Opinion
Hold your nerve, and trust God
Jane Walters was recently faced with deciding whether or not to embark on a cross-country journey with her team in a potential snowstorm, but trusted God for the outcome.
Each January, a committee I head up meets for a planning retreat. We usually pick somewhere fairly central and all drive in to spend a weekend together, getting to know each other better and discussing our charity’s essential business. One of our members has recently had eye surgery, so we decided to bless her by holding the retreat near her home in Wales, to spare her the travel. None of us minded this ‘sacrifice’ – not even the colleague who lives in Scotland! All was well. Then Storm Goretti came, uninvited…
It's interesting how people react when faced with potential crisis. Among our team we had those who were obviously struggling with the challenge: Would we be able to travel? Should we? LOOK AT THE FORECAST! Others were more sanguine: I expect it’s just the media hyping it up. As the team leader, my role in the conversation was a little different. Yes, I was looking at the forecast – which seemed to be changing by the hour – but I was praying and seeking God for wisdom. In our WhatsApp group, I typed this: Let’s try and hold our nerve (and trust God!).
It's somewhat trite, but nevertheless true, that we can’t control what happens to us, but we are responsible for how we respond. Almost daily we face challenges and difficulties. Some are the equivalent of pesky pebbles on the path that we can easily boot out of the way. Others, though, seem more like boulders, effectively blocking our way. I say ‘seem’ because not every obstacle is as substantial as it appears. Sometimes, we only need to scratch its surface to find that it crumbles to powder – much to our relief! Other times, that ‘thing’ really is a problem. So, what do we do then?
I’m mixing metaphors here, talking about storms one minute and ‘mountains’ the next, but fortunately Jesus addresses both imposters in similar ways. To the storm on the lake, with his disciples cowering behind him, Jesus said two simple words: Be still. It was enough to send the wind and waves packing. As for the mountain in our way, Jesus says we can tell it to be cast into the sea. In other words, Godly authority is no match for the elements.
We duly set out for Wales, admittedly with a blanket and shovel in the back of the car, only to find the roads were clear, the traffic light, our trusting hearts satisfied by God’s goodness.
If you’re in a storm, or facing an obstacle, talk to it as Jesus directed. Oh, and hold your nerve and trust God, too.
The image above is courtesy of pixabay.com
Jane Walters is Chair of the Association of Christian Writers and loves to champion writers of all ages and stages. She leads Green Pastures Christian Writers (currently meeting on Zoom) and creative writing retreats at Quiet Waters. Find out more: www.janewyattwalters.com or @readywritersretreats on Instagram.
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