Not Surprised!

Here in Costa Rica we have our family in our fourth week of isolation. As I have been ministering at the hospital, we were on it immediately. Each day I get up and put on real clothes and change out of my pajamas. Well I put on my running clothes even though I don’t run until the evening, but I just can’t stay in my PJs all day. Our family has been keeping ourselves busy around the house with creative activities and lots of movies. And I listen to a lot of music.

It seems that if I slow down and my mind starts to drift to the situation at hand, I get overwhelmed. Just being honest. When I start feeling this way, I have realized I need to take a moment and take a deep breath and refocus my attention. I need to take my attention away from what is out of my control and what I can’t do and put it back on the One who is in control. When I do this I sense this quiet whisper that says,…

I am not surprised….

One of the most comforting things to me right now is focusing on the character of God.

One of my favorite classes back in college was called Systematic Theology with Dr. Walter Johnson.

Who remembers this book? Best book!

I can’t tell you how many times God has used what I learned about Him in this class to comfort me during hard times in my life. And He continues to do so by whispering to me….

I am not surprised….

And not only do any of our current circumstances surprise God, but they also do not change anything about who He is. In that class back in college we saw Biblically, systematically that God doesn’t change. He’s the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is still sovereign. He is still all powerful. He is still ever present, all the time. And He is still working ALL things out for our good.

This comforts me. Romans 8:28 might seem cliche… perhaps it is quoted to the point that it doesn’t impact us anymore. But that doesn’t negate its truth.

My daughter the other night asked for a particular picture I had taken of her playing volleyball. You see, my daughter loves volleyball. It is her life. She has dreams of playing in college and she trains year round and has been training in our house during all of this by creating a “gym” in our garage and hitting outside in the street with her little sister. A couple of hours after I sent her the picture I got on Instagram to see that she had posted it….

Her caption is everything….
Psalm 18:32 It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure!

I read her caption and it brought me to tears. She gets it. My husband and I don’t keep her way secure. She doesn’t keep her way secure. God keeps her way secure and He is arming her with strength.

So dear friends, my encouragement to you and to myself is to rest in Him. Let us remember who God is and rest in His care and peace…. His sovereign control and power. He is working all of this out and is working in it. He will not leave us dangling and grasping for help.

Because friends,

God is not surprised….

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

Well, I haven’t written on here in years and last night, while dancing around our kitchen with my 14 year old while listening to music and making supper, I was inspired to write again.  Here in Costa Rica we are all hunkered down in our houses and trying to keep things as clean as possible while dealing with water rationing thanks to it being late summer and super dry.  This coronavirus is presenting its challenges, but I must say Costa Rica has remained calm and people here are tough and positive.  It is a unique time in our world… we are all focused on and going through the same protocols, however, not all of our situations look the same.  But it is world wide.

So what does cooking, music and dancing have to do with all this you ask?  Well Spotify, we don’t have English radio I like here so we listen to Spotify, randomly threw in this version of song last night…

Tomorrow by Post Modern Jukebox

Click on it and listen to the whole song…. in that moment I was immediately this little girl again…..

Yep… I was 5 year old me again with my sister sitting in front of our big box TV, it is the early 80s and we are watching Annie any time the TV stations would air it…. you remember how it was… back before Netflix and even Blockbuster!  My little curly red headed self loved Annie.  And not because I was equally as cute as her….

But Annie was spunky.  She’d had a hard life and yet she always was positive and speaking up for those with no voice.  She helped everyone around her, even sometimes at her own expense. 

Hmmmm…. I’m thinking I did not realize until now how much of her I have in me….

But my favorite part of the movie was this song…. And how appropriate and encouraging it can be for us today.

The sun will come out tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow
There’ll be sun

Just thinkin’ about
Tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs, and the sorrow
‘Til there’s none

When I’m stuck with a day
That’s gray, and lonely
I just stick out my chin
And grin, and say, oh

The sun’ll come outtomorrow
So ya gotta hang on’til tomorrow
Come what may

Tomorrow tomorrow
I love ya
Tomorrow

You’re always a day a way

Friends, we don’t know how long we will all be in our homes working and educating our kids.  This is world wide.  We don’t know how many people will contract this virus nor how many will die from it.  But we can rest in the One who does.

Friends, the sun will come out tomorrow…. this will end at some point.  We don’t know when it will be.  But it will. 

I just keep challenging myself to be someone in the midst of all of this….. unknown, closed borders, can’t return to the USA for an indefinite time while my son and extended family are there, closed businesses, hunger, change, homeschooling, empty shelves, fear, uncertainty….

I want to be someone else’s sunshine.  I want to be light, peace, encouragement, positivity.  I want to shine the Gospel of Christ.  I want to serve others with love and a smile.  

Worldwide church, this is our moment to live out all that we believe.  Perhaps we can all look inside of us and find our inner Annie and let’s add the Gospel of Christ to her spunk, bravery, love, positivity, voice and help to those suffering.  Because friends the sun will come out again and for some they will see the Son and be face to face with their Lord God and have to answer for their lives before this is over. 

We are all in this together.  Let’s love each other.  Who can you show your inner Annie to?  Let us be purposeful.