2020 HAS. BEEN. A. YEAR.
Honestly one that feels like it has lasted far longer than a year in many ways. Not only has the world been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic and all the emotional, physical, and spiritual elements connected to that, the good ol’ US of A is in the midst of a presidential election cycle which culminates today as the polls are open across the nation. (Will that story end today once the vote is complete? No, but at least all the political ads will. Let’s find joy in the little things.)
Challenge by choice is a concept used in experiential education where a person can chose how intensely they would like to challenge themselves in each situational leadership scenario. Little did I know that when I chose to say yes to some challenges at the beginning of the year that the pandemic and election would carry the weight and far-reaching impacts that they have. You see, I said “yes” to my now husband when he proposed in January; I said “I do” when we married just before the shelter-in-place order blanketed the state; and I have said “help Lord” so many times since then as I’ve navigated being newly married, in the midst of a quarantine, in the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of a nation marked by impassioned political polarization.
A few months into my new life I took my car in for a recall. As I stepped inside the lobby, I saw lines on the floor helping mark the appropriate social distance from the counter. I stood behind the line and looked down to realize that not only was the line in place, an x also marked the spot. I thought this strange to have both the x and the line there and the writer’s side of my brain chimed in with the reminder that x marks the spot on any real treasure map. I found a smile turning up the corners of my mouth when I sensed the Lord speaking too.
This is exactly where I planned for you to be. You are not where you are by accident.
I knew that waiting in line for my car to be repaired was not what was meant in that gentle whisper. Esther 4:14 is a favorite verse of mine that states “And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” The Lord’s reminder of both that verse and His sovereignty in this season brought much peace and I have held onto that moment over the past several months.
When I find myself wondering how I ended up in a moment overwhelmed by all of the change being married has presented, by the pandemic realities surrounding each day, and by the emotional war this election is waging, I think back to that x marking the spot.
Any treasure map maker worth his salt marks the treasure’s location with an x, right? Therefore, what are the treasures to be found in this moment, this season, this circumstance?
Lord, thank You for holding the world in Your very capable hands. Thank You for being able to infuse Your goodness into any circumstance. You may not have caused the scenario, but You can redeem every single instance. Lord, I look at life around me and surrender it all to You. I step onto the proverbial “x” and thank You for bringing me to this point and for carrying me on. Help me to see the treasures You are forming in me through all that is going on. Thank You for challenging/inviting/spurring me on to growth over the last few months. Thank You for catching my tears and responding graciously to all my cries for help. You know the way I take and You will bring about good because You are God and You have called me here for such a time as this. May You be glorified. May Yours be the kingdom. May You be the treasure I find every time. For Your Glory. AMEN
Bee Musings 