A Full Pantry of Control and a Side of Jesus

We did the thing. We did the shopping. And the buying. And the planning. And then we realized we had forgotten perhaps the most important step.

To remember. In our haste with our heightened awareness of my immune suppression, with my pregnancy further adding to my suppression, with the knowledge that I am in that high-risk population, we somehow forgot (more honestly, pushed aside) our desperate need to remember our God. Who is a Strong Tower.

As I stood in my kitchen unloading the dishwasher the next morning, I felt God whisper to me the reminder that He shows up BEST in our weakness.

But if we are stocked, if we are over-prepared, where does He fit in? Are we missing His power displayed because of our need to “control” things? Where does He fit in our hearts?

A full pantry of control and a side of Jesus. Deep exhale.

Matt came home later that evening. God had been working on him too, as he was reminded of the parable found in Luke 12 of the man whose harvest was so abundant he decided to tear down his barns to build himself bigger barns to store all of his crops. The man said to himself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” God had something to say about this. He replied, “You fool. This very night your life will be demanded from you.”

Let’s not be deceived into thinking we are in control of this virus or anything else really. Yes prepare. PLEASE be generous to those around you. Look for ways to HELP. Getting outside of yourself always rids fear. Yes, please follow guidelines. But don’t be so confident in your ability to control the situation for those around you that you lose sight of the truth that NOTHING comes our way that hasn’t passed through His hands first.

Be at peace then, and put aside all imaginings.

**This guest post was written by Erica Maver