Signs

I drove on, each mile carrying me farther and farther away from the things I loved, farther and farther outside of my comfort zone. The tears were mostly dry now, but the pit in my stomach remained. Am I doing the right thing Lord? Did I misunderstand you at some point, or is this really where you want me? I'm not a person who feels comfortable asking for signs. But God usually finds some way to get the message to me anyway. But in spite of this, I found myself making a request of the Lord:

Could you show me somehow Lord? And... could you show me soon?

After I made the request, I honestly forgot about it for a few hours. As I drove closer to school, I was surprised to see what looked like the effects of a tornado. Rivers and streams that normally ran calm now looked almost menacing as they tumbled down the mountain and swallowed unsuspecting homes. Although the damage to trees and homes seemed to be minimal, branches were twisted and broken, leaving a present reminder of the storm that had passed through. The dark grey clouds that hung in the sky still looked angry. My heart sank a little as I took it all in. It's grey much of the time during the winter in Arkansas. Almost every trip I've made back to school has been on a gray, rainy, and sometimes stormy day.

I pulled into the school parking lot, looking for a close place to unload my car. I made the first trip inside with full arms, and returned to the car for the second. As I walked down the sidewalk, I looked up at the sky and almost stopped. Was that blue sky? Sure enough, through a patch of clouds, I actually saw some blue sky. I smiled and made my way to the car for another trip. By the time I came back out for the third, I was shocked to see that the sky almost completely cleared within a few minutes. The sun was at that perfect place in the sky, where everything turns gold. The few clouds that remained now had a pink hue to them, and as I smiled and whispered in awe, "Blue sky," the chapel bells rang several times. I have never heard them do that at any time other than during a designated chapel time. I took a deep breath of the cool air and took it all in. Wow. As I thought about it later I remembered my "silly" prayer. I think God got the message to me. It's going to be okay. Trust me.

Thanks Lord.

I've been thinking about this blog post for a long time. It's been several months... not days, months since my last one. "This one better be good after all that time," I thought to myself. Several ideas almost materialized, and may yet someday. Several times I've come very close to writing a "what I've learned," blog. But tonight I felt the need to post these simple words. The past few months have been some of the hardest, for myself and for some people who are very dear to me. I think my trouble getting this blog written reflects the trouble I have condensing life sometimes. Frankly, quite often it doesn't make sense. But at the end of the day, or in the early hours of the morning, I am left with simply this:

"In Christ alone my hope is found;He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—Here in the love of Christ I stand."

No I didn't write it, but if you Google it you can find the rest of the words. It's a song that I learned at JBU, and it always seems to come back to me at very crucial moments to remind me of some very important truths.

You are all we have Lord. Thank you for never letting go. Keep us close. We need You every second of the day.