One Thing Remains

It has been a long, hard year.

Two kids in three different schools means lots of change, collaboration, uncertainty and flexibility.

Yet, in the midst of the whirlwind - of schedule and geographic adaptation (or not) - one thing has remained constant.


You.


In the midst of the uncertainty, You are sure.

In the midst of the chaos, You are calm.

In the midst of my weakness, You are strong.

In the midst of my fear, You are hope.

In the midst of my frustration, You are peace.

In the midst of my sorrow, You are joy.

In the midst of it all, You are more.



None of this is too hard for You.

None of this surprises You.

And nothing You have done today is any different than what You have previously done for me, and for mine.



You continue to provide.

You continue to lead and to guide.

You continue to comfort.

You continue to call us forth.



And grateful am I,

for Your timing,

for Your presence,

and, for the people you have placed in our path - before we have needed them.  Always before we have needed them!



You lead me forward, and I come again, to the verse of so many years ago.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen.  He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far, the Lord has helped us"  
~ 1 Samuel 7:12


Everything is different, yet nothing has changed.


Thank You, God.

My Ebenezer

From the moment I had a contract on the house, I knew it had to have a stone. My Ebenezer, for surely, Thus Far, God has been with me.

I knew roughly the size and the shape the stone should be, and I knew exactly where it would go. There was a spot between the steps leading to the porch and the side of the house that was just crying for something... and I knew exactly what.

I searched and searched for the perfect stone. Then, one day, I found it. I had laid a quilt in the back of my minivan, and on top of that, the forklift lay the stone.

Once I got home, the full realization of what was to happen next hit me. This stone was HEAVY... I backed the car as close to the house as I could, and slid the stone out onto the ground.

Side to side I rocked the stone, and inch by inch, we got closer to it's resting place. Finally, I was within a few feet of it's destination. I laughed at myself - at the sight I must be to the neighbors. And I wondered HOW I could possibly get the stone where it needed to go - in the path were plants I didn't want to destroy, and there were the steps.

Then, I laughed again. I figured if God could move a mountain, surely, He and I together could move this rock! But I wondered how it would happen. There was no lifting this stone, it was far to heavy - moving it a few inches at a time, pivoting on the other corner was work enough.

I got quiet, closed my eyes and still had no idea how this rock was going to move the 2 1/2 feet that lay between where we were and where we were going. Finally - YES! - I lay the quilt along the lower steps, and tilted the rock onto the step. From there, it could slide to the end, and with all my strength (and then some) I could lift the top, and it would be in place. Worth a try.

As you can see, it worked. Stone in place, I sat and laughed again. "Thus far..." I said "Thus Far, God has been with me." Thank You, God

Thus Far

The night that crisis hit my marriage, I lay in the bed and prayed. I prayed that whatever needed to happen, happened - "fast and furious!" Over and over again, I prayed - "fast and furious, Lord, fast and furious!"

Careful what you pray for!

The next morning, I joined my Women's Bible Study group to continue Beth Moore's "Believing God". Beth had a way of speaking to me, and though I didn't know it yet, God was working overtime in my life.

Beth was telling the story of the Israelites hauling stones out of the Jordan River as they escaped Egypt, and of Samuel, after the defeat of the Philistines, raising a stone to symbolize - in Beth's words - "We have no idea where we're going from here, but THUS FAR, God has been with us"

The dam broke, and my tears poured out. I shared with them the story of the previous night. They circled around me, prayed over me, prayed for me, my marriage, my children...

And in that moment, the truth of the saying "when God is all you have, you realize God is all you need" moved from my head to my heart. The series of events that had led me to this group of women, that had re-established my connection with God, fell into place. The puzzle pieces fit.

I could appreciate - to the best of my human ability - the work that had been done (by God!) in my life through the previous years for this moment in time. To be surrounded by a group of godly women, to have met God in the stillness of the yoga mat, to have restored my belief in the power of prayer, and the benevolence and omnipotence of God Himself.

I had no idea where I was going from there - but of one thing I was certain: "THUS FAR God had been with me"