Turning of The Tide

I felt myself exhale this afternoon.  It was a deep sigh that I have been inadvertently holding for a long time.

Yesterday I listened as my husband described our life in one sentence to a friend we had lost touch with for many years. Leave it to my husband to use as few words as possible to express something profoundly impacting!  He said that if you were  to look at a beautifully decorated table, meticulously set for a special occasion, and then suddenly grabbed ahold of the tablecloth and  yanked it as hard as you could, causing the arrangement to become unidentifiable—that would sum up the past several plus years of our lives.

I do not share this information for sympathy; because there is nothing to be sorry about.  

Somewhere in the midst of our heart’s cry to be used for God’s glory, somewhere in the middle of telling God that we would do anything He wanted with our lives, regardless the cost…God took us at our word, and the table cloth got yanked.

Many days ended without solutions to problems bigger than we were capable of fixing.  Nighttime found our heavy hearts lying in bed as we held hands, staring speechless at the ceiling, praying that courage might find us somewhere in the night to face the light of a new day.  

We found the core of our beliefs tested and tried in ways we could have never guessed as the tide of God’s favor and blessing, by all appearances, was going out with no sign of a hasty return.

The loss which almost took us out in the mighty undertow was not only the loss of “things” but also the loss of people who we had believed would stand beside us regardless life’s circumstances.  

At times I was certain we would not survive; our strength ebbing away against the mighty grasp of Despair.

I struggle to find adequate words to express the beauty of how God is willing to work in the lives of broken people, such as ourselves, never letting go of us even when all felt hopeless.  In the middle of chaos, He changed the very templates of our hearts.  

Today, the tide is turning once again, swallowing us in the joy of the Lord.  We have done nothing to merit favor in the turning of the tide.

Just as I cannot explain how or why the tide went out so long ago; neither can I explain why the tide has now turned again.  The turning of the tide does not represent an easy life, simply a good life where one can exhale.  

I know that some of you have faced or are currently facing your own unimaginable losses. 

Sometimes loss or change is a gift from God, though in the moment, through the lens of our finite perspective, the gift does not feel pleasant.  Paul reminds us in Romans: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

I share this turning of the tide moment with you today with the hopes that your hearts will be encouraged.  If you are stuck up to your knees in sand, looking off toward the direction of the ocean wondering if the tide will ever turn back again, do not lose hope.

God’s promises are written on your heart, never to be erased or forgotten.

I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it again and again: “You are deeply loved by your heavenly Father.” 

Stay the Course…

Sheila

Today’s Prayer: “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121:1-8