Erin Ulerich

When Jesus Turns Things Upside Down

Jesus often said and did the unexpected.

He turned things upside down and left people perplexed.

When the rich young ruler approached Jesus, he was confident that he was in good standing with God. The prevailing thought of the day was that riches proved that God was pleased with you. Add that to his rule-keeping, and he was practically guaranteed to inherit eternal life, right?

This man was trusting in what his religious culture said about his wealth.

And then Jesus asked him to give away the very thing that his trust was wrapped up in to the poor- the very people that he was certain God was not pleased with.

In one simple conversation “Jesus exposed in that man the thing that he treasured more than he treasured God.”

Jesus turned things upside down.

Nicodemus wasn’t confident he was in good standing with God, but he knew he was on the right path. He was, after all, a respected Pharisee.

And yet something in Jesus’ teachings led him to go to Jesus in secret.

In one statement, Jesus rocked the world Nicodemus had carefully built during a lifetime of serving the Lord.

Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

The despair in his response leaps off the page. How can a man be born when he is old?

Seeing the kingdom of God was the focus of Nicodemus’ entire life.

“What if Jesus had told Nicodemus,’You need to work harder and trust God more’? Nicodemus could have gone home and tried to do better. But Jesus was emptying Nicodemus of any hope he had of fixing himself.

One sentence emptied Nicodemus of all of his self-centered schemes for rightness with God.”

He spent his life seeking God, but his trust was in the seeking, not in God.

Jesus turned things upside down.

The Samaritan woman at the well knew she wasn’t favored by God. She definitely knew she didn’t have a chance of being right with God.

After all, she had messed up way too much, searching for a relationship that would make her feel loved. Everyone, including her, knew that for a fact.

And yet, when Jesus revealed that her hope in relationships would always leave her thirsty and pointed her toward Himself, she recognized her need for Him.

When Jesus turned things upside down for her, she saw that things were finally right.

Jesus turned things upside down for these three to reveal that what they were trusting in could never fully satisfy. He poked holes in their false hopes so they could see that their need of Him, the source of lasting Hope.

And He does the same for us.

Sometimes we are the young ruler trusting in social status or rule-keeping.

Other times we are Nicodemus, hoping that our service to God, our sacrifice, our theological knowledge will make us complete.

And, more often than not, we are the Samaritan woman, hoping to find love and a sense of worth through relationships.

Jesus loves us too much to let us keep searching for fulfillment in things and people. He turns things upside down so that we can see Him clearly, run to Him readily, and find what we are searching for in Him.

Words in italics are from the workbook Behold Your God: Rethinking God Biblically by John Snyder. Used with permission.

What Will Be Different About This Year?

How did you bring in the new year?

We brought it in very quietly, which was different.

A year ago, we joined a few other families for a celebration filled with games, food, laughter, and fireworks. We threw open the door for 2020 and welcomed it in. I chose #2020seeingclearly as my hashtag for the year and made a list of all the things I wanted to accomplish.

Then, like a snow globe in the hands of a toddler, the world, on a global and personal scale, was turned upside down and vigorously sloshed from side to side.

At first we were flustered about the intrusion, then frustrated. As it went on we became rattled, and eventually worn down. The more our world was shaken, the more we found that the things we cling to were shaken right along with us.

Trials and loss have a way of showing us what we are clinging to. If those things fail us, what are we left with?

What if we could cling to something that couldn’t be shaken, no matter how hard the snow globe is thrown?

My hashtag was more fitting than I imagined, though not for the reason I chose it. The days, months, and events of 2020 helped me see a few things very clearly.

I am not in control, but God is. Every plan can be cancelled, but the plans of the Lord never fail. His purposes stand. 2020 taught me to hold my plans loosely, and to look with eyes of faith for what God is doing.

Trusting God is the way to combat fear. Unlike things or people that we place our trust in, God will never leave or abandon us. His overall plan is to draw us closer to Himself, and He uses world events to do just that. Fear shouts in our ears, bringing chaos to a rising roar so that we cannot hear the calm, steady voice of the Lord saying I’ve got you. Trust me. Trusting God means that we stop listening to the voice of fear, and begin listening to truth.

The more I know God, the easier it is to trust Him. The way to get to know God is through His Word. The Bible is a gift from God to us where He shows us who He is and who we are in relation to Him.

He does this through story and through poetry. He lets us see people who failed Him and those who trusted Him. And we see how He responds to those people.

Through His Word we see His love for imperfect people just like us. We see how He works inside the bounds of circumstances, and how He works above the bounds of circumstances. He is not limited in any way.

As we get to know God, we see the depth of His love for us. His unfailing love for us helps us trust Him.

God’s love, trustworthiness, and character – these are the things that cannot be shaken by circumstances.

As we begin a new year, may we hold loosely to things and people, and tightly to the things that cannot be shaken. May we find solid footing as we spend time in God’s Word. May we cling to truth.

And may we give our time and energy to pouring these lasting things into the lives of those around us.

How to get started? A Prayer for 2021 is a great place to begin. It is a prayer asking God to do what only He can do and asking Him to use us as He does it. Click on the link for the printable PDF version of the image below.

What are your thoughts on 2020 and on the year ahead? What do you hope to do to make this year different?

Happy New Year, my friend!

Erin

Tea tree oil, Chocolate, and Christmas Truth

I felt like the opposite of a million bucks. Like double negative one million bucks. There would be no selfies documenting this mother/daughter shopping trip.

It was springtime and a plague had descended upon our elementary school. Lice. It makes my head itch to even type the word.

My hair, slathered in coconut oil, was tucked beneath my Prince tennis cap. I felt like a mess and I looked like a mess as I walked up and down the aisles of CVS looking for tea tree oil because I was determined to suffocate these little pests that were wreaking havoc on my schedule, my life, and, at the moment, my self-esteem.

A clerk asked if I needed help, and I quietly told her what I was looking for.

“Hey! Henry!” she yelled from the center of the store. “She’s looking for tea tree oil! Where is that?” Other customers turned toward her voice and I literally wished the ground would just swallow me up.

Instead, my daughter came around the corner holding a bag of Dove chocolates. She looked cute, coconut oil and all, her long hair pulled up in a pretty scarf. She held up the bag of Doves and smiled.

“I think we need these today.” She knows Dove is my favorite because it has messages written on the inside of the wrappers.

If there was ever a day we needed chocolate, it was this day.

We bought our tea tree oil and chocolate, got into the car, and a wall of tired hit me. I was tired of doing laundry, tired of feeling itchy, and tired of combing through everyone’s hair.

I was weary.

I took a piece of chocolate from the bag, slowly opened it and read the words on the wrapper.

Rock a bad hair day.

If there was ever a day I needed this chocolate, it was this day.

Those words were printed by a machine in a factory in Pennsylvania and wrapped around a piece of chocolate that was now sitting in my hand in Mississippi, on the worst-bad-hair-day-ever. Crazy, right?

I felt like God was saying, “I see you. I am with you. I haven’t left you to deal with this on your own.” I thought about the friends who had come over the night before to show me what lice looked like and how to treat for it.

He sent them into the middle of my itchy mess…and they came, even though they had just cleared the plague from their own homes. If I needed to talk about my weariness, they would understand and encourage me. They were with me.

And then, God saw me, walking into the store feeling the opposite of a million bucks, and He wanted to remind me that He is with me too.

I sat there, smelling like coconut oil and chocolate, and I felt loved.

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Have you had a time when you sensed God reaching through circumstances to remind you that He is with you? I’d love to hear about it!

The Danger of Hope

“Hope is by far one of the most dangerous commitments we make in life.”
Dr. Dan Allender, The Healing Path

Until I read this sentence in The Healing Path I’d never thought of hope as being dangerous.

I’m not really a fan of danger in any form. I’ll skip over scary parts in books. Jurassic Park is the scariest movie I’ve seen. (Once again, sorry for throwing my popcorn everywhere, but the raptors freak.me.out.) I can’t even stand the suspense of hide and seek. You can read about my hide and seek incident here.

But this quote is different. It makes me feel a bit wild and unpredictable. It makes me feel strong when I track the ways I’ve clung to hope even when darkness swirled around me.

Why is hope a dangerous commitment? Because to feel hope, we must first allow ourselves to feel the hurt that is in our lives. And that, my friend, takes courage.

During difficult times, my first response is to build a cocoon around my heart to keep from feeling the hurt. My first response is to avoid feeling pain – at any cost.

What about you? I think we all have things we use to cope with the fact that life is messy, confusing, and unpredictable. And the past 9 months have been exactly that, haven’t they?

We distract ourselves in video games, TV series, and books to keep from dealing with life. We over-do good things: stay too busy, eat and drink too much, or shop too much. We even turn to harmful things like drugs, porn, gambling, cutting, or purging to keep us preoccupied and numb. The list goes on and on and the end result is the same. We end up miserable, and we know in the deepest parts that we weren’t made to live like this.

We were made for hope. We seek hope because we were designed to experience hope. And even when it feels hard to have hope, hope is worth fighting for.

You are worth fighting for.

You have worth because you were created by God, who calls you worthy, who breathed life into your soul, who calls you beloved and precious. You are not a random bunch of cells that happened to group together and form a person. You are loved tenderly by God, who also says that you are worth fighting for.

You were so worth fighting for that Jesus left the perfection of heaven and lived in this broken world. He experienced every emotion you have experienced. He knows how you are feeling right now. And he came to be the answer for the emptiness you are trying to fill.

He came to give us hope, He came to be our hope. He came to walk beside us in every moment of this crazy, broken world.

I still won’t be volunteering to play hide and seek anytime soon, but I will keep making the dangerous commitment to hope. It is a dangerous commitment, but once we make it, we find that our courage grows.

Are you numbing out these days? Did you see something on that list that brings tears to your eyes?

You were made for more, my friend. So much more. And there is hope.
The last chapter in your situation has not been written. As dark as things seem, God can and will work in what you are facing right now.

What could your life look like if you chose hope over despair?

This is not easy, but it is so worth pushing through and choosing hope. Want to talk? I would love to connect. Feel free to message me, comment below, or email me at erinulerich@gmail.com.

“This type of hope enables us to walk bravely into the future, confident that things can be better than they are today.” Dr. Dan Allender, The Healing Path

Those Walking in Darkness Need the Light

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. (Isaiah 9:2)

Darkness pressed down like a heavy coat, swallowing everyone in the cave. For one minute we stood in complete darkness and silence. Even though my husband was standing right beside me, within seconds the first fearful thought popped into my head.

I am alone.

Of course, I wasn’t. I was surrounded on every side by members of our group as we toured Mammoth Cave.

But in the darkness, I felt alone. Trapped.

Within seconds scenes from every murder-mystery I’d ever seen or read came to mind. I thought about the others in the group. Who are these people? I don’t even know them. I tightened my grip on my backpack straps and distrust rose in my heart.

Thankfully the minute passed, our tour guides turned their lanterns back on, everyone laughed, breathed a sigh of relief, and we went on with the remainder of our 14-mile tour.

It took less than a minute for fear to surface when I was standing in literal darkness. And that makes me wonder:

Does fear surface in any type of darkness?

What about the people all around us who are walking in figurative darkness? Searching for fulfilment, purpose, peace, and happiness without any light. Surrounded by fear and distrust without hope of rescue. Or so they believe.

But we know that light shines in the darkness. And we know the Light of the World who came to rescue us, the One who came to be our hope.

Light broke through deepest darkness when God put on flesh and stepped into our world. He came as a tiny light, wrapped in the most vulnerable package.

He came in a way that we could receive Him.

If He had come like He did on Mount Sinai; we might have turned away in fear. In Exodus, the people were told to get ready, get clean, and not to touch the mountain or they would die. In contrast, Jesus came on a dark night, in a dirty stable, and only a few knew the Light had come.

Jesus came to show us what God is like, how deeply He loves us, and how we can follow Him.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. As the Word, He brought thoughts from the innermost recesses of people’s hearts out into the light. He was gentle with those who were struggling, patient with those who didn’t even know they needed Him until He spoke to them. He challenged those who thought they had Him all figured out.

Jesus saw people living in figurative darkness and it moved him. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)

Maybe they were tossed around by fear, suspicion, and distrust. Maybe they were seeking fulfilment, purpose, and peace in things that could never deliver. Maybe they felt trapped, like they would never be free from the darkness.

And He told them Whoever follows me will have the light of life. (John 8:12)

The light of life He offers shines brighter than a tour guide’s lantern and points us to the answer our hearts were made to search for – One who loves us beyond all measure. One who is always with us. One who shines light in the darkest places of our lives.

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We celebrate the coming of the Light of the world at Christmas, but we need this truth every day of the year. Discover the themes of Christmas in everyday life through my newly released book of short devotions In Unexpected Ways: Christmas in Everyday Life.

In Unexpected Ways: How God Answers the Questions of Life

I am not sure if we, as a collective body living on planet Earth, have ever entered the Christmas season this worn down, weary, and filled with questions.

The events and months of 2020 have highlighted the truth that life is fragile, and we have precious little control over the things that matter most to us. And by highlighted, I mean surrounded by harsh flashing bulbs that light up the sky.

In the final months of a year filled with too many unprecedented events are you wondering if you can even trust God anymore?

We need the wonder of Christmas, the joy, and the peace more than ever. And, in some ways, we have never been more prepared to see it.

Could the disappointments, the grief, the uncertainty of this calendar year have us searching for something that will last?

As we sit in shadows of uncertainty, a warm glow fills the air.

Light breaks through darkness, allowing things to be clearly seen. And on that first Christmas, God stepped into history in an unexpected way to show us that He is the answer to our deepest needs.

He still answers the questions we ask in the quiet of the night:

Am I alone? Does God love me? Does God have a plan for me? Can I trust Him?

And He responds:

His Name answers Am I alone?

His Presence answers Does God love me?

His Purpose answers Does God have a plan for me?

And these provide the answer to the question that lies at the center of it all:

Can I trust Him?

The Christmas story is part of a larger story, a story that began before God said, “Let there be light.” A story that includes the Garden of Eden, the Cross and Resurrection. A story that is still unfolding.

We celebrate Christmas with an eye on the climax of the entire story. We celebrate the sweet baby in the manger because He is the suffering Savior on the cross, and the risen Savior who defeated the enemy of our soul out of love for us.

If you have thought This is not the way it should be,

If you’ve worried about health, finances, or the future,

If you’ve secretly wondered if you’ve missed out on the good in life,

If you feel like you are stuck in survival mode,

This book was written with you in mind.

In Unexpected Ways: Christmas in Everyday Life is a compilation of devotions written during moments when my heart held more questions than answers, when I wondered if God loved me, and when I felt like nothing would ever change.

God answered the questions I was really asking by whispering truth to my heart, truth from his Word that revealed His Presence, His love, and His purpose. Truth whispered from his Word changes us more deeply than the shouts of the world ever will.

God stepped into history in an unexpected way to show us that He is the answer to our deepest needs.

He has not changed. He still works through the unexpected to draw us to Him.

And drawing us to Himself is always the purpose for the unexpected.

In Unexpected Ways: Christmas in Everyday Life is available on Amazon.

Friendship, Fiction, and These Uncertain Times

Today I am THRILLED to welcome Weez Phillips, author of *The Lightest, Heaviest Things.*

The Lightest, Heaviest Things is a middle-grade fantasy about giants and healing rifts between worlds. In addition to giants, there is an adorable troll named Ull, magic, and two best friends who are figuring out the quest thing as they go. They do discover that snacks are very important while quest-ing.

As a parent, I love the way Weez portrays the relationship between the two friends. They are typical middle-grade girls, jumping to conclusions, doubting their own abilities, and assuming the other has the perfect life. Throughout the story, they grow, their friendship deepens, and they begin seeing life through the other’s eyes.

Weez agreed to share a few thoughts about the theme of friendship and the reaction of her characters to living during uncertain times, two things that are very relatable in these days of 2020.

One of the themes that runs through TLHT is friendship. Peri and Wink are very different and yet they are close. What difficulties come up because of their differences, and how do they resolve them?

I like to think of Peri as being a person who almost feels too deeply. She’s very driven by emotion, and by reaction. Wink, on the other hand, is more logical and serious–and maybe doesn’t allow for emotions as much as she should. This puts a communication barrier between them. Another thing putting a communication barrier between them is their different lifestyles, their different backgrounds. Peri is an only child whose parents often aren’t home. Wink comes from a large, loud family, where at least one parent is always present. It’s hard for them to understand each other because of these differences. But I actually think the biggest barrier between them is their terror of being hurt or of hurting each other. They begin learning to resolve the conflict as they discover more about themselves and the world around them. They learn to be open and honest with each other, and this certainly begins the work of breaking down walls.

If you could sit these two characters down and give them friendship advice, what would it be?

I would encourage them to continue being honest with each other, and to be intentional about talking to each other–but also to give each other space. It’s important to be able to exist both on your own and with others.

What does TLHT have to say about living in uncertain times?
A lot is uncertain in the world Peri and Wink find themselves in. I don’t want to go into detail because of spoilers, but I will say that things seem pretty strange and bleak for them. But they learn that they can be brave, that they can be strong–that they need to work together and remember the good. They learn to go bravely–but also to be bravely. To live life on a founding principle of braveness. They are not alone, and hope can still be found.

The Lightest, Heaviest Things is available on Amazon.

Weez also designed The Lightest, Heaviest Things merchandise. Stickers, pins, T-shirts, and more.

Read reviews of The Lightest, Heaviest Things from the 2020 blog tour:

The Lightest, Heaviest Things; a review

The Lightest, Heaviest Things by Weez Phillips – Book Review

Go Bravely

Welcoming The Lightest, Heaviest Things into the World

it’s beginning, it’s beginning, it’s beginning

because pop tarts from a gas station taste better than pop tarts from a grocery store

Weez Phillips is a Christian homeschooled student living with her family in the Deep South. If you ask her how she’s doing, she’s likely to cry a bit and then spout contradicting statements before wandering off in search of fruit (nature’s fast food).

Better Than Wishes

Are you feeling Corona weary these days?

I asked that question during Mug to Mug a few weeks ago, and I was met with a resounding YES!!!

These days I can relate to the moment in The Lord of the Rings when Frodo admitted to Gandalf “I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”

We could fill in Frodo’s statement with many, many things from our own lives, couldn’t we?

“I wish _______ had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”

J.R.R. Tolkien began writing The Lord of the Rings during World War I. I can imagine that this thought came to mind as he crouched in trenches, fought, and lost friends in battles.

In fairy tales wishes are made and granted all the time. Sometimes the wishes have strings attached, or the things wished for aren’t really what is best. Characters in fairy tales, and people in real life, make wishes based on comfort level, and on what is seen.

Thankfully, we have something far better than wishes. We have God’s promises. God’s promises are made with the very best for us in mind and they take into account future events that we have no way of knowing.

So what do we do when our wishes don’t match with His promises? When the working out of His promises in our life doesn’t look anything like we thought it would?

We place our trust in the unchanging nature and character of God.

We seek out comfort and avoid conflict, but God often calls us into situations and places that are uncomfortable and filled with conflict. He brings us into places where all we can do is trust Him. Maybe He knows that in trusting Him, we will know Him more deeply. And that, besides seeing us face to face, is His heart’s desire.

Take a moment to read this beautiful description of the intersection between our wishes and His precious promises.

My Wishes and His Promises
God has promised me His eternal life, but not a long life.
God has promised me perfect health on the new earth, but not on this earth.
God has promised me His comfort, but not a life without pain.
God has promised me His righteousness, but not righteous people.
God has promised me His home in heaven, but not a house on earth.
God has promised me His wedding feast, but not a spouse.
God has promised me His joy, but not a life without sorrow.
God has promised me His justice, but not human justice.
God has promised me His power, but not a life without weakness.
God has promised me His sufficiency, but not a life with no needs.
God has promised me His wisdom, but not a life without questions.
God has promised me His guidance, but not a life without confusion.
God has promised me His victory, but not a life without conflict.
God has promised me His presence, but not a life without loneliness.
God has promised me His vengeance, but not a life without forgiving.
God has promised me His grace, but not a life without repentance.
God has promised me His blessing, but not a life without obedience.
God has promised me His reward, but not a life without a race.
God has promised me His love, but not a life without rejection.
God has promised me His peace, but not a life without turmoil.
God has promised me His faithfulness, but not a life without faith.
Peter Reid, General Director of Torchbearers International (Jan.2020)

Let’s Talk! Where you are hanging on more tightly to your wishes than to His promises? Are those the areas in your life you have trouble trusting God with?

What are your thoughts on this quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer ? “God sent His Son not to fulfill my wishes, but His promises.”

If you would like an artsy copy of “My Wishes and His Promises” click here to get one designed by @themakingsofjoy. Then run over to Instagram and see what else she does. She’s one talented lady!

It’s Okay to Say

I feel like we are in the messy middle of COVID-19. At least we are here in Mississippi, where we might be hitting a flatter curve as I type this, but our numbers aren’t decreasing enough to say the curve is going down.

In the beginning everything was #inthistogether, but right now #wedontknow feels more honest.

We are used to gathering facts from experts and drawing conclusions from those facts. But that is not the way things are working right now. There are no experts because we are all living through this in real time, and “this” doesn’t even look the same for each person. The whole world feels stuck in a crazy experiment where data is still being gathered before any hypothesis can be tested. We want concrete answers and there just aren’t any.

So what do you do when there are endless opinions being thrown around, and every 100%-for-sure-fact is proven inaccurate within 24 hours? You learn that it’s okay to say a few important things.

It’s ok to say “This is a really strange time.” We can acknowledge that little about 2020 has been predictable or planned.

It’s ok to say “I don’t know.”

I feel like I say that to my kids all day long. ” What will school look like in the fall?” “When can we go roller skating or shopping or to the movies? I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.

For real. I don’t know. All I know for sure is that what we know changes every single day.

And here’s the truth: We know what we know today, and our decisions reflect that knowledge. Will our knowledge tomorrow or next week look different? Yes. But we can’t make today’s decisions based on next week’s knowledge. All we can do is the best we can with the information we have.

It’s okay to say “I don’t feel comfortable with this.”

Beneath the uproar on either side of the “to re-open or not to re-open” dilemma, I am hearing a constant need for direction. During this time, we can find direction by paying attention to what is best for our situation and giving others grace to do the same.

I learned this during another unplanned, unexpected, uncertain time in my life. For a few years one of my daughters experienced seizures. Some were caused by fever, some were unexplained. So, whenever an illness went around that caused fever, we stayed home. If my daughter seemed off, or things weren’t quite right, we stayed home. I couldn’t control the seizures, so I controlled what I could to keep my girl safe.

When I put my head on my pillow at night, I had peace that I had done everything I knew to do. As we tracked her seizures, I learned more, and my decisions reflected that knowledge.

Did I disappoint people when I canceled plans? Did I look wishy-washy to others? Yes to both. But I learned to trust my knowledge of our situation, I learned that others recover from disappointment, and that disappointing others isn’t fatal.

It’s okay to say “I’m not okay right now.”

During any given day, I can go from describing this extra time with my family as awesome, awful, and every shade between. I can watch the news, trusting in God’s sovereignty and feeling overwhelmingly anxious during one news story. Emotions are complex, especially during uncertain times. Reaching out to others to tell them that you’ve had a rough day really helps.

One thing I do know is that uncertain times don’t last forever. This messy middle will eventually give way to the end, and this true for COVID-19 as well. What we learn from this time, how we allow this time to shape us, that is what will last.

#livingboldlyinabrokenworld isn’t easy, but it is possible. When storms swirl all around us, it’s difficult to keep our eyes fixed on God’s truth. I’ve gathered the truths that help me through the storms of life into a pdf, Truths that Anchor in the Storm. These verses aren’t lifeboats, pulling me out of the storm, they are anchors to help me stand inside the storm. I hope they will help you as well. Click on the side bar to receive your copy today.

Anchors in the Storm

When things feel out of control, we need anchors, or fixed points that hold us. Like a ship on the ocean, we are going to bob and dip in the waves. Just as an anchor keeps a ship from being swept away, anchors can keep us from being swept away with fear or despair. Anchors enable us to wait in a trusting, hopeful way and see what the Lord is going to do, even as the storm rages around us.

The first anchor is TRUTH. Truth holds us steady.

Three truths that anchor us:

God is not limited. He can work healing in the tiny cells of our bodies. He could even cause this whole virus to disappear. He can also work in mighty ways in people’s hearts and lives. He can reach into the heart of a person tucked away in a small village in the mountains of Peru just as easily as he reached into the heart of this little Mississippi country girl back in 1986.

God is mysterious. He doesn’t give us an answer for our every question, but He does point us to who He is. I also don’t know how He is working through these crazy times, but He is. He is bringing people all around the world to Himself during this time. His glory is filling the earth.

God is working. God is not sitting in heaven wringing His hands as He watches events unfold on planet earth. He is working in ways that match His character and nature. He is in control and He is kind, loving, and gracious. The more we get to know Him, we more we trust Him. And the more we trust Him, the more we are free to live boldly in this broken world.

What truth is anchoring your heart today?