Seeing our way through the Storm

Why do you let me see ruin: why must I look at misery? (Habakkuk 1:3)


A few years ago my husband lost his job. After much prayer and discussion we decided to uproot our lives and move across the country to start over again.


Fast forward: Not quite two years have gone by. We’re getting settled in our new lives, learning our way around a new town and state, even making new friends. Basically building a new life, then we get the news, my husband is unemployed again. The job that brought us across the country held out so much promise just let us down. What do we do now, pack it all up and go back to where we started, or stay here and find a way to make things work?

For a short time I felt abandoned and without hope. We thought we were doing what God wanted. How could He let this happen, we are His faithful followers?

Then all that we still have floats into my line of sight. We aren’t homeless, naked or hungry. We can still help our grown children; maintain our lifestyle including Catholic school for our youngest as well as private school for our granddaughter. We’re more fortunate than many. It seems we should focus on what we have and moving forward not on what is lost or left behind.

We don’t have much room to question God’s plan or doubt His will. He is good to us, given us more than we need. What we need to focus on is applying all we have to doing God’s will, being a force for God and not for the world. The world chewed us up and spit us out, now we would turn to God. He won’t spit us out, maybe put a few rocks in the path, but never spit us out. The rocks are necessary; they make us stronger, more worthy of His gifts, which He will give us in abundance when we join him in heaven.

With our light dimmed how do we get from here to there. The first, most important step is acknowledging what we have and profusely thanking God for all of it. By this stock taking we learn just how fortunate we are, we see the friends we have made, the connections we built. We must look beyond the despair and darkness of our current situation and find the hope and light. When we do that the decision to follow this path God set us on doesn’t seem so hard. Instead of wallowing in the deficit we should rejoice and share from our plenty. Life isn’t so bad through these glasses.

Time for more prayers, whatever we decide it will be decided with God. No lingering in the well of self pity and recrimination, God has a plan for us and it is up to us to follow it. We pray, we begin to see the edge of his robes and like the women healed of blood diseases, we only need to touch the hem of his garment to see beyond our current darkness. All that we have becomes a bright shining light and the path becomes clear. We will stay here in our new home with our new friends, school and church. We have been given a chance to give back a small portion of what was given to us when we moved here. We now have the time to do more for the Church and School, to do God’s work. We will start our own business right here in Washington and share our bounty with others. We will climb over this rock in our path and move forward with Jesus by our side to help carry the burden. God is with us always, even when we put on or are forced to wear the dark glasses for a time. The light may be dim, but it is a light in the darkness, a path to follow, a journey to make, all with God.

Most Awesome and Powerfule Jesus, Be my light in the darkness, show me the path to follow, the journey to take and grant that You may always be by my side. In your most gracious and glorious name, Jesus. Amen

http://www.todayisagooddaywithgod.com/