Look for the joy in the thunderstorm and the colors in the dry desert. Look for song in barren trees and for life under a cold boulder.
I am found in the hidden places.
Tune your eyes to see my hand in places you don’t expect.
Be alert to my presence because I am always here.
I promise life and joy and freedom and a future.
Be bold. Trust that I never leave you or forsake you.
Open your eyes to the hidden places and find my life.
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
That’s not actually correct. Miguel went skydiving and took me along.
For most of my life, I considered skydiving a lump-in-my-belly way to meet God. I couldn’t imagine a more terrifying way to die than seeing the earth rushing to meet me. Hello, Jesus!
But God’s been working on conquering fears.
Naturally, skydiving bubbled up in my mind. (Go ahead and laugh.)
Really? Jump Out Of A Plane?
I assured God that I didn’t want to meet him any sooner than necessary. But I knew that I needed to plan the jump. I was learning that there is freedom when you push through a fear.
A skydiving company operates out of my local airport – about three miles from my house.
I signed up for a tandem jump, meaning an experienced skydiver would be harnessed behind me. I had no parachute. Just Miguel, who is a Marine and teaches skydiving all week.
Photo by Skydive Orange Skies
He had the experience.
And the parachute.
On the airplane, as we rose to the height for the jump, he sat right behind me, checking, double-checking, triple-checking my harness. Then he told me to lean back, and he tightened the straps between us. We were closer than peanut butter and jelly.
I Had ONE Job
When it was our turn, my job was to duck-walk to the open door. He turned us to face the sky and then out we went. Well, he jumped and took me along.
We tumbled over and then he put up a small parachute to stabilize us.The first thirty seconds were a mix of whistling wind and hazy landscape. We may have been falling 120 mph.
Miguel pulled the chute, and we seemed to stop in mid-air. I thought I could see forever. Maybe farther than that.
Our landing was like landing on a down pillow. Miguel cushioned any bumps. I doubt any existed. He was that good.
The Real Lesson Was On The Ground
That’s when I realized this jump was much less about pushing through a fear and much more about expanding my understanding of trust.
I trusted Miguel with my life.
And when God whispers that he’s got my back, he’s even more able than Miguel is.
Pretty good lesson on a Saturday morning.
Note: I booked this adventure through Skydive Orange Skies and highly recommend their safety and professionalism.
Can you see me? Can you hear my heartbeat? Can you feel the thundering of my coming? I am sending an army to you, an army of renewal and newness. You are tired, my love, carrying a heavy burden of tasks. Please let me assist you. Others are coming to serve you, and you will be surrounded by my helpers on this day. Let them carry some of your load. Let them be my hands. Trust me to renew your body and restore your emotions, to do what you cannot. Rest in me and my strength. I promise to never leave your side, dear one. Today, let me carry you. Let me recharge you. I am here.
“Yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.” Habakkuk 3:18-19a
Sometimes you march confidently on my smooth path.
Sometimes you tiptoe through the tangled weeds.
You let yourself get distracted and your toe hits a rock you didn’t expect.
Try this instead: recognize your fatigue and frustration. Rest when you’re tired.
But even on the days when you wander off my path, when you let discouragement and despair roll in like a thick fog, allow me to restore you.
I am with you when you swing your arms boldly on my clear path. And I am with you when you stumble in confusion because you wandered into a swamp.
Let me revive you in those days.
Because I will always be by your side.
I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” Lamentations 3:20-24
About a year after my husband, Matt, died, memories of his hospitalization flooded my mind one morning. I wrote to God: “Lord, today I feel the heaviness of grief and loss. Tears prickle my eyes. Please help me. I’m not even sure what to ask for, but I’ll wait for your words.”
I sensed God’s presence:
You long for the sweet notes of a violin or the beautiful harmony of a choir. Harsh notes grate in this broken world. There is no perfect song in this world and no getting away from your loss.
What I give is not escape from discord and brokenness, but steps into the one love that is never broken: my love.
You hurt because you love, but the gift of love is also a treasure.
This world is raspy and rough, and your heart is raw and wounded. Let the tears come when they will.
But have you noticed that with the pain comes the memories–of love and joy and sweet relationship?
This world’s bitter tones need not win. They need not steal away those loving memories.
Remember that I whisper words of perfect love. I am the sweet violin notes, the beautiful choir harmony.
I am the sweet melody of love. And much more.
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you Deuteronomy 31:8
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