Uncovering.

We are in the process of moving houses, and it has been hectic to say the least. There were days when we thought we had lost the house that we wanted, and then we found out we actually were able to purchase it. There was a flooding tub during the inspection—it’s just been a lot. I’m still not convinced that the move is actually going to happen, but it’s been growing my faith and patience for sure.  However, as I have packed over the course of the last few weeks, I have come across some things that I forgot we had. It’s actually been pretty fun being reunited with all of my lost items—favorite t-shirts, a super-cute dish towel, a forgotten serving dish—they have all served as happy little surprises after hours of packing boxes. (And yes, I realize that the fact that I had “lost” items probably means I have too much stuff!)

In the midst of this chaos, I also just returned this morning from a visit to the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home as I met with their Director of Pastoral Care, to try to learn from a seasoned veteran better practices to incorporate in to my ministry here. The children’s home also happened to be about a 30-minute drive from one of my oldest friends, so I was able to stay the night with her on my trek back home. She is one of those people around whom I can immediately let down my guard—in fact, when I arrived at 6 pm she was already in her pjs, so I quickly put on the same attire! It had been a couple of years since we had seen each other, but the conversation was good and rich and deep and honest, and really just felt like a deep breath for my soul.

These two experiences remind me of uncovering. Whether it’s a dish or relationship, there are things that often get covered in our lives. It’s not ever a purposeful thing, but other things or people or experiences end-up taking priority, and those that are left get pushed to the back. Sometimes you feel the loss, and sometimes, like with my dishtowel at the bottom of the drawer, you don’t even realize you are missing it until you come across it.

 I feel like I also live through this process of uncovering different Spiritual truths in my life. I live through an experience where God teaches me that I can trust Him, and then 6 months later when a different situation that requires trust appears, it’s like I have forgotten all about it. However, as my worry and anxiety begin to spin up, God graciously reminds me of the lesson that He taught me last time, and I’m able to pick that truth back-up and apply it to my life.

When I think about it, though, I guess I’m in good company. Peter certainly experienced this uncovering during the time when He denied Christ, Jonah had to be reminded of God’s mercy and how that worked, and the Israelites pretty much always lived out the cycle of forgetting and then being reminded. I’m so thankful that God is a loving God that is willing to remind us. Just like the Good Shepherd He is, He gently nudges us back on the right path when we step out of line, never growing too exasperated at our inability to keep those truths uncovered. I would love to get to the point in my Spiritual maturity that I stop forgetting, and just live confidently with these truths permanently uncovered. However, my prayer for each of us today is that in each circumstance, day-by-day, we will live with just a little more faith than the day before, as God shows Himself completely worthy of our trust.