemptive plan.
that is what god is doing.

you see, we live for comfort & ease & pleasure & predictability. true? yes. i think many would go as far as to describe this as the "american dream." 

marry a good person.
raise great kids.
work a good job.
live in a nice house.
die quickly, without pain.

we want control. we want easy. we want nothing to do with messy or hard.

this world is broken.

as a nation, we chase success & money & influence. we have made idols of celebrities & athletes & even our children. as followers of jesus, we have forgotten the command to seek & advance god's kingdom through discipleship. we have sacrificed the things of god to fill our lives with the things of this world--when really it should be the other way around. sin is a part of our life on earth. struggle & strife are guaranteed. but praise god he uses the brokenness of this world, as an instrument of grace. 

as it says in romans 8:28-39, we know that god works all things for good to those who love him. we know that if god is for us, nothing can stand against us. and we find the promise that nothing can separate us from the love of christ and that even in death, we are conquerers through him who loved us. we have these promises to stand on as we face a world full of uncertainty & fear.

sooo what is god doing?? 

"he's working in us a massive, radical, personal heart change & difficulty is one of his prime tools which allows us to abandon self reliance so we can find god's glory."
-paul david tripp

as a follower of jesus, as a child of god, we don't have to fear the unknown, we don't have to panic in the chaos, we don't have to cower in the face of hardship...because we know what god is doing...and it's for our good...let us give him the glory, in all things.







sources: your walk is a community project study by paul david tripp

3.19.2020

finding christ in corona




anxiety becoming an unwanted visitor for me in the last few days, what a relief it was to hear that while my feelings are valid, they do not have to define me, they cannot restrict me & they will not defeat me. 
______________________________________________________


Data log
Day number 42
Coronavirus
USA
Mandatory social distancing
Suggested nationwide quarantine 


this is totally what i hear in my mind as i attempt to make any sense of the last few days. militant. strategic. serious. overwhelming. unreal.

what is even happening right now??
anyone still in shock??
anyone seeing this stuff in their dreams??
surely this is almost over??

the reality being, it's been less than a week since things really started to unfold here in the states. and oh how things have changed within these last seven days. 

i'll admit...it took me a few minutes to quiet myself before coming to god this afternoon. so many thoughts and feelings and opinions and stats and press conferences and grocery lists and homework and bills and charts and worries. i find that journaling helps bring some order to my often times whirling mind, so i started listing all the feelings i was experiencing. the bad with the good. then i combated each fear i wrote with a promise from god's word & i wrote a truth beside each of the positive things i was feeling. getting it all out helped.

after some time just talking with god (man, is he a good listener), i opened my raggedy bible to 2 peter, fully intending to continue a study i'm currently doing there, when i saw the words "humility + anxiety" scribbled at the top of the page. they were past notes of mine referencing 1 peter 5:6-11 & as i read these verses i thought, "these words are a sure explanation of the current times."

peter's words in this passage seared me. they seemed written for today. but isn't that just the way of god's living word. same today, yesterday & forever. what a comfort. let these word hug you. let god's word hold you. 

take a moment & really soak up what 1 peter 5:6-11 has to tell us...



this is peter talking to the elders on how to lead the flock. let us listen to this instruction for believers & see how we can apply it. 

6 key words from these 6 verses: humility, anxiety, alert, resist, suffered & dominion

here's a little more on what each verse is telling us...

1. humility--our humility in service is a testament that our god can be trusted to give us the recognition we all long for...when the time is right. humility not being a symbol for weakness but quite the opposite...it's strength under control. we have to fully appreciate & embrace who we are in relationship to who god is. (verse 6)

2. anxiety--then in humility, we hand over our anxieties to our father in heaven because he cares for us. and if we believe this to be true, then we can rest knowing god loves us & wants the best for us.  it's especially hard when things are out of our control & uncertain, but we can rely completely on our god, quieting the worries of our heart. (verse 7)

3. alert--a "sober spirit" means we are to remain clear minded, actively looking out for our enemy, the devil. we cannot waste our precious time sitting with our worries. let us not be caught unprepared! let us be found in his word readying ourselves for battle everyday. (verse 8)

4. resist--we must resist the devil. so many snares & pitfalls even when alert. whether it be unrighteous anger towards others or us reacting out of fear rather than faith. but how are we supposed to resist the devil?? by focusing on our faith & trusting god's promises. we should look at these words as a challenge & a cheer for us not to give up. to put in the hard work for christ. (verse 9)

5. suffered--we find here a promise for believers who resist the devil as he tries to destroy the church through suffering. suffering? sound like anything we may be experiencing right now?? the hope we can claim in god is that our suffering won't last forever for the believer. and bonus, we are not alone in our struggles. that right there gives me peace, "but wait, there's more!" in true god-like fashion, he takes care of us abundantly more. oh, the precious gift of grace. the god of all grace. as believers through christ we have the assurance that our suffering will never be in vain. any suffering on earth, for followers of christ, is there to bring about restraint, strength & steadfastness. suffering, for us, is actually meant to produce spiritual fruit, as a refining fire--meaning instead of coming out of it beaten down, we come out stronger--perfected through christ. (see 1 peter 1:6-7) wowza. (verse 10)

6. dominion--don't miss this important reminder. we are told here that god has the ultimate power. and why is that especially important to us?? because that's how we can know for sure that god will keep the promise we find in verse 10. he is sovereign. this is an anchor for every believer. we must stay firm in our faith--even in hard days. (verse 11)

so good, you guys.

all of this, woven together, so beautifully, to work for our benefit as followers of christ.

our anxiety is no surprise.
we are given help on how to deal with it.
our suffering won't last forever.
we are not alone.
our suffering makes us stronger.
we are reassured that this promise will be kept because of who made it.

*praise hands*


anxiety becoming an unwanted visitor for me in the last few days, what a relief it was to hear that while my feelings are valid, they do not have to define me, they cannot restrict me & they will not defeat me. as long as i remain steadfast in christ, i have hope of defeating the enemy & will come out stronger no matter what hardships i may endure.


what a timely passage during this strange time of struggle & uncertainty. 




prayers you find all the toilet paper.

air hugs from six feet away.

**goes to wash hands...again**



xo amanda



[this post was not sponsored by daylight donuts. but i whole-heartedly endorse them.]


[note: the letter "g" doesn't work on my laptop anymore lol so i am copy & pasting every time i use that letter...hence all lowercase "god"s.]