There is Enough.

"As thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deut 33:25, King James Version).

Even before COVID 19, I felt like I was living in a season where there never seemed to be enough. There never seemed to be enough time, energy, cooked food, gas in the car, friends, connections, times to think, insight, etc. I say there seemed because there really was enough. I could choose to cut things out of my schedule to make time for what was important. We had plenty of food, just maybe not what I wanted to eat. I could fill up my car at any old gas station. I had friends, even if they dwell far away. God was opening up opportunities for connection if I only looked for them. I could choose to shut off some noise in my life (the radio, social media, etc.) and commit to reflection. 

Then COVID-19 hit. I couldn't find staples like rice and beans and carrots at the grocery store. (Why carrots were in short supply, I don't know.) There was no toilet paper on the shelves. Work got busier. My mind got more crowded with anxiety and worry and fear. I worried about my health and the health of my loved ones. I wondered how I would survive in such a season of lack. I expressed my anxieties to my husband, wanting him to sympathize, and his in his wisdom said, "Has God always provided?"

"Yes, but..."

He cut me off. "Then I can't join you."

He was right. God has always provided, and He always will. The issue with my feelings of scarcity is really my mindset. God is Provider. There is enough. There is enough time. There is enough energy. There are enough resources. 

For what God calls me to do and how He calls me to live. <----- And that is the kicker.

I don't have time or energy or resources for anything other than what God has laid out for me. Neither do you. Maybe in this season of life my sphere of influence is small, mostly in my own home. Maybe it's the same for you. But in this season, even with COVID-19, God's portion is enough. His grace is sufficient for me (2 Cor 12:9). And it is for you, if you believe. His strength is sufficient for you, if you believe, if I believe. 

God is Enough. May we have faith to live out of that truth.

Wise Words

I have a tendency to freak out about things. I over think. I over react. I get all in a tizzy when I don't need to. During one such episode earlier this year, my dear best friend texted me these wise words:

"There are no promises. There is no guarantee. Everything is terrifying, and there is only Jesus."

She couldn't have said anything more apt. There truly are no promises in this world. There are only the truths of the living Bible. There are no guarantees, only the reality that God is holy and that His definition of good will eventually win out. This world and its troubles are frightening. I truly don't know what will happen today, or tomorrow, or in the future. I only know that the end of my story is eternity in heaven won by Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross for my sins.

As I've faced fear after fear lately, and walked with my family and friends as they've faced their own fears, I've continually repeated my friend's words, "Everything is terrifying, and there is only Jesus." I don't enjoy facing fear, but realizing that fear is part of life and that my Savior is my only certainty is life-giving. The way I live my life is a choice, and I choose Jesus.