What you find in His presence!

Have you ever had one of those days, months, or seasons where it seems like everything is falling apart? Nothing is going as planned? You kinda just want to give up?

I remember the late winter of my first year of college at Miami University. I was doing well in my classes and working full-time. My parents called my older brother and me in for a family meeting. These rarely happened, but if they did, we knew it was something big. My parents began to tell us the news that my Dad lost his job, just three months after his 30th year at the company!

Now, he was jobless.

Wow, what a shocker!

Questions were going through my mind: how are we going to survive? Will I need to quit college?

My Dad went on an interview tour across the country. He was being thoroughly looked at multiple companies in different states. He accepted a position in Safford, Arizona. Where? That was my exact question too.

My parents told me to think about coming with them once the house sold. They gave me the option of going to college somewhere out there, continue going to Miami University, or find another college. My focus in the meantime would be to watch over the house, clean the house, and take care of my older brother. My question to my parents, is that not the job of my older brother?

This was a troublesome time in my life. I had lots of questions with few answers. My attention was honestly completely on myself, what my next steps in life would be, and where I was going to live. For the first time in many years, God enabled me to do a three things in my life:

1. STOP.  My life had been going a hundred miles an hour to fix what went wrong. This process of stopping started about one week after I found out about my Dad had lost his job. The act of stopping was much needed. God showed me through his love and care that we would completely take care of me, my family, and all the different situations in my life. My goal in this situation was to not fix, solve, or do anything in my own power, but to come to him. 
2. COME. Jesus called me to "come" to him (Matthew 11:28-30). I was able to quit looking for answers elsewhere. I was able to go to him directly and talk. He was there to listen and hear me out. All of my frustrations and pains could be heard, understood, and released. I came close to God, and God came close to me (James 4:8).
3. REST. I knew that God had it all taken care of in advanced. I could actually rest, breathe, and have peace in the situation. Just as with Moses, the Lord tells us that he will personally go with us and give you rest - everything will be fine (Exodus 33:14). 

By God doing these three things in me, he showed me where he wanted me to go to school for the remainder of college, that my family would be taken care of, show me what I was to do with my life, and that in his presence is the only place I would find the fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). These troubles and questions became an opportunity for joy to occur (James 1:2-4). This weird act which would not have been my choice, was one of the most impactful things that positively changed my life. I had true joy in life knowing that I was following his will for my life and living life to the fullest (John 10:10).

-Mark

Soaking in God's Presence

I long for summer.

My body aches for the time where I can go outside, without a coat or hoodie on, to swim in a pool or jump into a lake off a dock swimming around until my body prunes up with water filling my pores.

Or to go down an amusement park ride screaming and laughing until my gut hurts.

Or being on a bench swing, in a tree, or on a papason chair with the sun overhead reading a book or just to simply relaxing with an icy Coke-a-Cola Classic to drink.

There is just something about summer and resting. After a long school year, it is time to relax a little.

I can remember when I was in middle and high school, that I had my favorite spot to go in the summer. I had a pond in my backyard that about a dozen other houses backed up to. There was a wooden bench there under a large weeping willow tree that was perfect for fishing. This was my space. After a busy day of chores or getting back from my job, this is where you could find me. I would retreat to that exact spot, which looked kind of like this:


Yet, when I got there... something seemed to always happen.

I would get about three minutes of peace and quiet. Then, the things of this world would flood my mind: relationships, sports, friends, text messages, something I forgot to do, and always a sibling or neighbor would come by to pestering me.

My relaxing, my rest, well, it got interrupted.

Do you ever feel that way? Psalms 46:10 tells us, "be still and know that I am God." God desires for us to be still... how can we even do that today?
We are to try to stay focused, forget everything else that is going on around us, and be in the presence of God to soak him in. Allow this time to be like your skin after swimming too long, soaked. To "know" God means that you are in relationship with him. Not simply seeing him on the weekends or casually in dialogue, but in constant contact with Him. Just the same way you would be in relationship with a close friend.

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus calls those who have heavy burdens, those who are weighed down by life, to come to him and find rest. Jesus can take the weight of life all of your mistakes, regrets, sins, doubts, fears, inadequacies, and worries.

We cannot carry around the load any longer.

Give it over to the only one who can handle it all.

Begin to rest in him.

Let us get back to resting and soaking in Christ, allowing each of us to be satisfied and complete in Him.

-Mark