Joyless or Joyful

I’m glad the Lord knows the plan for my life, because I certainly don’t.

Sometimes I catch myself wishing I could peek into the future. Just a little glimpse of what’s coming. But that thought quickly fades when I look at the swirling toilet of chaos around me right now.

Here in the South we have a saying: “Too many irons in the fire.”

It means there’s so much happening at once that you don’t even know what to deal with first. So at some point you stop trying to manage every flame… and you just let it burn.

Right now, I’m choosing peace.

For me, that peace looks like clinging to prayer and trusting that eventually the fires will die down.

For the past eight long months, I have prayed earnestly for a miracle — that my son-in-law will be released from behind bars. I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t know what the outcome will be when sentencing finally comes.

But God knows.

And somehow, that truth brings peace.

The waiting and anticipation can be exhausting. Some days it feels like the worry could swallow me whole. So I stay busy. I keep irons in the fire just to keep my mind from drifting into fear.

Yet through every email we exchange, I see evidence that God is working in his life in a profound way. There has been a radical change in him.

While it’s not ideal for him to be where he is, maybe it’s exactly where he needed to be.

He’s had time to shift his focus back to God.

And that is something I prayed for, for years.

Prayers work. Eventually.

Waiting for storms to calm reminds me of the story of Jesus sleeping in the boat. The disciples were panicking while the storm raged around them, but Jesus slept peacefully.

When they woke Him, He spoke and the storm obeyed.

Then He turned to them and asked why their faith was so small.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather keep my mouth shut than be fussed at by Jesus.

His presence alone brings peace in the middle of chaos.

So when the storms of life come and I grow weary…

I’m going to take a nap.

Because the truth is, nothing I do can change the course of what God has already written.

And if Jesus could sleep through the storm…

Maybe I can rest in it too.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”
— Jeremiah 29:11