My youngest is starting Kindergarten in a few weeks (by the time you are reading this, she will have started). Not only is she my youngest, but she won’t be 5 until November, she is a bit behind in her speech, she’s little, and she has no clue what to do when people are mean to her. Seriously, she just sits there and cries.
In a short few weeks, I will be putting her on the bus with her brother. She will hopefully run on the bus with excitement to be going to the same school with him. But I know all too well what can happen on the bus. We have witnessed it over the past couple years.
On one particularly chaotic day, I asked Charlie what the bus driver was doing when all the chaos was ensuing. Be ready to laugh here, my friends.
He said in an equally matter of fact and sarcastic tone “um, driving the bus.” I mean, of course that is what the bus driver was doing.
New Adventures, New Unknowns
What also isn’t helping me is that my daughter has been hesitant about going to summer camp. She used to run into her classroom and give her teacher the biggest hug. At camp she goes in like she is completely unsure.
I knew something was off, she just wasn’t her usual happy and content self. And today in the car on the way home she said to me “I am scared at camp.” I asked, “just today?” To which she responded that she is scared every day.
This comes the day after I drove to church in complete worry about her going to a new place again. But this time she won’t have any of her friends in the class with her. Everything will be different and unsure.
Now, I know she will be okay. But I am not going to lie, I am completely overwhelmed by her going to kindergarten. I cry as I am typing this. She is my baby. And it isn’t helping that I am finding out on her final week of camp that she has been scared for the past 4 weeks.
That definitely doesn’t help my anxiety of putting her into another completely unknown situation very soon.
Truths to Remember When Walking Into the Unknown Click To TweetFear in the Unknown
But as I was driving to church, I also knew that my concern stemmed from my love and care for her.
And it brought one question to my mind. Does God love me? I say that because I have never been so aware of my child’s feelings. She is the go-with-the-flow child, who walks into the unknown with certainty and bravery. On her first day of pre-school 2 years ago, when she proudly put on her backpack and ran into the classroom with barely a goodbye to me.
I am very much unlike her. Unknowns and uncertainties terrify me. I like all my ducks in a row. I like to know the plan. The whole walk by faith and not by sight thing? Yeah, that isn’t my favorite lesson in the Bible. Yet it is often what the disciples are called out on. Their lack of faith.
Yet here I am. Loving my children. Wanting them to be assured in uncertainties and unknowns.
Truths to Remember When Walking Into the Unknown
And here I feel the heart of God. The heart of God that is weaved all throughout Scripture. The heart of God that assures me I can without a second of doubt answer “Yes!” to the question “Does God love me?”
I know He does. He sent His only son to die for me. He sent His only son to die for you, so that whoever believes in Him would have eternal life.
If He loves us, we don’t have to worry. We can endure all things, because of Him who gives us strength.
He comforts us like a mother comforts their child (Isaiah 66:13). And sometimes that looks like them being in your lap in tears as you stroke their hair. He is a shelter when we are weak. A safe refuge. A firm foundation.
A firm foundation is critical. And having that firm foundation can begin by how we answer for ourselves the question, “Does God love me?”
If the answer to that is without a doubt “yes!”, then we can stand firm on what we know, and not what we see, because of who we know and what we know about Him. He is good. He is faithful even when we are faithless. We may not be able to see God’s love, but we can know He loves us because we know Him.
Do not fear. Be still. Cease fighting and know He is God.
He keeps track of all our sorrows He collects all our tears in His bottle. He recorded each one in His book (Psalm 56:8). He knows our fears, and even knowing them He calls us to step out of the boat that we call safety. He does that even in the wind and the waves.
What God Does in the Unknown
But, like I when asked my son what the bus driver was doing during the chaos, we may be curious or tempted to ask what God He is doing in chaos and uncertainty. What is He doing in times of doubt, confusion, and unknowns?
And here is the answer. He is being God. He always has, and always will be. He will always be found working for the good of those who love Him. He will always be there encouraging us in our times of fear and anxiety.
God will always be there encouraging us in our times of fear and anxiety. Click To TweetYour Turn
When you look back on your life, and the trials and uncertainties you have walked through, how would you answer these 3 questions. We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
What was God doing?
Does God love me?
How am I sure of these things, and how can I be sure of these things in the future?
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