Are we willing to trust?

“He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” Isaiah 40:11

The past month (oh goodness, I’m so sorry it’s been a month) has been quite an adventure. Everything from finding out we had a breeched baby (yes, he has since turned head down, praise the Lord!) to going over a week past due and counting, plus tons of false labor and crazy pregnancy hormones. Not to mention we have temporarily moved closer to where I’ll be giving birth so Omar has added an hour to his daily commute, as well as facing some very unforeseen challenges at work. And all the while Sami is growing up... AKA, getting a bit of an attitude and testing my patience and parenting abilities! Haha! Y’all, life has felt pretty wild. It could be so much worse! In fact, it isn’t even bad, it’s just challenging and truly, these experiences are completely random and difficult to prepare for. God has challeneged our character, our ability to react under pressure, and He has caused us to check our heart daily about how much we trust Him and His perfect will and timing.

We have prayed time and time again to bring this baby into the world, to make sense of all the hormonal fog, and to take the unnecessary burdens off our shoulders. We have asked to understand His will, to make sense of what he wants from us in this season of waiting and transition, but the only response We have received is a question. “Will you trust Me, even when My plans aren’t yours?”

I, Shelley, don’t know what you may be walking through this morning, but I ask the same of you. Will you trust Jesus when His paths are not necessarily where you wish to venture? Will you believe that He has a plan for you that’s greater than what you could conjure up? Will you believe that when Heaven seems so silent, that He is still standing beside you? Will you believe God when the emotion, the inspirational quotes, and the deep feelings and intuition fail you? It’s easy to say yes when plans and direction seem so clear, but what about when you can barely put one foot in front of the other?

In Isaiah 40:11, God promises to tend to us, to carry us, and to lead us gently. Just because we may not always see the grace and mercy of Christ in our troubles, does not mean it doesn’t exist. It is in these times we must trust the character of Christ spelled out in His Word over the emotions and trials we face in this moment.

Be encouraged, Saints. God has not forgotten you, He has not left you, and if you wonder, the Good Shepherd will be faithful to leave the 99 to pursue you. Oh taste and see that He has been, is, and will be good to you. He willingly gave up His life for your salvation, how much more could we ask of the very Creator of the world, the genuine Lover of our souls?

Blessings to you on this beautiful Wednesday morning!

Xoxox,
​Shell