When people are hit with unexpected circumstances, they often do not like it.
We tend to freak out a little, and if you don’t, props to you, show me your ways. Please. But from my experience, we either have an external freak out: make big decisions in the wrong direction, act out, say things we don’t mean.
Or we internally freak out: overthink every situation, start to doubt ourselves, start to doubt God. Point being, a lot of us do not like change. Once we get into a routine or a habit, we want it to stay that way. But let’s be real here, nothing on this earth is forever. Whether it is a job, relationship, school, or whatever, those things change if we like it or not.
But hey don’t worry because I have good news. There is one thing that is eternal, and that is God. All of these things of this world are only temporary, and one day we are going to move on. One day we will spend eternity somewhere else, and you want to know something crazy?
Where we spend our eternity depends on the way we choose to spend this life, the things we choose to invest our time and effort into. I don’t know about you but I want to live this life to the fullest, pursuing God, following him and choosing him every day because he is the one thing that is eternal and won’t let me or you down.
With all of this being said, something unexpected has currently happened in my life right now. I am not going to go very in depth because that would be very long, but I will hit the main points. So, I have a little brother, Noah, and a little sister, Chloe. Noah is 16 years old, and he has Asperger’s, which causes him to think/ act in ways that people normally wouldn’t do.
This can be both a blessing and a curse. For the past year and a half, he has been placed at a boarding school in New York for kids like him because of previous actions when he was at home. This is what was best for him if we wanted anything to change. And boy, have I missed him dearly. We have minimum communication with him, which I despise. Ever since he left, our family has felt incomplete, but (I hate to say this) it has been much calmer and relaxing.
Just yesterday my family received news that my brother is being released. Totally, out of the blue. They wanted to send him home immediately, but that was hard with flights, so he came home today, which just gave us a few extra hours to prepare for what is about to happen in our lives (giving my sister and I enough time to make a poster). We were not expecting this to happen at all. The plan was for him to come home in the summer if his behavior has been good, but God had other plans. When I first received the phone call from my dad, I didn’t know what to think. I was in denial.
I continued to go about my day without putting much thought into it, but then it all hit me at once while I was signing to Jesus “If more of you, means less of me, take everything,” and it all hit me. My brother is coming home, for good. With tearing sliding down my cheeks and the salty taste on my lips, questions began to flow through my head. Where is he going to go to school? (He cannot go back to the same place).
What will he do all day? (He needs routine and structure). How am I going to help with being in college and not living at home? Do a move home? Do I stop everything to help my family? How will Noah act? Will things go back to the way they were before? What about my sister? How is she going to handle this? She has been through so much. I became overwhelmed because I think I have to make all of these decisions and take control, but I don’t. God is in control, and all I have to do is trust in him that he will guide my brother and my family exactly where he wants us to be.
That is what we have to do with the unexpected, trust that God is in control. We are so small compared to how big God is. This life is so small compared to the eternity that we can spend in the kingdom of God. Once we recognize how small we are and look up to Jesus, we are reminded of how desperately we need to be rescued. We want Jesus to work OUR way on OUR time, but sorry to break the news to you, that ain’t how it works sister. He will at times work in ways that are contrary to your expectations and we do not always like that, but Jesus will always exceed your expectations. Just because everything in your life is a jumbled up mess and you keep getting hit with the unexpected, doesn’t mean that Jesus isn’t at work in your life. You might not see it right away, but if you are patient, he will show up in glorious ways that go far beyond your expectations. God can do immeasurably more than you could ever ask or imagine. You just have to take the time to pray. Pray bold prayers about things that you don’t think are possible because God accomplished the impossible with ease.
