This week, we were hit with a storm of uncertainties.
The GAP E squad came to live with us last Monday on short notice, multiplying the atmospheric noise and house mess by 1,000%. Our Sabbath was cut short by new ministries. One of my team members was diagnosed with Vertigo. One of my hosts got sick with something similar. A strange number of toilets started clogging. Our squad car stopped working. That night, a staggering number of girls had nightmares about their families and friends. And then, on top of it all, nearly fifteen squad members started throwing up in the middle of the night, launching the house into chaos and a 45-person quarantine.
Here’s the thing: God has the power to snap His fingers and make this all go away. He can heal the Vertigo, the nightmares, and the sickness. He can fix Fabi’s car and unclog the toilets. If He wanted to, he could rid the world of COVID, of all disease, and all pain. He could strip the world of evil and have us wake up tomorrow as perfect humans, sinless and healthy.
But He doesn’t.
I just finished reading Radical by David Platt, and I realized something that I completely overlooked. The point of God is not to give us the easy way out. His purpose isn’t to shield us from every bad thing. His purpose is to bring glory back to Him.
God gave me this metaphor this morning: When we’re in a room with the light on, we move around with ease. After two seconds or walking into the room, we forget the light is on entirely. We go about our lives thinking our eyes are responsible for giving us sight.
But when the light is turned off, we realize it wasn’t our eyes giving us sight, but the light. In the darkness of the room, we must intentionally search for the light switch. A hand is held out to us, leading the way. Now that we see what darkness looks like, we want so much more to pursue the light.
In our pursuit, we bring glory to the light. We are defenseless without it. And the next time we are immersed in light, we give thanks to it because we remember the alternative.
Ok, so this metaphor doesn’t mean God leaves us to bring us back to Him. Instead, God allows darkness to poke into our lives so we are given the choice to pursue the light.
In my house, we have been praying more intentionally than ever. The bitterness I felt for the invasion of my clean, quiet space is gone, replaced by compassion as I care for the sick. Whatever self-centeredness I’d allowed myself during ministry before is replaced by appreciation when I turn my eyes to my friend experiencing Vertigo. I am filled with gratitude when I see Fabi’s car and remember how easy it was to fix my own car back at home. The forced quarantine yesterday allowed me to spend hours in my book and the Bible– hours I would have lost to a trip to the pool otherwise.
In retrospect, God could have blocked all evil from entering this house. We could be happy, healthy, and blind. Instead, he gave us the opportunity to intentionally pursue Him. We scrambled for the light switch and have grown better at reaching out our lost hands in the darkness.
It would be a lie to say I’m thankful for the bad things that happened this week. I’m not. What I’m thankful for is the growth I’ve experienced. It’s not about me; it’s about God. Glory to Him. Glory to the God who heals and gives us sight.
If you’re willing, I would love intentional prayer over our health. If God is willing, I pray for complete healing in the sick girls and my dizzy friend. I pray for a working car and (God, please!) working toilets. More than anything, I pray for God’s loud voice this week; let us hear Him loud and clear as if He is speaking to us audibly.
I also want to ask you this: What darkness do you want God to supernaturally eliminate in your life, and how can you bring Him glory through it?
Thanks for reading!
Over and out.
P.S. We finished the trench!
