Sometimes It's Overwhelming

His goodness, I mean.

I sit in my office smelling the coffee in my mug and it reminds me of my time overseas.

I sing the words to a song that was always uplifting in college – “Lord, you are good and your mercy endures forever.” Only truth from the Word can create such songs of renewal.

I look out the window and can’t see past the trees across the parking lot – though it was just yesterday that those trees were bare as I planned a Rent-a-Youth day in January, and researched places for our fall retreat in November.

November…just a month and a half after I had moved to Lenoir.

Lenoir…People often ask me how I found the small town of Lenoir. I didn’t. Lenoir found me … in Puerto Rico … by the hand of God.

Sometimes the easiest thing in the world is to look backwards and see hands. Sometimes we want to base our today on all those little hands that touched us for a moment. Hands that hurt us, hands that betrayed us, hands that make us feel angry or bitter. And then…hands that held us, hands that uplifted us, hands that made us feel loved and supported. But then…there are those hands. The ones that were there when we were hurt or held, betrayed or uplifted, the hands that held steady regardless of feeling angry, loved, bitter, or supported.

The hands that cared enough to sustain Israel through her Old Testament rebellion, sin and restoration. The hands that care enough to sustain me through my rebellion, sin and restoration.

The hands that represent

            love

               peace

                  grace

                     mercy

                        healing

                           promise

                              compassion

                                 forgiveness

                                    faithfulness.

Wow. This is the hand of God. I’ll never deserve it, yet He’ll never withdraw it.

I can base my today on those hands.

Lord, you are good and your mercy endures forever.