He's always been faithful

It is highly likely that I will write many times here about a song that touches my heart. As I’m winding down this evening, I’m listening to a song by Sara Groves called “He’s Always Been Faithful”. It’s a wonderful song, and is similar to “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” with some bits of that great old hymn actually sprinkled in. First, the lyrics:

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me…

Morning by morning I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God’s hand in mine
Season by season I watch Him amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways
All I have need of His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me

I can’t remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can’t remember one single regret
In serving God only and trusting his hand
All I have need of His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me

(“Great is Thy Faithfulness” piano/cello interlude)

This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end
All I have need of His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful….
He’s always been faithful to me

I am finding more and more often lately that God’s work in the world and my life brings me to tears. God is holding my hand, all the time. How cool is that? The God of the universe, who created everything I see, holds my hand and walks beside me every day. That image brings tears to my eyes even now. Mostly because I could not imagine having gone through all I have without Him beside me, and I can now longer imagine what it would be like not to have Him there, either.

God’s ways are truly perfect. He knows everything about my life, beginning to end. My favorite analogy for this is that my life is a parade. I can only see one part of it at a time, but He sees the whole parade. He knows where it started, He knows where it’s going, and He knows when it ends. Plus, He’s in control of it. That alone gives me an immense amount of comfort.

I really can’t think of one trial or pain in my entire life, even prior to knowing God, that isn’t now being used for my good. I lost my mom and birth mother to cancer, and God has used that multiple times to minister to others who have lost loved ones or who need to see someone who’s made it through such a trial. I was laid off three times in two years, yet I can testify to exactly how God was working through each one of them specifically to get me to where I am now. I’ve moved 18 times since high school (that’s been ten years!), and I can see God’s hand in each and every move and the reasons He needed me to be where I was each and every time.

I have no regrets, and never will, if I live all of my life for God alone, trusting that His hand is always in mine and providing all I need. I don’t regret and choices that brought me pain, because they’ve helped me grow, too. I have no regrets for any of the sacrifices I’ve had to make in friendships, money, or possessions to serve God to my fullest ability. And I have no regrets in the decisions I’ve made that have taken me far from family and friends to be able to serve my Lord and follow His calling. I want to give my all to Him and tell of His great love because of all He sacrificed for me and all He brought me through to get me here.

God will always provide all I need. He’s been faithful before, and will be again. When I needed a home (three times) He provided loving friends to take me in. When I’ve needed food to eat it’s always been there. When I’ve needed money just to stay above water, He’s provided it in miraculous ways. And He always will provide what I need. I have no doubts about that, and no fear. He is the God of the universe, but He’s also my Father and my Provider and Friend.

I made it!

I now live in Danville, California. California! That is a place I go on vacation, not a place I live! It still blows me away that God would bring me here.

At the present moment, I’m sitting at one of the two Starbucks in town, reflecting and typing a final paper for Crown. I originally thought I’d get a part-time job at one of the two, since I’ve worked at Starbucks before and love it. Instead, I had a great part-time job come my way, at a local antique shop called Sweet Magnolia. I’m their first hired employee, as the owner is about to have her first baby and needs some extra help. It will be a great laid-back job to match my much more laid-back life.

And when I say laid-back for those of you who know me well, I’m not kidding! I’ve done something outside every day because the weather is so beautiful, and today I drove my car for the first time in four days. My house is literally in the backyard of the church, so I don’t need to drive to work. It’s so great.

Plus, I’m not working full-time right now, either. I have time to chill, cook my meals, and read. So far I’ve read an entire book for leisure. It’s a great thing. It’s blessing upon blessing, as I was going at an almost impossible pace before I moved here. I feel like God has rewarded me for the last three and a half difficult and busy years.

I also now see with my own eyes why people say the San Francisco Bay area is one of the most desirable places to live. The weather is gorgeous, and in 10 days I only saw clouds on one day. The sun is always shining. Plus, within two hours of here there are so many wonderful things: Yosemite National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, and all the other wonderful things in downtown SF, Santa Cruz with it’s beaches, Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley, Sacramento, and a hundred other amazing things. It would be really hard to get bored here.

As I have new adventures, I will try to write about them. For now, I’m going to sign off with a prayer:

My loving Father in heaven, thank You so much for all You have blessed me with. Thank You for bringing me safely to CA and giving Kristin and me a safe and fun drive out here. Thank You for the awesome new friends I have made already—what an answer to the prayers of many people back in Minnesota. Thank You for Deana—for her warm welcome, for how she includes me in the things going on so I can make new friends, for her helping me to jump into my new role with both feet and for her leadership in the ministry. Thank You for my new small group of 7th grade girls and their precious hearts, especially for Haley and Stephanie and all they mean to me after two short weeks. I love You Lord, for all You are and for all You do. You are amazing to me, and too marvelous for words. I am Your servant, now and forever, to do Your bidding. Continue to guide me and grant me wisdom to make the choices You would will for me. In the precious name of Your son, Jesus, I pray. Amen.