To See the Holy in Everything...

 

Truth cuts away the darkness and allows light to shine. It reveals God’s greatest mysteries, that we might glimpse the holy in everything.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of truth cutting away darkness. I’m a visual learner, so It helps me to picture what that looks like in my mind, and then try to gain a spiritual perspective of how truth can make my life look different.

Of course, we all know the process of “cutting away” hurts. It breaks us apart and saves freedom as a surprise ending. Sometimes, it hurts so much that we can’t glimpse the end reward. We only see what is right in front of our eyes, and finding the holy in it seems impossible.

We serve the God of the impossible.

The complexity and intricacy of His surgeon-like skills are vast. He is the only One who has the ability to see each layer of our hearts and successfully remove the dark with His light. And then, we can see with clear eyes the holy that is in every moment. Through the process, we can better understand His faithfulness and provision in the middle of storms we face.

Recently, I’ve been talking a lot about the still, small voice. Sometimes, we are so wrapped up in the big signs that we forget to listen for His voice. We expect it to boom down from heaven, yet He often speaks softly to our souls. He whispers mercy, and if we aren’t listening it can hinder our ability to see what is holy.

I teach a Bible study, and as a journaling exercise I asked each woman, for one whole week, to pay more attention to the still, small voice by writing their purpose for each day in their journal. As soon as they wake up in the morning they are to write down what they must accomplish that day. Underneath that, I asked them to write the word provision. At the end of the day, they are to read over their purpose once again and then record how God showed them His provision. Basically, I want us to see how the two connect.

I want us to be aware of His daily provisions in our lives. Things we look at as small and insignificant are usually made up of holy moments. However, we are often too busy to see it that way. We miss the beauty inside His provision because when we think of God providing for us, we think of giant signs and wonders. We aren’t really looking for the small miracles in each moment. I would venture to say that there is nothing small in anything that our God does. It’s usually our human eyes that see it that way.

I’m going to give you an example of the “small” in my own life…

I’ve been struggling deeply with grief. I have days that are good, and days when I have to push myself to keep going. A few days ago, my purpose wasn’t anything major. I just wanted to get through the day feeling somewhat happy about my life and grateful for the blessings I have. At one point, I grabbed my phone and decided to play a trivia game online. I chose a Bible category and after playing an opponent, who I don’t know, they messaged me through the game and told me that they have played against me before. ( I don’t use my real name when I play.) They told me that when I play them it helps to sharpen their Bible skills. They thanked me. I know it seems silly, but I believe God provided some encouragement for me that day. I was feeling weak, empty, and completely knocked down by life, so I ignored housework and played a silly game. And guess what? God met me there.

He provided something beautiful for my soul.

Now, I will share something big. I’ve actually talked about this one other time before on the blog…

A couple years ago, my daughter Courtney’s birthday came and went. She is with Jesus and buried across the country from us. I didn’t want to ask anyone to visit her grave, but I’m her mother and it saddened me that I couldn’t bring flowers to honor her life. I prayed that God would send someone. Two weeks later, out of the blue, I received a text from a friend. She told me that she had been thinking about Courtney and knew it had been her birthday, so that morning she took flowers to the grave. She sent me a picture. God blew me away that day. He cares about things great and small. Courtney’s soul does not reside in that cemetery. She is with God, but her resting place is what I have left of her. It means something to me that words cannot describe. God heard my prayer and answered. He provided in a big way.

I want to let you know that God hears our prayers and He will provide for us. Whether it’s through encouragement from a stranger or some other avenue, He wants to provide what our souls need. There is power in the still, small voice. There is provision in the whispers of grace and mercy that He gives each day. And, through it, He cuts away the dark and shines light, that we might see the holy in everything.

Love,

Jennifer

PS: My book Nothing to Hold but Hope is available via Amazon.