The God We All Need

The God We All Need

Sometimes, when your mom tells you to do something, you just have to do it. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. So, this blog is a result of that. My mom’s prompting.

Yesterday afternoon, (some of you already know!!!!!) my sweet fiancé Jeff flew back to Lynchburg from a thankfully-and-Divinely-shortened deployment to Afghanistan. Any deployment to Afghanistan is too long, no matter how short it gets cut. Words truly can’t convey all that deployments hold on this (American) side of it - I can only imagine what it must be like on the other (Afghanistan) side.

When Jeff returned yesterday, I received a text message from my mom that read, “I am waiting to see what you write about how faithful God is answering prayers about Jeff being able to come home early so the wedding could go on. :)… “ That text message really got me thinking.

Mom, I actually, originally, was not going to write anything about it all. Because… truly, words can’t convey was a deployment holds, what a heart feels about it, and Who God is in the midst of it all. Words fall short and seem to do it a severe injustice.

But….. with Mom’s prompting, here’s the few words I could muster up about it all.

God has been oftentimes described as many ways.

Some correct, Biblical ways.

Many incorrect, un-Biblical ways.

And a vast array of a spattering of correct-yet-out-of-balance-and-proportion ways.

For instance, some people focus on the love of God to the extent that it’s detrimental to their perspective on the effects of living a sinful-and-in-bondage lifestyle. Other people hyper-focus on the justice of God to their own detriment of learning to fall into a love relationship with Him. Etc. You get the idea…

 If there’s anything that I’ve learned about God from looking throughout history, the many recorded accounts in the Bible, and my recent experiential knowledge of Who He is, this is what I know to be true of Him (and it’s just a starting point of knowledge):

1.    God is faithful.

He doesn’t have to be, but it’s just Who He is. You can’t separate God and faithfulness without losing the essence of both. He’s faithful, people. Just know it already.

2.     He’s good. Period.

He gives us both good and “bad” things in this life. He has a purpose and a plan. We simply need to trust Him, count it all joy, and STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT EVERYTHING SO MUCH. He sends the rain on the just and the unjust, and both hearts get watered and grow a little from it all.

3.     He is a vey present help in trouble.

Whatever you’re facing today, He’s present. He helps you through. He is the Rock and your Shelter in the times of the storm. If He’s for you, who can be against you?

Let your mind believe these few things (and more!) to be true of God. Give the experiences you’re currently facing some time to experientially teach you it. Allow your heart to trust the Master and His plan book for you.

Remember this: You’re just one piece of the pie, darling – even if your piece today seems more like a chunk from a skunk – He’s orchestrated that for your ultimate good and His ultimate glory.  Think on this truth, too: All deployments (and other disappointments and difficulties) soon have their ending point.

But is just reaching the ending point your true goal?

Or is your goal to learn more about the God We All Need?

When words fall short and do the things in your heart and life a severe injustice, those are just something to think about, my friends.

And Mom, thank you, for teaching and always reminding me of Who God is and knowing what I need. I needed that text message prompting for this blog. Truly, I think I needed to write it more than anyone else needed to read it.