“Mom, they took everything! They took all my computers, cameras, guitars, books....everything.” I remember the sound of silence and me gasping for a breath when he gave me the news. Jordan was about to go back to school in Nashville after his spring break. That is until he got the news from his roommate that they had been robbed. They took everything, even the vacuum cleaner. OK, this was not in my plan. I began to take on the worry of it all, and try and figure it all out on my own. My son had the right idea. He went upstairs and he prayed. I should be doing that! As I walked around the room, (pacing is more like it) just asking God what to do, I heard Him say as He always does in that still small voice, “Lisa, don’t worry.” Don’t worry? Me? Oh I wasn’t worrying! I was trying to figure out a plan! Really? Nope, I was smack dab in worry world. My husband and I prayed together, and I was determined I would walk in peace through this journey. I had walked through big things this year, hurdled some pretty big hurdles..... but what made this journey different is that it touched my child! I think as a Mom we can all agree, when it touches your child, it puts it on a whole new playing field you know? And boy was my trust in God put to the test! “Lisa, don’t worry.”
You know what I learned through this journey? That peace is faith resting. Faith in a God who does not make mistakes, and who has this whole world in His hands, including my worried world. It releases me to laugh in the darkness, and dance in rain. It makes a way when there doesn't seem to be one. Peace is faith resting in the fact that God will carry this worry for me. Faith counts on it. It is my soul saying “Jesus I will trust you and I will not be afraid” (Isaiah 22:2) Though the mountains fall down and my world disintegrates, I won’t fall down and disintegrate, for I am banking on a God who is my refuge and strength, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalms 46:1,2; 19:14)
Resting is hard for me. Anyone who knows me knows this. I want to be up and doing something all the time. But through many events this year, including my surgeries and health issues, God has taught me to rest. Not just physically but spiritually. It’s a mindset, and I had to learn how to walk in that mindset of rest. Walking in rest, wow! God’s work is to provide His serenity in the midst of the storm, my work is to stop trying to manufacture it myself and to be at peace....to rest!
I learned that prayer was the beginning of rest. Have you ever asked the question....“But how can I pray when I am worried?” I have! Prayer is simply verbalizing your worries to God. I have learned this year that instead of worrying...pray. Prayer combats worry by building trust. What I see in my life is that sometimes prayer changes things, but most times, prayer changes me. Many times God does not answer the prayers like I would like. He has a different plan, a much better plan. I have learned that prayer is much more than specific requests I make of the Lord, it’s just being with God, enjoying Him, and absorbing His will for me. It’s not just something I do, it’s somewhere I go to experience the presence of God. I have learned about that lesson this year more than ever. It’s always in that presence that my perspectives change and rest becomes so much easier in His arms. I stop the struggle, and I rest. It is at that point I can put even the hardest things for me to release, like my children, in His arms... knowing He will cover them far better than I ever could. It is my job to release them into those loving arms. He will not let me down.
Phil 4:6 talks about praying about our worries with thanksgiving; “In every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” Now what does He mean by that? Thank God for worries? No. Thank God for who He is in the midst of the worries. Thank God for His strong eternal shoulders that are perfectly capable of carrying all the burdens of worry in the world.....mine and yours included!
It’s been 3 months since we got that bad news about Jordan’s apartment. And it has been 3 months of daily miracles. The enemy tried to steal, God restored. There were times we didn’t understand why, but we are seeing things more clearly. I know that as we look back years from now, we will see the whole picture even more clearly. God is bigger! I have learned so much through this journey with Jordan. I have learned to trust God with my children in a deeper way. It’s such a wonderful thing knowing that God not only carries us, but has our back! Though the enemy comes in like a flood.....God’s boat is bigger! It may be tempting to take a swim out there in the sea of worry, but I think I’ll stay in the boat, and enjoy the ride. Amazing what you will find in that boat! It’s a wonderful worry free ride! Let’s go!
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