His Glory Is My Good

Hi, friends!

It's sure been a while. The idea that once school is out, college students return home for a long, relaxing summer of laying on the couch every day and eating ice cream out of the tub with a wooden spoon is far from the truth. But tonight I do in fact find myself lounging on the couch after a long day at work with a piping hot cup of chai in my reach and finally a minute or two to actually get the artistic juices flowing. 

During my first few weeks back home from Corban, I had nothing to do. Really. I wouldn't start work until the beginning of June (this week!), and was free to do whatever I pleased. I watched a ton of Netflix, ate a lot of food, made a lot of art, drank a lot of tea, and read a lot of books. It was the dream come true of an exhausted college freshman who had just finished her first year (and survived!) with everything and everyone that came with it.

Flash forward 4 weeks, where I sit in the exact same spot on my comfy couch, but in very different circumstances. I'm wiped out from a long day of work, cleaning out every nook and cranny of every classroom in my old k-12 school. My feet have a weird ache to them that I haven't felt since I played volleyball 3 years ago. My eyes are fluttering, fighting to stay awake even though it's only 9 in the evening. I'm missing Corban and everything / everyone there. I'm ready for bigger and better things that, in my mind, will begin the minute I step away from the gum-caked bottoms of 2nd grader's desks and back onto campus grounds in August. 

Isn't there more for me right now, Lord? Shouldn't I be out and about making the most of my summer? Can you really use me where you've put me? 

Then it dawned on me. Call it a smack in the head from the Lord or a reminder from a previous blog post I read from a dear friend, but my mind became calm and clear and I realized how blessed I truly am to be where I am right now. Yeah, this couch is nice, but things have changed so much since I last sat here long enough to read or write or create in my artistic space. 

Knowing that God is good and sovereign can only cause me to rejoice in every season I encounter - even the seasons of doubt and restlessness. Lately, I've been reading through Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges, a book I would 110% recommend to anyone in any season of their life, whether in the calm or in the storm. One of the core truths I've been reminded of chapter after chapter in this little book of wisdom is that God causes everything to work out for His own glory and, get this, MY good. OUR good. God does not compromise one for another. He does not cause something to happen that will bring glory to His name only to cause me to suffer, and He does not cause anything to happen for my benefit that would discount Him of His own deserved glory. 

It's often easy for us to question God when He claims to work everything out for good, but things aren't looking so sunny and bright from our shoes. We are fed the lie that as Christians, we have to accept that everything is done for God's glory and that's it- whether or not we suffer along the way. Although that is true to some extent and we absolutely believe that God is deserving of all glory while we deserve nothing but total punishment and separation from Him, there is so much more than this when it comes to God's glory and our good. God is not some king in the sky who proclaims that all of his subjects and creation to follow him, whether or not they burn or starve or parish in the process. God is just, God is strong, and God does indeed rule over all- but God is so loving and so merciful to us as His creation and chosen people. His blessings He continually pours on us bring Him joy. OUR joy is HIS joy, and our struggles are His struggles. This is what ties together God's glory and our good. The two are intertwined, and nothing could bring us more comfort during those times that things don't really seem to be going swell. In every circumstance of my life, big and small, God causes everything to work together for my good AND His glory. Everything. Every person I will encounter, every chalkboard I will scrub, every challenge I will face, every hand I will shake, every place I will go. 

Under God's own divine orchestration, I am exactly where I am supposed to be at this very moment of my life. God wants me scrubbing floors at my old school wondering how the heck I ended up back here when I was so eager to kiss it goodbye after my 13 years of attending. God wants me removed from Corban and back with my family and home church for the summer, reconnecting with loved ones and cherishing every memory I can make with them until I leave again in 3 months time. God wants me waiting for that someone to love me as I earnestly seek to love Him above all else and everyone else. God wants me nervous and excited about the future, but sitting patiently in the present. 

God wants me tired, God wants me patient, God wants me content. 

And God proves time and time again to provide what I need to reach these points.

God is faithful, God is patient, and God is strong when I don't feel any strength left in my feeble body and tired mind. God doesn't just drop me off for the summer, waving goodbye and yelling "have fun, see you in 3 months!" from the drivers seat. Instead, he gets out of the car and continually walks with me. He grabs my hand, He pulls me up from the dust, and reminds me I am His and He is mine while pointing me to the next bend in this crazy road called life. 

I challenge you, friends, to find joy in whatever season you find yourself today. Even when you're not in the most glamorous job, the most adventurous days, or the most fulfilling circumstances. God has so lovingly knit together every single day you will walk the cold ground of this earth, including the times where you may feel like you're not making a difference where you are. 

God is faithful, and His joy is our joy. His glory is our good. 

Peace,

Lauren