My son and daughter-in-law married on March 4. With no exaggeration, I can say it was one of the happiest moments of my life. It rivals the day he was born. While every detail of the experience wasn’t perfect, all the important things were in place. It was one of those times when, as they say, “all is right in the world.”
I reminded my son and my new daughter that this wasn’t the last wonderful, joy-filled moment of their lives. There are more to come. I wanted them to enjoy the moment, and to look forward with hope. But I also reminded them that less wonderful, less joy-filled days are ahead, too. There will be days when they look across the kitchen table at one another and feel they’ve made a big mistake. As sure as the sun rises, both good days and hard days are on their way. I cautioned them that if they decide to give up on the bad days, they’ll miss out on the better days to come.
How do we make it through the tough seasons of life? We all have them, yet some seem to fare better than others. Perhaps such a heavy topic is too much for a brief newsletter article. But for good or for ill, this is what’s on my mind. As I’ve reflected on the recent wedding, something keeps rolling around in my head. It’s the idea that human faith plus God’s faithfulness is an unbeatable combination. Sometimes we hit the ground hard enough that the pavement cracks open. In those moments, do we believe that God is able to put us on a good path? Are we willing to trust God? Keep in mind that “trusting God” isn’t a feeling. It’s a commitment to doing what God says to do, generally to the world as well as personally to you and to me.
“Trusting God” is also about having a long view. For God’s own reasons, problems are rarely solved by the following morning. We have an understandable desire for pain to go away immediately. God’s timetable stretches much further than ours. Maybe that’s because God has a clearer view on the sum total of our years, and on eternity, than we do.
My counsel to the newlyweds was that they will make it through the tough chapters if they are totally committed to keeping the promises they made. Sometimes, it will be easy. Sometimes, it will be enormously difficult. Most of the time, they won’t get it perfect. But I believe in some good news: human failure cannot outlast God’s faithfulness. Some of our steps will falter. Sometimes, we’ll stumble. Once in a while, we’ll plant our face in the ground. Even then, the Lord never gives up. Neither should we.
Sean
P.S. By the way, some exciting mission happenings are just around the corner: a collection project for Red Bird and a week of service at Bashor Homeless Men’s Shelter. CLICK HERE to learn more!
