This weekend was one of my favorites. I got to spend it with my Mema and Papa in little old Alsea, Oregon. Their house, tucked deep into the trees away from the business of the city, has always served as a place to find peace and clarity in the midst of life that is sometimes overwhelming. Being able to laugh with them and just enjoy each other’s company was just what my tired soul needed to recover from a hectic week.
Sunday morning rolled around and we all hopped into the car to head to church. When we arrived at the little white building on the side of Highway 34, familiar smiles and hugs invited us in. I’ve known most of the people that attend my grandparent’s church since I was 12 so visiting is always a sweet little reunion. As 9:30 approached I got settled into a chair for adult Sunday school, and a sweet little old lady sat across from me. Before we introduced ourselves, I could see how full of life she was. I love people like that who ooze with spunk. Her name was Betty.
I asked her how she was doing and through broken speech (she has a nervous system disorder that causes muscle spasms in her vocal chords) we began a cordial conversation. She introduced me to her husband who shook my hand with a genuine smile, and I asked her how they met (I’m a sucker for love stories and all things mushy and cute). She told me that they went to the same church when they were younger and got married after high school. Then she said “I didn’t always used to be like this you know. I used to be so strong.” My heart sank as watched this sweet woman struggle so hard to get the words out.
Later, she began to tell me about her daughter who has cancer and how it’s not the kind that wants to go away. They had talked on the phone the week before, and Betty said that she couldn’t help but cry. Her daughter asked her why she was crying but she didn’t want to tell her. Her daughter kept persisting and finally Betty replied with, “Well, these past six weeks haven’t been the best.” she had a lot of things going wrong and I could relate to her overwhelmed spirit! Then Betty looked at me and said, “You know what my daughter told me?” I shook my head. “She said, ‘Mom don’t worry, God is bigger than Satan.'”.
TEARS!
We both let the tears fall from our over-tired, over-whelmed, over-flowing eyes. Oh how my soul so desperately needed to be reminded of that truth. Sometimes I get so excited about this adventure that I forget to check back with the source who’s giving it to me. I look around me and realize how much work I have ahead of me and freak out a little! How can I possibly raise this much money? What the heck, why is everything so expensive?! Why am I so busy right now?! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! I forget that being tired and overwhelmed and (let’s be real) overly-emotional are all red flags that tell me I need to turn back to Jesus who is bigger than all of those things.
And my goodness, isn’t it amazing the people and places God uses to redirect us into His arms? I know that He makes all things possible, and why wouldn’t the enemy try to hide that truth from me? I know that He will strengthen me, and that all of these hills and valleys will be used to glorify Him. In this crazy, busy, exciting season of life, I am so thankful to be walking side by side with my Savior.
