Right Before Our Eyes

There has yet to be a time where I have gotten on a plane and not been in awe of the entire phenomenon; how still everything on the ground looks even though I know cars are being driven; how slow it feels like I am moving as I travel over states and countries in mere hours. I am reminded of other phenomena, too. You know that time when your account was overdrawn and somehow you still ate? Or that time the gas tank was empty for three days and you still made it to work? Or that day you turned the assignment in late and still exceeded expectations? Or even you ̶ with your multiple bills to pay, dishes in the sink, drinking sparingly, cursing liberally, gossiping occasionally, fighting off anxiety constantly, and somehow, you still managed to elevate in your career, take care of yourself (mostly), nurture your good friendships, and laugh all along the way? It seems that while the world and all its pain and heartache (including our own self-inflicted mistakes) remains constant, lives are still being changed. Situations are still being changed. Even when it looks still, like nothing is happening and every mistake has been made, what if you are what’s being changed? ...whew.

As I prepare to celebrate my “golden” birthday on the 28th of October, I am in heavy reflection mode. What is different? What have I accomplished? What’s on my list? Where in God’s will does He want me right now? In the midst of my contemplation, I found a shout (more proof that God is always up to something). I looked over and realized that I do not cry about falling and failing as much as I used to do; my grief over losing my mother is not as heavy as it once was; I have gotten some of those people out of my life who I loved dearly but who could not love me; my palette has expanded; my body has gotten used to regular exercise; my money is not as funny as it was for a looooooong time; I have switched careers and found a way to blend them together while merging my gifts; my relationship and connection to God satisfies me and is nurtured on a daily basis. Truth is, I could have never imagined this life in my wildest dreams, and even better, THERE IS STILL MORE THAT I’VE NEVER SEEN (excuse me while I go run a lap around my vacation AirBnB)!

The book of Isaiah has been fueling my praise. Specifically, chapter 43 calls God’s chosen people into some immense reflections while providing some formidable reminders. Through Isaiah, God not only reminds them of…

who they are and whose they are in verses one through seven

“…do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine…”   (v. 1); …everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made…” (v. 7);

and where He has brought them from in verses eight through 13,

“…it is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, and there was no strange god among you; so you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, and I am God…” (v. 12);

but He simultaneously calls them to forget all of that because…

“…Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. The beasts of the field will glorify Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I have given waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people. The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise…” (vv. 18 – 21).

I mean, honestly, what kind of God would create something new in you after He has already brought you through so much, while He is already bringing you through another situation right now? MY God, that’s who. He even promises to change the world around us by making a “roadway in the wilderness” and “rivers in the desert”. How? By way of YOU. By blessing you, by giving drink to His chosen people, by changing YOU, God enacts His plan to change this whole world. We must remember that we are the witnesses, witnesses of the truth, witnesses of a risen Savior, and with every situation, we are being strengthened, sanctified, and changed for Him and for His world.

I know it may not always feel like it, but you are what’s changing, dear reader. You are getting better and better every day even when you are failing, even when you are hurting. Your imperfections can be made perfect, and your past can be made beautiful if you allow yourself to step into the phenomenon of life: that chaos and progress exists simultaneously and that there is a God in the midst of it all, who is still in the business of saving and changing.