I always walk Lady Jane home on Sunday nights after dinner. The yard is so uneven walking between our homes, and a few quiet minutes with her always do me good.
Last night I walked her in and got leftovers into the fridge and she said, "Stacey? Lou and I bought and sold all kinds of homes in all kinds of places over the years, and we sold every single one ourselves. I guess I just figured that if the Lord could be trusted with the changes in our lives, then He could be trusted with selling and finding our houses. And He indeed sold every one."
She started to tell me story after story, her white hair curled under perfectly as it always seems to be (unless the kids and I all descend on her unannounced like we did today when a family stopped by to tour our home and we caught her in curlers). She told me the stories of selling various homes, and how the Lord always sent the right person at the right time. Once, they couldn't sell, and at the last moment God sent just the right person.
"Weren't you getting anxious?" I asked her, "coming that close to moving and having no one interested?"
She thought for a moment, and said, "No, I really wasn't. Honestly, I had decided to trust Him, and didn't think about it again!"
"Try to trust Him, Stacey," she said carefully in her southern way. "Try the best you can to trust Him, truly, and He'll take care of the things that you can't."
I walked home teary eyed, grateful for her timely words, grateful for believers in my life who are genuine examples for me of His peace, His righteousness, His love.
This morning with my motley crew gathered 'round over eggs and yogurts and cereal, we read the next story in our Bible, the boy with epileptic seizures the disciples couldn't cast out.
The father mustered an, "IF you can", and then wilted under Jesus' rebuke. "I DO believe," he finally confessed. "Help my unbelief!"
As I shared the testimony of Lady Jane with the girls, noting that even when we DO struggle to trust Him, He will help us, dear Sofie said, "I can't even picture Lady Jane BEING anxious, about anything."
Neither can I.
She's so formed her life after Him, that none of us can picture her NOT looking like Him, here at 90, dining with toddlers and teens and encouraging overwhelmed mamas to hold firm.
If He's opened doors for a new home, on His own and way ahead of me, can I not trust Him to sell our current home in His good time?
If I would feel more peace with it all the responsibility of a Realtor, can I not have TRUE peace with it being the Lord's job to sell?
If He's providing for the future, can't I trust Him with the present? If He's promised to give me today what I need for and with these children, can't I trust Him with all the daunting days ahead?
Four years ago tonight, right in this same moment, I went into labor on a tiny island in the Caribbean with Ben, and He surrounded my house in prayer and love and peace and safety and gave us a son...not even three weeks ago He perfectly provided for us the perfect timing for Emma, too.
Over and over again, story after story, like Lady Jane, I can point to His goodness and mercy, His provision and timing...and so can't I live in this crazy season of temptation to worry and stress and fight to control, and instead be steady ask Him to help me trust Him?
No comments:
Post a Comment