Going, going, gone . . .

time to put my money where my mouth, er fingers, are. in a previous post, i talked about trusting God. well, turns out life has a sense of irony, or God has a sense of humor, or maybe a little of both. either way, i am now without a job. i have done my grieving this afternoon, and the numbness has worn off, and now i am staring down reality barrelling down the tracks at me and wondering how God is going to derail that train before it hits me full force. regardless, God is in control and is sovereign, and He is going to provide for me. as i said before, my supply is God, not north mississippi medical center (all our best, right?) and He knows my situation even before it happened today and already has a plan in place. just wish i could get in on the joke.

the cherokee indians had a very interesting ritual of a boy becoming a man that comes to mind right now. when the time came for a boy to make the transition into a man, his father would take him out deep into the woods and would sit him on a stump blindfolded. the boy's instructions were simple: do not take the blindfold off, do not call out, and do not get off of the stump until morning, at which time his father would return. he then was left by his father to spend the night on that stump blindfolded. while there, he would hear all kind of sounds that were terrifying to the young boy away from the safety of his village. his mind would be filled with the images of wild animals surrounding him, savoring the easy meal to come. every ounce of his being wanted to take the blindfold off, get off of the stump, and run. but run where? it was dark and he had no idea where he was or how to get back. so he sat. by the time morning came, his skin was so sensitive to the atmosphere around him, that the warmth of the sun's rays could be felt, alerting him that morning had arrived. when he took the blindfold off, he would find that his father was sitting just behind him, having spent the entire night there. even though he felt as if he had been abandoned to the beasts of the forest, reality proved to be that he was being protected from them by a warrior far more skilled than he, one that loved him and would give his life to protect him. God is the same way.

right now i am being marched into the forest, blindfolded. i can already hear the strange sounds of unfamiliar territory. i know the one secret that the young cherokee lad did not, however: that my Father is there with me, protecting me, and has already given His life for me. i can only imagine what kind of warrior God is preparing me to be at the end of this test. what a wonderful God we serve!