Chaos. Confusion. Frustration. Goodness. Mercy. Blessings. That’s what we have dealt with through this season of transitions in our life. In just a few short years we have experienced many changes physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually. Some of them have been of our own choosing and some of them have not. None of them have been simple or easy and all of them have required Divine intervention. We have fully recovered from some and are still working through others. I am so grateful that we can lean on Him at all times and in all circumstances, whether in joy or sorrow and that He is true to His word. He never leaves us nor forsake us (Deut. 31:6, Heb. 13:5) and He is always faithful to guide and direct us. And He lovingly encourages us to fully trust in Him when upheavals in this life threaten to overwhelm us. (Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 3:5-6) And through each one of the challenges, we have gained wisdom and maturity. (James 1:5)

I find myself with time to write as I am in Louisiana assisting my youngest daughter to recover from a recent surgery. I made my last post about six months ago… January 16, 2017, to be exact. Shortly thereafter, we packed up the RV and headed away from another Iowa winter. Our first stop was Lake Charles, Louisiana, to spend some time with our daughter and her husband. As we traveled, we narrowly missed some severe weather that struck Mississippi on the night/early morning that we arrived. So, after spending two weeks with the kids, we took a week to go back to Mississippi and volunteer with the organization, Eight Days of Hope, working with their rapid response team to aid in the clean up following a very destructive EF3 tornado that struck Hattiesburg and Petal in the early dawn hours of January 21st. Though it was not our first time to volunteer to help after a disaster, we were still deeply impacted by the destruction the storm left behind. Looking at the wreckage was overwhelming. There is no way to adequately describe what we saw. Massive trees had been uprooted and tops twisted off. Homes and businesses were unrecognizable heaps of rubble. Debris was strewn as far as the eye could see and it was hard to know where one neighborhood ended and another began. There is nothing like standing in the middle of a totally devastated community, digging through what is left of other peoples lives, searching for whatever can be salvaged, hearing their stories and testimonies surrounding the storm and their memories of what used to be. It was humbling to hear victims be so thankful for something as simple as being there. But it was awesome to hear them praise God for His goodness and mercy as they stood surveying the piles of debris and acknowledging His presence. It was heart wrenching to listen to them tearfully relive the terror of that morning but it was a blessed privilege to be there and offer hope. It changes perspectives about what is important for both victims and volunteers alike.

We have had multiple opportunities to serve with Eight Days of Hope, loving on homeowners, sharing the gospel and helping them to rebuild their homes and lives after hurricanes, floods and tornados. There is no greater privilege than to be available to serve others in their time of need. Each time we have prayed that He would use us for His glory and to be vessels of blessing. And each time we went home knowing we were the ones to be blessed. I have heard it said that you cannot out give God. I believe that.

From there, we went back to Lake Charles for another week and then headed on east to Jacksonville, North Carolina for some time with our son, daughter in law and grandson. Our family means everything to us. The Bible says Children are a heritage from the Lord , Psalm 127:3. We are so honored that God chose to form our family. We are separated by miles, however, and we have to travel to see them. We spend time in Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana and North Carolina as much as we are able. It is very seldom an occurrence when we are all together at once. Even funerals do not manage to pull us all together. Thank goodness we can communicate through technology and see our grandchildren grow and be a part of their lives. But, oh, joy unspeakable when we can physically be in one another’s presence.

Time spent in Jacksonville was especially refreshing spiritually also. God afforded us a special retreat with Him on the coast of the Atlantic. There Charlie and I were able to leave everything aside and simply worship. As we walked together, hand in hand, bare feet in the wet sand, we got lost in the scenery as salty breezes blew through our hair, water rolled over our feet and swallowed our ankles, pelicans soared overhead and gulls squabbled over their food. The sun felt good and the sound of the ocean and the shore colliding with each surge of waves was the sound of power, yet watching the water energetically rush in and roll out over and over again was oddly soothing and somehow relaxing.

That time of year the beach is nearly always empty and we walked for long distances lost in our thoughts and prayers without being interrupted. It was a sweet intimacy with our Savior and with each other that brought revival and tranquility to our weary souls. And we were in desperate need of that respite. It was an opportunity to sort out old baggage and broken dreams and define new ones, to seek the Lord with all our hearts and pray for wisdom and seek counsel in an environment that fully lent itself to introspection.

I would hesitate to say that we never experience such blessed refreshment from the heavens at any other time or in any other place. That would not be true. God is faithful to meet us everytime we seek Him regardless of circumstances or surroundings. But neither will I deny that the long walks along the North Carolina shores are especially blessed to us. There is the daily refreshing we receive when we come into His presence each day. There is the special grace He pours out in our hour of need when life seems upside down. There is the Sabbath rest when we gather in fellowship weekly. And then there is the extended respite that He offers at just the right time when we are in need of deep healing. It is during those seasons of extended sabbaticals where we clean house, sort out the things that hold us back spiritually and interfere with our worship. There we can leave everything behind and call out to Him. There we can simply wait and listen. And there He binds up our wounds, repairs broken hearts and restores our soul. There we can clearly see what to cast away in order to serve Him more faithfully and love Him more deeply. We learn the difference between what is good and what is best.

As I think about those two experiences in the same trip, the disaster and the respite, I am struck by the realization that life is exactly like those two scenarios. Sometimes we are in the midst of an overwhelming catastrophe that rages in our soul and we just see everything coming apart. We have no control over it and we get caught up in the fears, the anguish and utter despair. But then, through the roaring, comes a barely audible voice that causes us to pause, ever so briefly, in an effort to hear. And when we realize that it is Jesus whispering our name, we find ourselves being lifted above the turmoil on the all sufficient grace that carries us through and gently places us on the opposite shore where peaceful waters flow. Yes, life is exactly like that. We go through transitions, one after the other, some expected, some not, some good, some bad, some of our own making, some not of our choosing, some we love, some we hate, some joy filled, some painful. All of it is stressful. No one escapes it. And unfortunately, some succumb to it and are defeated. But for those who can hear, Jesus clearly says, I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this life you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) There is the promise that when the world tries to defeat us, He will deliver us.

As I was remembering our season of walking the beaches in North Carolina, I thought of Elijah and how God restored him during times of stress and need. In 1 Kings 17, God provided him water from the brook Cherith and the ravens fed him bread and meat morning and night. Again in that chapter, God sent him to a widow in Zarapheth who barely had any oil and flour yet God provided all they needed until the drought ended. And when her son died, God restored his life to him. And again in chapter 19, when Elijah flees from Jezebel who threatened to kill him, God again provided food and water and rest under a broom tree. Not just Elijah but for all of His beloved people. God is so faithful to us even when we fail Him miserably time and time again. He loves us. We are often the prodigals but He patiently waits for our us to return and then He lavishes us with His grace, mercy and love. The Psalms are filled with testimony of a restored soul. Jesus heals the hearts of those whom He calls to leave behind the things of this world and follow Him. Our time there on those shores enabled us to walk away from things that were holding us back. We learned to ” lay down what is good and find what’s best” … and just breathe.