Fall is one of my favorite seasons. There’s something about the vibrant colors that appeals to me. Some years fall sneaks in quietly, and other years it seems to arrive overnight. I call that a ‘suddenly’. That’s what happened with a group of mums I picked up for my church. They gave me a sneak-peek of their colors: speckled white, dappled orange, and dotted red. But guess what? A few days ago when I watered them, I saw that everything changed. The orange mums were loaded with flowers, the white ones were crammed with blossums, and the red mums were overflowing with crimson buds. I thought it would be a gradual process, but overnight the mums were fully dressed. A suddenly took place.
We all have times in our lives when we need a suddenly. We’ve been dealing with a problem for far too long: a health challenge, a difficult situation, or a financial crisis. “Wait for the Lord. Be courageous, and He will strengthen your heart. Wait on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14 ISV) It’s counterintuitive to think if we wait around we will get a good result. But God says we will. “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31, NASB) So let’s be patient. Let’s anticipate that things are going to get better. Someday soon, quite unexpectedly, the problem we’ve been dealing with will be gone. Take heart-here comes your suddenly!
Things to do today:
- Trust God to change your circumstance.
- Read a similar blog called ‘Suddenly is Coming’ and listen to songs ‘Rescue Story’ and ‘God I Look to You.’
My family spent a fun week camping at my brother’s-swimming in the pool, fishing and tubing on Lake Erie, and visiting Kelly’s Island. My nephew Ben participated in every activity. Because of this, I learned a few simple lessons. Ben took his floatie off in water over his head so he could try swimming to his mom and grandma.
On his visits to my house, my nephew’s favorite thing to do is to climb the tree in my front yard. The problem is, he’s only 4, so reaching even the bottom branch is impossible. Even with no chance of success, he keeps trying to climb it. Benjamin reaches as high as he can, he stands on tiptoes, and he even tries to climb the trunk. Eventually, he asks me to lift him up. Then he immediately reaches for a higher branch and takes those little tennies and steps onto the lowest branch. His face instantly lights up like he’s standing on top of the world. I like that I get to be a part of his success, and that he asked for my help. It makes my day to see him so happy.
Even with obstacles, we need to keep going. I learned this one summer when my friends and I hiked the Billy Goat Trail in Maryland on what had to be the hottest day of the year. The trail itself offered its share of challenges with much of it covered in rocky terrain. We climbed over, then slid down, giant boulders on a regular basis. The sun beat on our backs as the flowing waters of the Potomac River tempted us from far below. One of the biggest challenges was scaling a steep cliff face along the Potomac’s Mather Gorge. Although we consumed water regularly, the weight of it in our packs seemed to get heavier as the day wore on. Despite the deterrents that day, I’m happy to report we kept going and made it to the trail’s end.
One day I saw a vent cover from the roof lying in my yard. Thinking it would be a two minute fix, I decided to put it back on myself. This involved lugging a 6′ ladder out back, climbing it, and carefully crawling Spiderman-style on the first level of my roof. The second level was trickier. To get on that level, I had to take a running start like a gymnast flying towards the pommel horse. (Some advice:Stay away from visualizing this one.) The third level was a steep incline where I literally slid down to get to my destination. Ironically, when I reached the vent I realized IT DIDN’T NEED A COVER! After all that climbing, I discovered that some vents were covered but others were not. Looking around, I could tell that this one belonged to my neighbor. Things got clearer when I went a little higher.
On a recent trip to Maui, my friends and I decided to drive the famous Hana Highway. It’s a twisting, winding, and narrow road that crosses 46 bridges that are one lane wide. The road contains hundreds of hairpin curves. As you enter these ‘no-visibility’ bends in the road, you must blow your horn to warn oncoming traffic. There are mile-markers along the way, yet this famous highway is void of signs to alert tourists to Black Sand Beach, numerous flowing waterfalls, or bamboo hiking trails. Luckily, someone told us about buying a ‘Road to Hana Highway CD.’ This gave us an inside scoop on a perfect day: when to keep going, when to slow down, and when to stop and enjoy. Our experience that day was immeasurably better with guidance!
Recently I saw a movie that had God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as an integral part of the storyline. They each interacted with the main character, (Mackenzie), and supported him in his heartache and pain. Many scenes gripped my heart and sent my emotions on a roller coaster ride. But one scene in particular continues to visit my thoughts. Mackenzie steps out of a small boat and literally walks on the water with Jesus. Later, when he tries it again, instead of walking on the water, he sloshes through it. He looks back at Jesus in confusion. Jesus lovingly says, “This always works better when we do it together, don’t you think?” (Good point to ponder.)