Safe Haven

Life has a way of being funny. Ironic, maybe, is a better word for it. We think things would be different by now, or we feel like we keep running in the same circles. There’s the instability of being a young adult, the feeling that we’re somehow falling behind, and the tension of learning how to be content in the mundane while still believing God for more. How do we take delight in Him each day while carrying a longing in our hearts for what He has yet to do? How do we hold both at once?

The reality is that our circumstances are not the full picture of what God is doing. The wrestle is real, but so much of it comes down to perspective.

I’m currently reading Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper, and wow, that book will give you some perspective. I meditate on so many quotes, but one that has really stuck with me is the idea that God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him. And it’s so true. I’ve lived this out in my own life.

The reality is that life is a lot simpler than we make it out to be. Now, don’t get me wrong. We all face complexities, but God is faithful to direct our paths as we trust Him. As I grow in Christ, I’m realizing just how much duality there is in following Him. Two things can be true at once. We can know who we are in Christ and still doubt our purpose. We can wrestle with God and still know that He is good. We can feel as though He is distant, that He doesn’t care or see us, and yet He knows us intimately and is working out the details of our lives.

Regardless of our circumstances, God is able to bring glory to Himself in any and every situation. And if I’m honest, that can feel unfair at times. When we see Him do it for others, or think we must be doing something wrong if we don’t have (fill in the blank) yet. Trust me when I say we’ve had our chats about such things.

As humans, we want to understand. It’s part of our nature. Yet we serve a God whose understanding is unsearchable. We can barely fathom the depth of His love for each and every one of us. He is as vast as the sea and as wondrous as the night sky, yet He invites us to seek Him. He loves me in ways that are so specific to me, and over time, we’ve built that intimacy together.

Not only are we up against our human nature, but we also have a very real enemy who is crafty in the ways he tempts us to doubt God. Look back to the garden. He hasn’t changed much. He has been deceiving from the beginning, using the truth but twisting it just enough to make us question the goodness of God.

This is where the battle of the mind can become so vicious and exhausting. Scripture is clear about the importance of guarding our minds and being intentional about what we allow our thoughts to dwell on. If God is most glorified when I am most satisfied in Him, then I have to ask myself: Am I allowing my mind to entertain thoughts that contradict the truth of Scripture? And if so, I must return to the truth of who God is.

Thoughts become beliefs, beliefs shape actions, actions become habits, and habits shape our lives. Scripture calls us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. So what are our thoughts about God leading us to believe about Him? What we believe about God is the most important thing about us.

For me, this question has revealed the places where I am not fully satisfied in God and, consequently, where my life is not reflecting His glory as it could. This has been deeply humbling. I say that I love God, and yet there are areas of my life that reveal just how much I still struggle to trust Him. That breaks my heart because I want to trust Him with everything in me. And yet, doing so means dying to the things I want to control, the things I want to figure out, and the outcomes I want to secure for myself.

This is where a shift in perspective has begun to change my heart posture, but it is also where the daily act of surrender comes in. There is a temptation to focus on what God isn’t doing rather than being grateful for all that He is. Just because we may not see Him moving in one specific area of our lives doesn’t mean He isn’t working in others.

Gratitude and washing my mind with the Word of God have been vital in this process of renewal. Taking my honest thoughts to Him has cultivated more vulnerability in me, despite how uncomfortable it can feel in the moment. When I am satisfied in His love, I begin to see things differently. I can see more clearly, think more creatively, and love people better. My circumstances may not have changed, but my perspective has. As my heart becomes more aligned with His, my life begins to reflect Him more accurately. He is glorified as I learn to rest in who He is rather than fixate on what I want Him to do.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

If you’re in the same boat as me, just let it float down the river of Grace. And if you’re not, hop in your boat anyway. We’re all going to need it eventually.

It’s going to be okay!

Let’s be real: none of us have this figured out. Don’t let comparison steal the joy of now. The Father is not disappointed in you because there are things you don’t understand or struggles you haven’t overcome yet. He has never asked us to understand everything. He has asked us to trust Him and take Him at His Word.

Every wrestle is an invitation to know the depths of His heart, to discover His goodness in the places where we struggle to see it, and to learn to trust Him more deeply. It’s an opportunity for our trust to become unwavering, for our expectations to be surrendered, and for us to become expectant of the One who holds all things together.

Not expectant of a desired outcome, but expectant of a Person.

Him.

with love, hav