Goodmorning

I’m beginning to realize that often when i ask God to address issues in my life and to change my heart, I don’t actually expect Him to do anything about it. Then when situations slam me in the face, I’m reminded that change and transformation require opportunities that will challenge and me and grow me. So often I expect change to come without effort. Not so! This morning provided a clear reminder of that.

This morning I slep through all my alarms and woke up 15 minutes after my shift at the Library had started. I got there as fast as possible, just in time to greet a large group of loud freshman who were supposed to be doing some sort of scavenger hunt for class. My supervisor was no where to be found, so I had them mill about in the lobby for a good while until I could track someone down to help.

All morning I was running from here to there, trying to keep up with demands and events that I had no control over. Finally, I took a minute and walked into the break room to grab a cup of coffee. Maria, one of the custodians who works in the library on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, as well as Friday afternoons, listened while I gabbed about my potentially stressful morning. She then reminded me, in her heavy Spanish accent, that God is control. Always. There is no need for stress or worry. In the grand scheme of things, dealing with sleeping through my alarms, 30 restless freshman, caffeine addicted students waiting for fresh coffee, and frustrated library-goers who can’t get the printer to work, are small issues.

God has been using little events, as well as a few bigger ones, to teach me to trust Him always. I don’t have to worry about anything! My future is taken care of. I’m safe.

The funny thing about this whole situation is that it took place after a wonderful conversation with a good friend just a few days ago. Noelle, one of my best friends, and I like to go on walks around the mile long loop surrounding campus. We walk and talk, updating each other on concerns, prayer requests, funny stories, and whatever comes to mind. Sunday night we got on the topic of the future: something I most definitely do not have figured out. I was describing my worry about not having any idea why I’m majoring in Biology and what I’m going to do with it. I don’t like my Biology classes all that much, and the hardest ones are yet to come. I mentioned that I wanted to change my major just to avoid the stress that will most definitely come from classes such as “Integrated Vertebrate Anatomy and Physiology”, and other intense upper-level bio classes that I have no desire to take. Noelle said something I found to be very profound: We shouldn’t ever be stressed. Ever. But that doesn’t mean avoiding potentially stressful situations. Nope, that doesn’t mean we get to avoid hard situations entirely. It means that in those hard times or in the upheaval, we can find peace and relief knowing that God is good, God is in control, and our lives are in the hands of our all-powerful creator. Instead of avoiding those situations, we should embrace them.

I asked for trust. I asked God to teach my to rely on Him and not to stress. And He provided a situation in which I could choose to grow or to stress.

Look for those times that God provides an opportunity for you to choose to obey His commandments and to embrace His love. For me, focusing on that made the trials of the day seem purposeful and not in any way out of God’s control.