 It's been a doozy of a week. It's been one of those weeks where things just kept going wrong. It started with our home email being hacked, which led to other things being hacked, which led to hours and hours of phone calls on Mother's Day trying to reclaim and secure our accounts. (Happy Mother's Day to me!) From there, the setbacks continued.
Our gutter broke during a sudden downpour. Our daughter's laptop screen died. Our refrigerator died. I was hospitalised for 3 days. The list goes on ... All these things don't really matter in the bigger scheme of things (and compared to what's going on in the rest of the world), but I'm sure you'll agree, when it's one thing after the other (and when you need a magnifying glass to see how much is in your bank account, or you don't actually have the money to fix those things because the emergency fund has been used for another emergency), it can get quite wearing. Yes, it's life, but sometimes, it's hard! When we go through trials, it's easy to think God is distant or has forgotten us. It's easy to think that we're alone, but the Bible reminds us that God is always with us through trying times. "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." (Isaiah 43:2) It's also important to remind ourselves of God's goodness, and how He has provided for us in the past. Remembering God's blessings and His provision, gives us hope. "But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works." (Psalm 77:11) Over the course of this past week, I've been wondering how on earth we're going to afford to fix everything, all the while, reminding myself of the ways God has provided for us in the past. When things looked bleak, when I couldn't see a way forward, God always came through, and always in ways that I would never have imagined. As I was getting ready for church, I went to do up the hook-and-eye on the front of one of my favourite dresses, only to discover the 'hook' had fallen off in the wash. My first reaction was, "Oh, come on!" Sure, it was something minuscule, but it really annoyed me after the week I'd had. I fiddled with my dress, trying to get it to sit in a way that was still "church-appropriate", but nothing worked. I could've changed into something else, but I'm stubborn, and I was determined to make it work! And then I prayed. "Lord, help me find a safety pin." (Trust me when I say this was a prayer of desperation, because we have zero safety pins in the house. I needed one recently and searched every drawer and every cupboard, only to come up empty-handed.) After I prayed, I went straight to my nightstand, opened the top drawer and guess what was sitting there - clear as day? Yep, a safety pin. Needless to say, I laughed. "Really, Lord?!" It was one of those moments where God humbled me and showed me that He is still there. He's still looking out for me. He's still providing my needs. It might seem like a silly story - why would God use a safety pin to show me He still cares? Why would something so small matter? I believe God gives us those moments to remind us that He hasn't forgotten us. To remind us He's still there. If we believe what the Bible says about God caring for the birds, then we need to believe that God will take care of us even more so. It's been a doozy of a week, but it's also been a week of pressing into God. Claiming His promises. Counting my blessings. And trusting that He will continue to provide our needs. Blessings, Kristen.
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