So in my last post, I talked a lot about friends. Well, tonight I want to reiterate on that topic. I used a Nicholas Sparks quote that compared people in our lives to characters in a book. So now I want to compare not characters, but times and situations to the many chapters of a book.
You've most likely heard it said more times than you can count: that old bit about starting a new chapter in life. If it's been said once, it's been said many times over, and in numerous ways.
That old symbolic chapter is the division between old and new, youth and maturity, inexperience and experience. It divides different ages, walks and even leaps of faith. And just like in books, the number of chapters in peoples' lives vary greatly from person to person.
For example, I have very few chapters in my life right now. There's the first one, my childhood and naivety. Then there's the second, my pre-teen years when I had an attitude and I didn't care who saw it! Sometimes there's a pretty clear divide between chapters, and other times one flows smoothly into the next. I've always felt that the best stories are the ones that leave you in suspense at the end of one chapter while you're waiting for the next to begin. As I started high school, my third chapter started as well. And then another one began when I got my license...that's one of those chapters that I think everyone has, because it's such a momentous time in people's lives. I think it's safe to say that I started a fifth chapter in life when I became a senior in high school and "senioritis" kicked in less than six months ago. And now I sit here waiting for this chapter to come to a smooth close and make way for the much-anticipated chapter called "college."
Where I'll go, who I'll meet, what I'll do...those are all questions that will be answered as the pages in my story progress. I do know one thing for certain, and that is that I will never forget those key characters who have continously remained a part of my life's story. Those people will follow me well into the next chapter of my life simply because my story wouldn't be complete without them.
So, why the need for this huge metaphor, and what does it have to do with God or my faith?? Well, I'll tell you why... I feel like this subject is one that's been stressing and scaring me a good bit in my life lately, and through that stress and anxiety, God has purposefully calmed my heart.
As I lay in bed the other night worrying about this new chapter in my life, a voice in my head quoted word-for-word a verse that I love but don't necessarily know from memory, Philippians 4:6:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Yup, that's right...that was God telling me to put my trust in Him and (oh my goodness!) not be anxious! But it didn't stop there... I Googled this verse (because let's face it, Google is a gift from God) and look at what comes right after it...
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
- Philippians 4:6 & 7
So not only is God telling me to throw all my burdens on His shoulders, but He's also saying that when I do that, I will be so at peace that I won't even know what's hit me!
And so that's exactly what I did. And it feels so peaceful to have this huge weight just lifted right off of my shoulders. Up until Tuesday night, I had never really been able to comprehend the way that the Lord so mysteriously works in our lives...but now I can. Now I see that when He wants us to hear His voice He makes it heard. And how wonderful it is to hear...
