A few days ago a good friend asked me what I have learned over the past year. She was referring to all of the issues with my neck, etc. It’s amazing, because if anyone knows suffering, she does. Before losing her daughter to cancer, she herself suffered with the disease, and watched both her mother and her sister battle it as well. My troubles seem so small in comparison. . . . yet she was asking ME what I have learned through MY trial.
After thinking a moment, I responded that I have learned that God does not always seem present. That there are seasons in our lives where we may not feel or hear him and may not have any idea why he is allowing certain things to happen to us. In those seasons there is nothing that can break through—knowing every bible verse about his faithfulness is not enough. No words of encouragement from our friends (especially the “God has a plan” line) mean anything. In certain situations, only HE can dull the pain and give us strength to keep going.
Life isn’t always comfortable or easy. It doesn’t always make sense. And being God’s children doesn’t make us immune to the suffering of humanity. We will and do face everything others have to face. But he will be and is always . . . present. Darkness is strong but he is stronger. He will sing over us in our seasons of darkness and enable us to experience light—even when our circumstances don’t change.
Life can also be amazing, beautiful, and exciting. It all depends on the season. Hebrews talks about men and women of faith—the things many of them had to endure are beyond comprehension. “They were stoned, they were sawn in two. . . ” But they also “conquered kingdom”s and experienced amazing blessings.
My new album, Sing Over Me, is about learning to trust and rest in love in seasons of uncertainty, perplexity, and even pain. There is a higher purpose to everything we are experiencing now. We can’t always look for or demand answers to the things that perplex us. When we don’t understand, we can and must hold on to our faith.
Embrace the joys of life, endure the sorrows, and cling to the knowledge that in both, whether we feel him or not, he is and will continue to be present. Accept and even embrace the “now”—but live for eternity. Life is a breath. Breathe deeply. He will hold us and give us strength.
Peace,
Stephanie
