Choosing To See

Let hope be not quenched in the blackness of night,
Though the cyclone awhile may have blotted the light,
For behind the great darkness the stars ever shine,
And the light of God's heavens, His love shall make thine,
Let no gloom dim thine eyes, but uplift them on high
To the face of God and the blue of His sky.

The storm is thy shelter from danger and sin, 
And God Himself takes thee for safety within,
The tempest with Him passeth into deep calm,
And the roar of the winds is the sound of a psalm.
Be glad and serene when the tempest clouds form;
God smiles on his child in the eye of the storm

These are words from a devotional that I posted over a year and a half ago. I read them and see how desperate I still am for the calm of the eye of the storm.... and how much I do not wish to be in the eye, because that means more is coming.

I have seen Jesus though, in this storm that has lasted several years. I have seen Him put people and resources in front of me that challenge and convict. I have seen Him display His glory is ways that move my heart to worship anew. I have more deeply treasured the friends that are not afraid to tell me the truth, that are not afraid to tell me the hard things, and who love me when I cannot see. 

And I am tired of not being able to see. So I will try, on this blog, to record the remarkable things an ordinary girl can see from an extraordinary God. And there is something everyday, if I will pay attention. I have been too self absorbed to notice much, except what I lack. I am tired of crying out for what I do not have. I choose to praise Him for what I do. 

Today, while in the parking lot at church, my car died. It was time, it seemed. Every morning when I start it up, it complains. And every morning I whisper a praise to God that it started, and I can go to work.  When I  turned the key in the ignition, nothing. Just that awful death rattle of an engine that has no spark of life left.  I called my husband. No answer. I texted him that the car died, and I'd wait for him in the office.  Then I sat there in the silence. The thought came to pump the gas while turning the key. If I had stopped to think about it, it would have seemed ridiculous. That's old school. This is a fuel injected car. But I did. I pressed the gas while turning the ignition. Something complained and died. Then I pumped the gas, turned the key, wondering if I was flooding the line. It sputtered and coughed and in a wonderful moment of triumph, roared to life. I could NOT believe it. I drove straight home. 

That was my extraordinary Abba Father taking care of His ordinary girl today. How has God been extraordinary in your journey today?