Here we are, relaxing in the creaking porch swing and having random conversations about life, renovations, and animals. The sun is setting while the sky is an astonishing shade of peachy purple. It’s mid-April, and the sun has warmed the earth to a comfortable temperature while the wind softly blows the leaves in the tree. I pull out my guitar, and the whole family begins singing old hymns. It’s a perfect Alabama Friday night. What could be better than this?
Just then, my mind snaps back to 9 hours earlier, sitting on a wooden school bench staring down a long high school hallway, awaiting my first interview for a teaching job. My hands were sweating onto the resume I had been tirelessly editing all the way up until that point, and I could hear every noise coming from the meeting room I was waiting to enter. The principal was rustling his papers while passing out interview sheets. The school resource officer’s keys were jingling with every step as he monitored the front office. The office staff was laughing about something I’m sure was hilarious. At least, it seemed that way. There was that nostalgic scent of cafeteria food, antibacterial spray, and sweaty teenagers that brought me right back to my first day entering high school as a student. My senses were heightened, and I was on edge about everything happening around me. I, quite frankly, was a nervous wreck.
However, just nine hours later, there I was, taking in all the scenery around me. The beautiful sky, the smell of freshly mowed grass, the sound of my family enjoying conversation and that porch swing creaking with every movement, and the feeling of guitar strings underneath my fingers. Again, my senses were heightened to my surroundings, but this time it was a much more joyous experience.
These two scenarios remind me that when I’m living a life for Christ, he’s surrounding me in my fear and in my joy. Just like he surrounded his disciples in their fear and in their joy when they were walking with him day by day. When they were on the boat surrounded by a storm causing huge waves and were afraid, Jesus was there and calmed the storm. However, I think it’s important to remember that Jesus was sleeping when the storm came. When we are afraid of the storm life has thrown at us, it may seem like the Lord is not present. But I have good news…. He’s right there in the boat with you, waiting on you to call on Him, surrounding you with His peace and protection.
Jesus was also there when the disciples had times of joy. When they fed the five thousand, the Lord was there. When they had celebrations, Jesus was there to partake and enjoy the celebration with them, thanking His Father for blessings and provision. He even turned water into wine when they celebrated and ran out of wine. Jesus’s mother just needed to call out to Him. The Lord was surrounding them in their celebrations and good times.
Isaiah 41:10 states,
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.”
The Lord is with us. The Lord is not with us if we are joyful or if we are fearful. He is just WITH US, PERIOD. It’s often easy to remember that He is with us when we are afraid and need Him, but it is harder to remember He is with us when we celebrate. I think the reason for this is because we think we did something on our own to get us to this place of celebration, but James 1:17 says,
“Every good and perfect gift is from above.”
The reason we can celebrate is because the Lord has blessed us with these gifts; I did not gain these blessings of my own accord.
When I reflect on this day and these verses, I’m also reminded of the song lyrics, “it may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by you.” So, when we are fearful, instead of worrying about the situation surrounding us, we can look inward and remind ourselves that because the Holy Spirit lives within us, He is surrounding us with protection and peace if we will just call on Him. On the other hand, when we are joyful, I pray that instead of thinking so much of ourselves, we again turn inward and remember that all those blessings came from the Lord and that He is there with us, in our joy, celebrating with us.
Kristie Brothers
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#kristiebrothersblogs