I came across a passage this morning that kind of blew my mind.

You know when God illustrates things to you that are at the perfect timing and setting?

Here’s the passage…

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I declare the Lord alone is my refuge, my place of safety. He is my God and I trust Him.” – Psalm 91:12

I took this image a few days back…  I was intrigued by the light in the image and the shelter the tree provided from the sun.

It’s so true. You sit out in that sun all day in the heat… you are going to get burned and exhausted. But, walk on over to the shade of a tree or a shelter, immediately relief floods in. The shadow gives you a break from the beating sun. It makes it easier for your eyes to see. It gives you a place to rest and relax.

Our lives are the same! We can seek shelter in HIM. Just as the Psalmist put it. He is our God and we trust Him.. so don’t try and fight the heat and bright sun. Run to the shade and the shelter to find relief and peace. Allow Him to protect you from getting burned and the pain that it causes later.

For me that means to stop trying to take control and worry over what may or may not happen. TRUST Him. Sit under His wing. Hold his hand. Rest in His shelter.

True story…  my husband has been counting down the 30 days to my bday with a present each day (I turn the big 3-0 this year!). Can I pause and just say that this has been so fun.. and I am totally shocked that he did this?! I feel super special… and I just wanted to brag on him for a minute. 

So, it’s been 7 days of presents so far.. and 5 out of 7 have been food related. Oh boy! Need less to say… I am a bit of foodie (anyone else out there?)

I just get really excited about eating different things. I have so many favorites… healthy.. and um, not so healthy.

Another thing I love to do is eat out. I love having a conversation over a meal. I love getting to go to a restaurant and getting to pick something delicious off of a menu. It’s just amazing!

I recently read a book named, The Kingdom Woman, by Tony Evans and his daughter Chrystal. One of the reasons I love Tony Evans is he always has incredible, yet simple illustrations.

One that has always stuck out to me was this one…

You walk in a restaurant hungry. You have a void because your body is craving food. So, you open up the menu. There you can see all of the delicious options the restaurant has to offer… all right there on the menu. A waiter comes up, asks if you have any questions about the menu. He may even offer insight or personal experience on dishes he has enjoyed.

So now that you have read the menu, heard about the menu, even appreciated how well the waiter explained the menu… you certainly wouldn’t just say amen and go home. You won’t walk out of the restaurant just talking about how great the menu was. You didn’t come just to read it or hear somebody talk about it.. you came to actually experience the food on the menu.

Many people are satisfied coming to church or Bible study and just reading the menu or having someone explain it to them. But, the problem is they still go home hungry.

If we need to eat numerous times a day for our body to function properly, don’t you think it’s the same spiritually? If you are dissatisfied… worn out… unhappy… maybe, just maybe those are hunger pains…  because you’re starving yourself!

Actually believe the truth on the pages. Partake of that truth… it’s the food you need!

Maybe you have been feeling worthless or insecure about yourself. Go to the Bible (the menu). You will see that is not even close to being true.

God says you are valuable! You are priceless! He says that He knows the amount of hairs on your head… that He formed you in your mother’s womb to be just who He wanted. He already had a purpose and plan before you were even born! That is some major worth!

Anyone else look at all of the pain going on around and ask why? 

I have been struggling with this lately.

A friend who recently found her husband has been giving his heart and body to another. A mother who had to give birth to a lifeless baby boy and bury him in the tiniest of coffins. A country starving in poverty. A child abused, neglected, and now without a home to go to. Another addict who can’t break the cycle. A man.. jobless, tired, and depressed can’t see hope or truth anymore.

These are all real life things I have seen over the last month. 

I feel like when my loved ones go through these trials… I don’t know what to say. So my heart just crushes. I tell them I’ll pray. 

I ask God why. Is that ok to question Him? I think it’s ok to be honest with Him.

But, I have to be careful. Because it doesn’t take long before the enemy sneaks and tries to answer the questions for me.  He tells me that God must not be involved. Or how could a loving God really allow these things? 

The Bible tells us in Revelation 21:4 that there is a time coming a time when all sorrow, tears, pain and death will pass away. It will be a a wonderful day!  God will wipe away all tears from the eyes of His children. So, I don’t believe it is in God’s divine nature to have pain and suffering.

God created this Earth to be perfect actually. He made it without sin. But then we messed that up in the garden. Praise God He gave us a way to be with Him again through His son Jesus Christ. Until that day comes when we can be face to face with God, we have to live in an imperfect world.

So, for this present time, we must face the undeniable fact that people do suffer. 

As I have struggled through this recently, I tried to open the Bible (because if I don’t… I start to get really confused, angry, and doubtful). 

Here is what I can see about suffering from the Bible: 

We may suffer because of ourselves and self-inflicted misery. Humans have long been their own worst enemies. Adam, Eve, Jonah, David, Saul, Judas.

We may suffer from the mistakes of others, which God would never cause, endorse, or initiate. Bathsheba, Daniel, Hosea, The Good Samaritan

We may suffer through no human fault at all. The best of God’s followers in the Bible had their trials. It doesn’t mean that God didn’t love them or wasn’t there for that trial to get them through. Joseph, Daniel, Jeremiah, Job

We may suffer because we live on a physical earth. Natural disasters are a part of any living, fluctuating planet.

We may suffer because people get sick and die. This happens to every person, family, and community on earth. No one is immune from death.  

We may suffer because we have an enemy who hates us and is seeking to steal and destroy everything redemptive and beautiful.

I am learning that I have to fight that need to know WHY God allows or does things. I must simply realize that so much of life is a mystery, as is the way God moves. How can we possibly get it? We don’t always know the answer to WHY. And you know what? We may need to be ok with it. That’s where faith and truth step in.

I do know that the Bible talks a lot about suffering and having peace and joy in times of trouble. 

I remember hearing a story about the house father for the orphanage we visit in Haiti frequently. He was talking about his experience in the earth quake. He spoke about how terrifying it was and how he feared he would lose his family. And then he said something I will NEVER forget. He said that as hard as that trial was (and even though it still haunts his memory), He knows that God has used that experience to draw him closer to Him. His relationship with the Lord had never been so strong. And he praises God for that. 

Wow. So humbling. 

I don’t know if you may be suffering personally or maybe you are like me and know many who are.

Well tonight… in the midst of all the why questions.. cling to these truths.

God is there. Psalm 73:25-26

God will comfort you. Psalm 23:1-4

God will lead you through this. Psalm 119:50

God will be there for you to lean on. Psalm 18:2

Joy does come. Psalm 30:5

The trial will produce a benefit that will outweigh it. 2 Corinthians 4:8, 16-17

He will strengthen you through this. Isaiah 41:10

He will make the burden light Matthew 11:28-30

He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

He will give you what you need Philippians 4:19

God gives you a hope Psalm 119:49

God gives rest for your soul Psalm 62:5

The list of truths could go on and on! Take your shattered heart, and give thanks for the heart of God who bleeds with yours! 

God is there in a time of trouble… believe it!

He can use the rest of us as well (we need to step up and be willing).  We are family. We can pray. We can make casseroles. We should weep with those who weep. We don’t have to know the answer to why. We just have to be there.

Lord, may we be slow to come up with answers and quick to empathize! Life is so hard.. and it will be until the day God makes all things new.

I spent part of the last week in Haiti. And I will most definitely be sharing more in the future about our time there (including images).

But for today, I wanted to be real for a minute with you.

Before I left for the trip.. I wasn’t in the best place.

I was TIRED. Worn. Apathetic. Lonely. And WAY too busy.

I was having way too many unglued moments. No lie, I actually had a freak out in the Target parking lot the day before my trip. I had decided to “quickly” run in to Target to grab a few last minute things before we had to go. I had all of the children. And all three were in a rare, crazy, like I wanted to disown them mood. They were jumping off of the cart, hiding from me in the store, crying and whining. I got to the car, finally got them all contained and strapped in, and loaded the groceries. I plopped in the front seat, counted to three, and screamed. A super loud, all-I-had scream. I think I terrified my kids by the look on their faces. Then we all broke out in to nervous laughter.  While that moment wasn’t my finest mommy moment, it did help me realize that I was exhausted.

Once again, I was busy with the world’s distractions and my focus had gone off of Him.

Isn’t it funny how the Lord’s timing is just so perfect? He know what we need, and when we need it.

I needed that trip to Haiti.

One of my favorite things to do there is to sneak out of bed and head to the roof to watch the sunrise. It is literally one of my best places to be in the world. The warmth of the sun hits my face and I feel warmed from the inside out.

As I was sitting there one of the mornings last week, I came across these verses in my reading…

Mark 4:18-20 MSG

“The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it. But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.”

Whoa. Talk about a reality check. That was my life lately. No wonder the thoughts in my head, the things coming out of my mouth, and my emotional state wasn’t so pretty. My dirt was FULL of weeds (distractions).

And because God loves to give us visuals…I looked down to the ground and spotted this.. a rocky, course soil. Any seed cast in that will have a hard time growing.

Is this like my life? Am I so overwhelmed with what I have to do, with social media, with my business, with myself that I am putting all of these weeds in my soil? Not only that… I am not taking the time that I need to nourish my soil with living water? If I am not spending time in the light, how will those seeds ever produce fruit?

I have to realize that when I allow the world to distract me and I neglect my relationship with my Heavenly Father… my growth suffers.

I loved how God laid it out so clearly for me that morning.

I hope that it encourages you today as well. Take care of your dirt, make it a priority.  So that God can use you to produce more fruit than you could ever imagine!