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I recently met a woman in her early twenties - very sweet, very cute, and very on top of life. She's a big time planner and she was telling me about some of the plans she had made. Think lots of insurance policies, retirement funds, etc. The funny (not really funny, more like interesting) thing was that she had such fear written all over her. She's way more prepared for the future than Chuck and I are (and we have 3 kids!) and yet it seems that she's terrified of it too. This is what got me thinking.

I don't think there is anything wrong with planning. I do believe that the Lord is happy for us to live in nice homes, have plenty to eat, and have our bills covered. I just think that sometimes he allows life to be hard to challenge us to trust and love him. You can plan for the bad but there is no insurance policy to keep it away from your life. You just have to walk through it. Cancer, job losses, death, unpaid bills - all of that happens. Why be afraid of the "stuff" when you know that the Creator of the Universe holds you in his hand?

Last night on Grey's Anatomy (I know, I know) Meredith said she was going to lean into the wind/lean into the fear so she could experience love. I think that is actually sort of profound for a nighttime show! If we choose not to lean into the pain and trauma that sometimes is life then we miss the opportunity to lean into Christ. He is always in the midst of our pain and messes that sometimes the pain and messes are actually a blessing!

So many times I have experienced such comfort from the presence of the Lord because of something painful that it's easy to say thank you for the pain! Of course then there are other times when I can't see the good and feel like Job's friends who said curse God and die!

Anyway, those are the things I'm thinking about. What joy we miss when we try to insulate ourselves from all pain and hurt. The stretching is painful but our Father will not allow it to break us. That's really what I wanted to tell that girl. So I'll tell y'all.